How To Build Muscle As A Vegetarian
Even though most people think it’s impossible, it doesn’t have to be a struggle to build muscle as a vegetarian. The biggest problem you will face is that large amounts of protein are needed to build muscle. Of course, most people take in the majority of their protein from animal sources, so how can you get around this and still build muscle?
1. Eat More Protein
Many vegetarian body builders use soy as their best source of protein. This is because soy products like edamame, tofu and soy milk offer all 8 essential amino acids that your body requires to build lean muscle. Soy milk can replace cows milk in many recipes, and tofu is a great replacement for beef or chicken. In fact, soy contains more protein content than beef.
Almonds, sunflower seeds, cashews, and pistachio nuts are a fantastic way to get protein and healthy fat. If you keep a container of nuts with you to snack on during the day, you will be sure to get enough protein and healthy fat in your daily diet.
One of the first ways most body builders ensure that they get enough protein is with protein shakes and supplements. Most of these protein shakes are soy or whey based and can offer upwards of 21 grams of protein in each serving. Adding these to your diet will give your body the protein it requires.
2. Vitamins And Minerals
You should be getting most of your needed vitamins and minerals if you eat a balanced diet. With that said, many vegetarians suffer from a vitamin B12 deficiency because most vitamin B12 comes from meat. Adding a vitamin B12 supplement or good multivitamin can cure this quickly as well as add to your energy levels. The protein shakes mentioned above often provide at least 1/3 of your daily servings of vitamins and minerals.
3. Fats
If you eat a good portion of nuts each day, you will be getting a great balance of good fat each day, but many vegetarians still need to get more essential fatty acids as they are commonly found in meat. Another option you have is to add a tablespoon or two of flax seed oil to your daily diet. Flax seed oil is one of the best sources of the essential amino acid alpha linolenic acid.
You can build muscle as a vegetarian if you make the changes and dietary additions mentioned above. Doing so will set you up to build muscle fast if you follow a good muscle building program.
For more information on how you can build muscle as a vegetarian and sculpt the body of your dreams with short 20 minute workouts and a simple diet, stop by Ryan M Hall’s site to get your Free Diet Ebook and start building muscle today.
