WEEK ONE HUNDRED-FOURTEEN :: What Is The Best Diet For A Vegetarian Bodybuilder?

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TOPIC: What Is The Best Diet For A Vegetarian Bodybuilder?

For the week of: March 6th - March 13th
Tuesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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We are constantly reminded to eat chicken, beef, steak, and basically any animal that was once alive for its nutrition content. Sure meat fuels our muscles with all their protein, but what do vegetarians do?

What is the best diet for a vegetarian bodybuilder?

Is a vegetarian at an advantage or disadvantage for maintaining a proper bodybuilders diet?

What are some good supplement choices for vegetarians?

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[Vahabi]

As a vegetarian myself i am constantly wondering "what's for dinner?" and i usually find myself eating A LOT of legumes, and wheat based food like breads. Because as you know legumes are an incomplete protein, and wheat completes this protein. though this protein does not have as high of a BV as meat or milk it does the job. Also eggwhites are a very good source of protein, dairy aswell, but when eating dairy you must be aware of the amount of fat involved, i suggest a skim milk, or a partially skimmed cheese. Also, as with any other diet looking to create mass, a whey protein is always good.
It would appear that vegetarian bodybuilders are at a disadvantage, because the availibilty of the foods that contain high amounts of protein.
As for supplementation, an iron supplement would be needed because of the lack of red meat. other than that a creatine and possible anti-aromatase would work well, along with a NO supp and a good multi-vitamin.

[sugapablo]

Some things I always include in my (vegetarian) diet:
Whey Protein
Eggs
Milk (lactose free for me)
Seitan (textured wheat gluten, very high in protein, pronouced Satan!)
Soy (although I've downgraded this to a "sometimes food" due to all the conflicting information)
Beans
Pumpkin Seeds/Sunflower, etc.
Nuts/Nut butters
Hemp Seed Nuts (Inner part of the hemp seed)
Whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat, oats)
Mycoprotein (Quorn products)
Fruits/Veggies
Flax Oil

Tons of lovely stuff. Never boring. Had an African Stew yesterday with lots of chickpeas and peanut butter, tomatoes, spinach, spices....yum!

[Vahabi]

mmm, that soup sounds good. i make a good tibetan lental soup thats delicious. high in fiber, protein, and in deliciousness. but I agree with you sugapablo lots of nuts and legumes. hemps seeds are key aswell, but i like mine in side the husk, more fiber that way, though you do have to chew them alittle more. but im alright with that.

[gonnabebigg]

I have only been vegetarian for about 2 and a half years now and have only recently focusing on bodybuilding so I am no expert. I am, however, constantly reading and trying new things in order to help my body grow and supply it with what it needs.

Here are the things that I eat to try and replace the protein found in meat.

Number one thing is the EGG.
Theres alot of debate on the positives and negatives in eggs. They are good quality protein. Most of the protein is found in the whites but there are
amino acids and omega 3s found in the yolk so I eat them too.
Whey protein is another one of my favorites. You all know about whey so I wont go into that. I use Dymatize Elite. They have alot of different flavor
choices and it mixes really well.
I throw alot of dairy products into my diet as well. 1 % milk, fat-free cottage cheese and fat free yogurts.
I usually have milk with my whey either first thing in the mornings or for my morning snack. Water with my whey pre and post workout. Cheese is
really easy to keep around and just throw onto something for some extra protein.
Soy products are another biggie.
Im not really into tofu but there are many options when it comes to soy. Boca and Morningstar Farms make a variety of soy based foods such as
burgers, sausages, and chicken patties. From what I have found they are all pretty tasty. Another soy product is TVP, textured vegetable protein,
it comes in many different flavors too.
Nuts and seeds also provide good protein sources for non meat eaters. Almonds and pistachios are some of my favorites and they both really high in
protein. I also really enjoy peanut butter but you have to be careful because peanuts are high in fat.
Another source is beans and legumes.
Im not a huge fan of beans except for pinto and black beans.
Another alternative is Quorn. It is actually a fungus that has high, quality protein. The products I have tried look and taste just like chicken.

This is where I get my sources of protein. Along with this, I try to get in plenty of good carbs and good fats.

An advantage or disadvantage in maintaining a proper bodybuilding diet?
As you can see there are plenty of choices for protein sources for a vegetarian and alot of them also provide you with the amino acids that you need too but I think there is a slight disadvantage to being vegetarian. Alot of times the meat alternatives cost about the as say a pack of chicken breasts but when you compare the amount of protein in one patty as to that in one chicken breast they are definately not equal. You get more bang for your buck with the real thing. Another disadvantage I have found is just getting burnt out on certain foods. Oh and the excessive gas. If you think about it... eggs, dairy, soy ( which is made from beans) and beans...

I take some supplements to make sure that I am getting what my body needs. Like I said I supplement with whey protein. I also recommend taking a good multivitamin and amino acids. Creatine is another great supplement for vegetarians. I have had good results with Creatine mono and I am about to try some CEE.

[Bigbruiser79]

i got a good diet for a vegatarian

and that is go back to eating meat.

im just kidding, i think a vegatarian lifestyle is great for you, but i wouldnt be able to go a meal without meat