Useful Tips for Vegetarian Bodybuilding Diet Plans

Tips for the Vegetarian Bodybuilder!

Vegetarian eating is catching on with more people day by day. Saying no to meat doesn’t mean that you cannot build muscle or reach your fitness goals.

 If you are looking for building more muscle   mass but still want to enjoy your vegetarian   style of diet, you may often feel as if like you   might be defeated before you get going. You   hear so much talk about protein being the most   important nutrient needed to build muscle and   one that you should be consuming very large amounts of it to achieve success.

  Don’t be so quick to jump to the conclusion,   however. While it definitely true that protein is   an extremely important nutrient to have in the   diet, it’s not true that you necessarily need   copious (huge) amounts of it to make progress. There are plenty of ways for vegetarians to build the muscle they are after despite the fact that they aren’t consuming any meat products.

Let’s have a look at the 20 top tips that the vegetarian bodybuilder needs to know.

1. Get Sufficient Calories

The very first thing that you must do as a vegetarian bodybuilder is to make sure that you get enough calories. If you don’t take in enough calories on a regular basis, your body is much more likely to turn into incoming protein for fuel and you very well may see a deficit forming. 

2.  Consume Plenty of Fruits and Vegetables

Secondly, be sure that you are taking in plenty of fruits and vegetables. These are going to supply you with a high-quality source of nutrients as well as all the antioxidant protection to keep your immune system feeling strong.

3. Don’t Neglect Chickpeas and Legumes

For vegetarians looking to build muscle, one of the key sources of the protein they need to be looking into is chickpeas and legumes. They will also be a good low-fat source of carbohydrates as well and make for a great snack before a hard workout.

4. Swap rice for Quinoa

If you’re in a habit of eating rice with your meals, swap that up for some quinoa instead. 

Quinoa tastes much like brown rice (a combination of brown rice and oatmeal) and is higher in overall protein content than the brown rice. On top of that, quinoa is actually a source of protein, whereas brown rice is not. This is important for the process of muscle building to take place.

5. Use Egg Whites or Soy Protein Powders

Fifth, it’s a very wise move to make use of egg white protein powders, if you eat animal by-products, or soy protein powders if not. These will dramatically help you boost your protein intake and are quick and convenient for when you need them. As long as you do make sure to mix them up with other sources of protein, they are definitely a must-have for your daily diet.

6. Avoid a Heavy Reliance On Processed Foods

One big mistake that many vegetarians make is relying a great deal on heavy, overly processed foods. Don’t do this. Remember, being vegetarian doesn’t mean you get free range to eat as many high-carb snacks as you want. You still do definitely have to be eating healthy and making an effort to maintain a fresh diet that contains whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

7.  Keep Your Workouts Short But Intense

When it comes to workout, as a vegetarian you should aim for short but intense workouts.

This will help you prevent muscle mass loss from taking place and your body relying on protein to get through those workouts. If you are doing very long workout sessions that’s when your protein needs will be really elevated, which could be more difficult being on a vegetarian diet.

8. Be Sure To Vary Your Food Choices

Also, be sure that you are taking the time to vary your food in your diet as well. As a vegetarian, you may find that it’s easy to gravitate to the same foods over and over and over again. Try to prevent this if you can. By making sure to take in a higher variety you will prevent nutrient deficiencies and have better luck with your diet program.

9. Make Use of Tempeh

Another protein source that’s highly beneficial for vegetarians is tempeh. 

This one is the one that is often overlooked so start finding creative ways to add it to your diet today. Many people find they prefer this over tofu, which is the other main vegetarian option.

10. Consider Going Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian

One thing that you may want to consider and this will be highly be based on your personal beliefs, is going Lacto-Ovo vegetarian. What this means is that you will include both egg and dairy products in your diet. This will dramatically boost your protein options since then you can include egg and egg whites, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, and milk. It will definitely make your life as a vegetarian bodybuilder easier.

     11. Utilize Nuts for Fuel

Another great food that you will want to take in is nuts. Nuts provide a healthy source of fat and will provide a long-lasting form of energy as well. One handful will significantly boost your calorie intake and help muscle gain that much easier.

     

12. Take in Plenty of Flaxseeds, Walnuts and Flaxseed Oil

For your essential fatty acids, since you likely won’t be consuming fatty fish or fish oil, turn to flaxseeds and flaxseed oil and walnuts. These will have to be your primary sources for this must-have nutrient.

13. Start Adding Peanut Butter

Another good way to boost your fat content is to start smearing natural peanut butter on as many foods as you can in your diet. This will also help to boost your overall calorie intake as well, which is obviously important when aiming to build muscle. Smear some peanut butter over your bananas, apples, mix it in oatmeal or add it to any fruit smoothies you may be preparing.

14. Consider Iron Supplementation

One nutrient that you may befall short in without eating any red meat is “Iron”. Since iron is responsible for good red blood cell development, it is not the one you want to risk being low in. If you do, you are going to find you’re fatiguing a lot faster in your workouts as well. If you plan on carrying out a vegetarian diet for the long term, consider adding an iron supplement to your day.

15. Focus on Broccoli and Spinach Intakes

Two other vegetables that you will definitely want to think about adding in higher quantities as well are broccoli and spinach. These both will contain nice doses of Calcium, which is the other nutrient you may fall short in. In addition to both of these, also think of a Calcium supplement.

16. Don’t Let Others Get You Down

Unfortunately, one thing that many vegetarian bodybuilders deal with is others telling them they won’t see success. Try and block this out as best as possible. If you want to really pack on the muscle, you need to stay in a healthy frame of mind – and their negative influence is definitely not going to help you do so. 

17.   Eat More Frequently

It’s also important that you’re making sure to eat frequently throughout the day. Since you won’t be taking in as much protein with every meal you eat as someone who isn’t a vegetarian, by getting in regular meals you’ll help ensure that you do always have a steady stream of amino acids going into the muscle tissues.

18.   Monitor Your Body Fat Levels

Since once thing many vegetarian bodybuilders are concerned about is muscle mass loss, be sure that you’re regularly monitoring your body fat levels. 
This will give you a better indication if you are losing muscle mass so that action can be taken to help prevent this.

19.   Supplement with Branched Chain Amino Acids

Another important supplement that you’ll want to use is “Branched Chain Amino Acids” often known as BCAA’s. These you should specifically take immediately before and after the workout is complete as they too help in safeguarding against muscle mass loss.

20.   Stay Positive

Finally, the last tip is to stay positive. It will take slightly a longer period of time to build muscle as a vegetarian, but if you stay positive and keep working towards your goals, you’ll definitely get the results that you are looking for.

Conclusion:

So be sure that you’re keeping all of these tips in mind. More and more people are turning to this style of eating and it definitely doesn’t mean you need to give up on your fitness and muscle building goals.