Is it possible to bodybuild without meat? Without fish/chicken/meat is it possible to gain or maintain muscle? Very good questions and not a lot of research to help us out with the answers since most studies on vegetarianism revolve around sedentary adults.
I've been doing some reading on the link between diet and cancer and heart disease and have decided that it is definitely healthier to eat a plant based diet, if you are interested read the book "The China Study". The question is, am I going to have to lower my bodybuilding standards to be a vegetarian?
Supplements and Steroids
Let's have some straight talk here, the basic problem is that what is safe and effective is not legal and what is legal may not be safe or effective.
Supplements To Gain Muscle and Lose Fat
Here are three foods/supplements that I strongly believe every bodybuilder over the age of 18 should be using:
Supplements To Gain Muscle and Lose Fat
Here are three foods/supplements that I strongly believe every bodybuilder over the age of 18 should be using:
- Protein Powder, isolated whey (or organic protein powder)
- Flax seed
, ground at home (not pills or oils)
- Green tea
Protein Sources
Below is a chart to help you sort out how you want to get your protein. The chart shows the portion size necessary to get 30g protein and the cost for that serving of food. You will notice that the cost of the protein varies widely with the cheapest being beans at $0.17 per serving and the most expensive being canned salmon at $1.67 per serving. You will also notice that the number of calories varies widely which is important if you are trying to lose bodyfat at the same time you are adding muscle.
Egg whites are the low calorie winner at 128 calories, whereas quinoa (a high protein grain) comes in at 740 calories for the 30g protein serving. This table also points out the difficulty in being a vegetarian bodybuilder because plant sources of protein (beans, soy, quinoa) are high in carbs making it difficult to keep your daily caloric intake low while getting high amounts of protein. For the price comparisons I used prices at Costco which is a bulk food store known for very low prices.
Egg whites are the low calorie winner at 128 calories, whereas quinoa (a high protein grain) comes in at 740 calories for the 30g protein serving. This table also points out the difficulty in being a vegetarian bodybuilder because plant sources of protein (beans, soy, quinoa) are high in carbs making it difficult to keep your daily caloric intake low while getting high amounts of protein. For the price comparisons I used prices at Costco which is a bulk food store known for very low prices.
Reading Nutritional Labels
It doesn't matter if you want to gain muscle or lose fat, if you want to be successful you MUST learn to read nutritional labels. I get questions all the time asking me if this or that is a good food, in this section I will give you the knowledge to decide for yourself if a particular cereal or canned chili is good nutrition.
Our government does lots of incredibly stupid things so when it actually does something smart, its rather shocking. The NLEA (National Labeling and Education Act) of 1990 is one of the few smart things our government has done. Before 1990, it was really tough to tell if a food was healthy or not, now its really easy!
Before we start looking at labels, you need to know some important numbers for yourself. How many calories do you need in each meal and how many grams of protein do you need in each meal. If you are serious about adding muscle, you need to spread your protein intake evenly throughout the day - 6 meals.
The chart below gives you two very important nutritional numbers you need for each meal if you want to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. This chart is a starting point. Depending on your age, activity level and metabolic rate you may need more or less food.
Our government does lots of incredibly stupid things so when it actually does something smart, its rather shocking. The NLEA (National Labeling and Education Act) of 1990 is one of the few smart things our government has done. Before 1990, it was really tough to tell if a food was healthy or not, now its really easy!
Before we start looking at labels, you need to know some important numbers for yourself. How many calories do you need in each meal and how many grams of protein do you need in each meal. If you are serious about adding muscle, you need to spread your protein intake evenly throughout the day - 6 meals.
The chart below gives you two very important nutritional numbers you need for each meal if you want to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. This chart is a starting point. Depending on your age, activity level and metabolic rate you may need more or less food.
Alcohol and Bodybuilding Don't Mix
If you are serious about adding muscle and getting 8-pack abs, alcohol is enemy #1. Alcohol and bodybuilding do NOT mix. There are two great reasons to avoid alcohol if you are a bodybuilder: 1) because it inhibits gaining muscle mass and 2) because it makes you fat. Having A beer or glass of wine once or twice a month is not a problem, what I am talking about is daily drinking or weekend binge drinking.
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