LJ57
07-31-2004, 07:38 PM
Vegan Bodybuilding 101
July 17, 2004
Most bodybuilders would laugh at the idea of a vegan attempting to pack on muscle mass while consuming no meat, dairy, egg, or animal products of any kind. In fact, many vegans could never imagine themselves being able to do such a thing. For the vegan who eats little more than fruits and vegetables, self-doubt is indeed understandable. Successful bodybuilding is a tough road even for those who do not follow such a strict dietary regimen. Diet and training both coalesce to determine how successful or unsuccessful a bodybuilder will be. However, despite what you may think, vegans can realize their bodybuilding goals if they approach their diet and training with the same mentality of other successful athletes.
Fruits and vegetables alone do not provide ample amounts of the vital nutrients required of any hard-training athlete. While they do provide generous amounts of many vitamins and minerals, as well as much needed carbohydrates, there are two important components missing. Protein and fats are difficult to obtain for vegans and without them it is hard to make any significant gains in muscle. Despite this dilemma, the vegan bodybuilder, with diligence and proper planning, can acquire enough fat and protein to provide the body with the fuel needed for maximum muscle recovery, which is the most important aspect of bodybuilding.
The meat eater has a myriad of options when selecting proteins. Beef, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, and many other sources of protein are all at their disposal. The general consensus is that athletes training with weights should be consuming between one and two grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. This is not a major obstacle for someone whose diet includes animal products, but for the vegan this can seem like a daunting task. There are those vegans and lacto-ovo vegetarians who say you don?t need anywhere near this amount of protein, but if you plan to approach bodybuilding with hardcore intentions of getting big, then you absolutely do.
When it comes to protein, soy is by far the most important weapon in the vegan bodybuilder?s arsenal. There have been many outspoken critics of soy in the bodybuilding community, with claims that it lowers testosterone and increases estrogen. While soy protein is certainly inferior to some animal protein sources such as whey, there is no evidence to suggest that estrogenic effects will result from moderate use. In addition, studies indicate that the use of soy protein isolate may be more beneficial for the bodybuilder than soy protein concentrate. In fact, many of the commercially available sources of soy protein isolate rate 1.0 on the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). This is the highest score any protein can attain, and 1.0 is on par with egg protein and casein. Soy protein isolate also contains the highest concentration of ?critical cluster? amino acids, which is comprised of arginine, glutamine, and all three Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs).
The jury is sill out on the use of soy in general for bodybuilders, but the key may be to limit the amount you consume and not remain dependent on it as your sole source of protein. Many vegan bodybuilders seem to believe that soy protein is their only source for getting sufficient amounts of protein. As you will see, this is not true. While the options may not be as diverse as those of non-vegetarians, you can still assemble an assortment of different proteins sources.
As a vegan bodybuilder, you should ensure that nuts of various sorts become an important part of your diet. Peanuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds are a few good choices that will provide you with ample amounts of protein and fat. Peanut butter also makes a good addition to any vegan?s diet. Beans and legumes are another important vegan food that will assist you in meeting your needs. In shopping for foods, a priceless investment for the vegan bodybuilder is a small pocket-sized protein counter book. It will provide you with the protein content of almost every food imaginable and can easily be taken to the grocery store where it will come in extremely handy. This book can usually be found for less than five dollars in bookstores.
One of the great unsung protein sources for vegans is a ?superfood? called Spirulina, a microscopic blue-green algae that is digested easily and provides an abundance of important nutrients. It contains an impressive amount of B-12, a vitamin that vegans are at risk of being deficient in. Spirulina has a protein content that is 60-70 percent higher than any other natural food. It is 85-90 percent digestible, coming in a close second to egg protein in terms of usable protein. Spirulina makes a great addition to any vegan?s nutritional program and gives you a little more diversity in protein sources.
If you are following a vegan diet you are probably not getting enough fat in your diet, at least for someone pursuing a strenuous weight training program. Vegans generally have much lower DHA levels than those who eat meat so supplementing the diet with fats is often a necessity. The good news for vegans is that there are a number of healthy fats that can be introduced into the diet. Flaxseed oil is one of the best ways for vegans to obtain this kind of fat. It supplies the body with omega-3 fatty acids which can enhance muscle recovery and improve overall health in a number of ways. Taking two to three tablespoons throughout the day is a good idea for any bodybuilder. In addition to flaxseed oil, you may want to add one or two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to your diet. Olive oil contains oleic acid, which assists omega-3 fatty acids in penetrating the cell membrane. In addition, it helps prevent a number of health problems that result from inflammatory conditions.
You should realize that as a vegan athlete you are in very good company. Olympic track star Carl Lewis has been a vegan for over ten years. Pat Reeves, a female vegan powerlifter from Great Britain, has won numerous titles and holds several records. There are numerous other powerlifters, bodybuilders, and ironman triathletes who have successfully followed a vegan diet while gaining muscle mass and strength.
