Vegetarian Muscle Building

[BendtheBar]

One thing that confuses me about vegetarians that ask muscle building questions:

Nearly every one of them wants to know how to get enough daily protein.

On the surface, you would have thought that because vegetarianism is such a unique eating lifestyle they would already know. It makes me wonder how many folks are jumping into this lifestyle without doing any research.

I guess my next question is, why do they come to non-vegetarians for answers?

I have no idea what you all eat.

[LtL]

Isn't vegetarian muscle building an oxymoron?

LtL

[Aurik]

Also with vegetarians, they have to make sure they get enough of the RIGHT proteins. After all, most non-animal sources of protein are not "complete" proteins -- they do not contain all of the essential amino acids that your body can't produce. On the other hand, us carnivores and omnivores don't have that worry - generally all forms of cooked (and raw) tasty animal flesh are complete proteins.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Aurik

Also with vegetarians, they have to make sure they get enough of the RIGHT proteins. After all, most non-animal sources of protein are not "complete" proteins -- they do not contain all of the essential amino acids that your body can't produce. On the other hand, us carnivores and omnivores don't have that worry - generally all forms of cooked (and raw) tasty animal flesh are complete proteins.

That's one of the reasons this question baffles me. I know this, and thought it was vegetarian 101. That's why I am confused by the large number of vegetarian questions I receive.

[Abaddon]

I can't honestly vouch for a vegan/hardcore hindu diet, but I am pretty experienced with the typical 'vegetarian' diet, and I know for a fact that - while not necessarily optimum - real gains can be made in muscle mass and real strength.

Your typical vegetarian (and let's dispense with the debate over fish and seafood in general) is a big, big fan of soy.

Though it is much maligned, I can tell you that using soy in place of dairy will still yield solid gains.

I do not use it any more (PM me for more info) but soy protein isolate powder still worked for me just as much as whey, pea and hemp protein powders have worked for me.

For the record, though, it was whey protein powder that screwed up my digestive function and ultimately put me in hospital. I've learned a whole lot since then by experimenting with all of the protein powders I've mentioned above.

[5kgLifter]

There are sources that when combined are as close as they can get to complete proteins; how they stack up against meat proteins, I haven't a clue.

Sometimes, I think people eat vegetarian but have no idea what they are eating or more to the point what they're NOT eating and that's why they end up with nutrient deficiencies, but that's not to say that some don't do their research.

Though you'd think they'd look up vegetarian bodybuilding, forums do exist for it.

[bamazav]

The Vegetarian Bodybuilder

Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Here they go, did the simple google search for them. Can't vouch for the sites, bu tI do know the few times I have corresponded with Mr. Holt, the first link, he was a really nice guy.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

One thing that confuses me about vegetarians that ask muscle building questions:

Nearly every one of them wants to know how to get enough daily protein.

On the surface, you would have thought that because vegetarianism is such a unique eating lifestyle they would already know. It makes me wonder how many folks are jumping into this lifestyle without doing any research.

I guess my next question is, why do they come to non-vegetarians for answers?

I have no idea what you all eat.

The other thing that springs to mind is, is it more a question of total calories since I'm pretty sure if they're eating tofu, cheese, drinking milk, eating yoghurt that they will be consuming more protein than me on an average day.

I sat and worked it out one day, and it was pretty low in comparison but I still built plenty of muscle on it.

But, with vegetarians, most of the food is low calorie, if they are "ultra" vegetarian eating things like sprouted seeds and such...so, it may just be a case of total calories and not so much to do with the protein intake...just a thought.

[BendtheBar]

I have a vegan friend that has an amazing physique, and she knows her nutrition better than any human on Earth. She is insanely precise.

I personally don't think I could afford a vegan raw lifestyle. She also preps so much food each day.

[BendtheBar]

I was just asked this question again today from a vegan.

"How do I eat 4000 calories per day as a vegan?"

I really don't know. It's a specialized diet and I am not sure what to eat to get to this level.