I'm a vegetarian (Boo, I know). I have been lifting consistently for about 2 years and keeping my protein as high as possible given my dietary restrictions (90g per day avg). Now I am starting to wonder if the plant protein, in itself, is making it harder to gain muscle.
Curious if anyone has any scientifically backed info on whether I am shooting myself in the foot by being Veg...
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07-12-2015, 09:26 AM #1
Thoughts on Animal vs. Plant protein
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07-12-2015, 09:31 AM #2
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07-12-2015, 09:36 AM #3
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07-12-2015, 09:49 AM #4
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07-12-2015, 10:09 AM #5
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07-12-2015, 10:11 AM #6
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07-12-2015, 02:12 PM #7
Protein from animals are generally more complete, i.e. they have a greater variety of essential amino acids. But as long as you are getting your plant proteins from a wide range of sources (rice, wheat, a variety of beans) you shouldn't have any problem getting adequate amounts of all essential amino acids.
Some thoughts, a diet whose protein comes largely from animal sources would be receiving non-macronutrients that a plant-based diet wouldn't have. For example, beef contains undefined hormones, growth factors, and large quantities of creatine. Despite these molecules being known to be synthesized de novo, I can imagine flooding your system with constant intake would cause anabolic effects many "clean eating" bodybuilders swear by.
If you are getting your protein sources from a variety of plants and supplementing with eggs and cheese, you should have no problems with your amino acid profile. Stick to the 1g protein, 1lb body weight suggestion.Last edited by BipolarBrah; 07-12-2015 at 02:20 PM. Reason: for clarity
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07-12-2015, 03:29 PM #8
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07-12-2015, 03:43 PM #9
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07-12-2015, 04:24 PM #10
The 1gm per is more of a general rule for those bad at math. It gets a little more complicated based on your BF%, macros, caloric deficit vs surplus, etc. But short answer is .8 is plenty for the average gym goer.
Anyways sounds like you are getting various sources so I wouldn't sweat it.2 time survivor of The Great Misc Outages of 2022
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07-12-2015, 04:26 PM #11
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07-12-2015, 05:18 PM #12
OT:
I watched this fellow buy 2 bags of organic plant protein other day at the "healthy food store." I was picking up some veg there as they have great produce sales. So I go over to check out what he was buying (was samplign some coffee in teh aisle.)
10 oz bag, 1oz serving, 15 grams protein, $20.
Just about shat myself in the aisle. I could not even make it a day on that with my normal intake
I can't see how you would have any problem then if you structured your intake well if vegetarian is your preference.
I've never seen a problem with that method myself. But I have to believe you have more than 90 pounds LBM.The most important aspect of weight training; whether for the athlete, bodybuilder, or average person is to better ones health and ability without injury. - Bill Pearl
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07-12-2015, 06:10 PM #13
Yup, veg protein powder is expensive! I eat a good mix of foods every day:
eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, rice protein (in bars), peas, beans & rice, and seitan.
I'm probably at Lean body mass of ~105 so I'm definitely under. It seems like this may be an issue of not getting enough protein vs. not getting good quality protein.
Thanks!!!
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07-12-2015, 06:25 PM #14
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Personally I think getting in 90 grams is fine overall and you can still build off of that. It would be pretty easy to get in an extra 10-20 grams extra. Adding an extra egg or extra cottage cheese shouldn't be to hard. If it is impacting you total cals then drop your carbs slightly to make the difference.
Keep in mind that plant and animal protein is quality. Don't negate one or the other because you're worried about quality.
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07-12-2015, 06:41 PM #15
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07-12-2015, 08:44 PM #16
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07-12-2015, 09:12 PM #17
no plant protein is inferior to animal protein
yes you should try to get at least 1g/lb LBM
no you aren't sabotaging yourself, you are just not doing what would be considered optimal to build muscleFounder of MMDELAD
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07-12-2015, 09:44 PM #18
Actually it is more beneficial for muscle protein synthesis.
http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.co.../1/91/abstractRecommended science based fitness & nutrition information:
Alan Aragon https://alanaragon.com/
Brad Schoenfeld http://www.lookgreatnaked.com/
James Krieger https://weightology.net/
Jorn Trommelen http://www.nutritiontactics.com/
Eric Helms & Team3DMJ https://3dmusclejourney.com/
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07-12-2015, 09:58 PM #19
In addition to many plant proteins being incomplete (significantly deficient in one or more essential amino acids), plant proteins also contain antinutrients and other constituents that prevent metabolism of all of the amino acids. Phytic acid and fiber content can prevent up to half of the amino acids from being metabolized. So you will typically need to make sure that the amino acid profiles are balanced to ensure you get a complete protein and you will need to eat about 50-100% more grams of protein from vegetable sources to get the same equivalent protein absorption.
This can be mitigated somewhat via lactofermentation and usage of enzyme additives. Unfortunately I'm not aware of any studies that give information on how much those improve the amino acid digestion and absorption.
Also there are other constituents of meat based protein sources (such as creatine) that help with muscle growth that are limited or unavailable from vegetable protein.
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07-13-2015, 01:50 AM #20
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07-13-2015, 03:56 AM #21
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