By now you should see that being a vegan and a bodybuilder is not as incompatible as you may have once believed. Just because you don?t consume any animal products doesn?t mean you can?t grow like those who do. With proper planning, knowledge, and the dedication to succeed, you can pursue bodybuilding and make incredible progress. There is nothing easy about pursuing bodybuilding, and this is certainly the case for those who have to go the extra mile to ensure their nutritional program is optimal. Put all the necessary ingredients together and your results will exceed your expectations
July 17, 2004
Most bodybuilders would laugh at the idea of a vegan attempting to pack on muscle mass while consuming no meat, dairy, egg, or animal products of any kind. In fact, many vegans could never imagine themselves being able to do such a thing. For the vegan who eats little more than fruits and vegetables, self-doubt is indeed understandable. Successful bodybuilding is a tough road even for those who do not follow such a strict dietary regimen. Diet and training both coalesce to determine how successful or unsuccessful a bodybuilder will be. However, despite what you may think, vegans can realize their bodybuilding goals if they approach their diet and training with the same mentality of other successful athletes.
Fruits and vegetables alone do not provide ample amounts of the vital nutrients required of any hard-training athlete. While they do provide generous amounts of many vitamins and minerals, as well as much needed carbohydrates, there are two important components missing. Protein and fats are difficult to obtain for vegans and without them it is hard to make any significant gains in muscle. Despite this dilemma, the vegan bodybuilder, with diligence and proper planning, can acquire enough fat and protein to provide the body with the fuel needed for maximum muscle recovery, which is the most important aspect of bodybuilding.
The meat eater has a myriad of options when selecting proteins. Beef, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, and many other sources of protein are all at their disposal. The general consensus is that athletes training with weights should be consuming between one and two grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. This is not a major obstacle for someone whose diet includes animal products, but for the vegan this can seem like a daunting task. There are those vegans and lacto-ovo vegetarians who say you don?t need anywhere near this amount of protein, but if you plan to approach bodybuilding with hardcore intentions of getting big, then you absolutely do.
When it comes to protein, soy is by far the most important weapon in the vegan bodybuilder?s arsenal. There have been many outspoken critics of soy in the bodybuilding community, with claims that it lowers testosterone and increases estrogen. While soy protein is certainly inferior to some animal protein sources such as whey, there is no evidence to suggest that estrogenic effects will result from moderate use. In addition, studies indicate that the use of soy protein isolate may be more beneficial for the bodybuilder than soy protein concentrate. In fact, many of the commercially available sources of soy protein isolate rate 1.0 on the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). This is the highest score any protein can attain, and 1.0 is on par with egg protein and casein. Soy protein isolate also contains the highest concentration of ?critical cluster? amino acids, which is comprised of arginine, glutamine, and all three Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs).
The jury is sill out on the use of soy in general for bodybuilders, but the key may be to limit the amount you consume and not remain dependent on it as your sole source of protein. Many vegan bodybuilders seem to believe that soy protein is their only source for getting sufficient amounts of protein. As you will see, this is not true. While the options may not be as diverse as those of non-vegetarians, you can still assemble an assortment of different proteins sources.
As a vegan bodybuilder, you should ensure that nuts of various sorts become an important part of your diet. Peanuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds are a few good choices that will provide you with ample amounts of protein and fat. Peanut butter also makes a good addition to any vegan?s diet. Beans and legumes are another important vegan food that will assist you in meeting your needs. In shopping for foods, a priceless investment for the vegan bodybuilder is a small pocket-sized protein counter book. It will provide you with the protein content of almost every food imaginable and can easily be taken to the grocery store where it will come in extremely handy. This book can usually be found for less than five dollars in bookstores.
One of the great unsung protein sources for vegans is a ?superfood? called Spirulina, a microscopic blue-green algae that is digested easily and provides an abundance of important nutrients. It contains an impressive amount of B-12, a vitamin that vegans are at risk of being deficient in. Spirulina has a protein content that is 60-70 percent higher than any other natural food. It is 85-90 percent digestible, coming in a close second to egg protein in terms of usable protein. Spirulina makes a great addition to any vegan?s nutritional program and gives you a little more diversity in protein sources.
If you are following a vegan diet you are probably not getting enough fat in your diet, at least for someone pursuing a strenuous weight training program. Vegans generally have much lower DHA levels than those who eat meat so supplementing the diet with fats is often a necessity. The good news for vegans is that there are a number of healthy fats that can be introduced into the diet. Flaxseed oil is one of the best ways for vegans to obtain this kind of fat. It supplies the body with omega-3 fatty acids which can enhance muscle recovery and improve overall health in a number of ways. Taking two to three tablespoons throughout the day is a good idea for any bodybuilder. In addition to flaxseed oil, you may want to add one or two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to your diet. Olive oil contains oleic acid, which assists omega-3 fatty acids in penetrating the cell membrane. In addition, it helps prevent a number of health problems that result from inflammatory conditions.
You should realize that as a vegan athlete you are in very good company. Olympic track star Carl Lewis has been a vegan for over ten years. Pat Reeves, a female vegan powerlifter from Great Britain, has won numerous titles and holds several records. There are numerous other powerlifters, bodybuilders, and ironman triathletes who have successfully followed a vegan diet while gaining muscle mass and strength.
By now you should see that being a vegan and a bodybuilder is not as incompatible as you may have once believed. Just because you don?t consume any animal products doesn?t mean you can?t grow like those who do. With proper planning, knowledge, and the dedication to succeed, you can pursue bodybuilding and make incredible progress. There is nothing easy about pursuing bodybuilding, and this is certainly the case for those who have to go the extra mile to ensure their nutritional program is optimal. Put all the necessary ingredients together and your results will exceed your expectations