The food we eat changes us for the future. This is something that we keep reading about. As someone vegan, restricted diet options can be very frustrating. This is especially important if you want to have a high protein diet but you just have plant food options. As the vegan diet is becoming more popular, people are now opening fast-food chains left and right that are offering good vegan food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. People are now investing their time in making vegan food more tasty and palatable. With the increased number of people in the vegan industry, we are realizing that vegan food is beneficial. It doesn’t make you feel full right away although it helps in satisfying the hunger. Apart from this, we see that more people are now getting conscious about animal treatment so they are looking for a way to have protein through plant-based food. Vegan food has so many benefits that finally athletes who have long been dependent on dairy for their protein needs are switching to vegan food as well. For a normal personal vegan food is much easier because you just want to feel satisfied with the food and you need a bit of carb along with some proteins and some fats. The best thing about vegan food is that it is rich in all kinds of vitamins and minerals so your skin gets healthy, you see the better influence on your nails and your hair. Apart from this, it is good for overall body functions as well. You feel fresh throughout the day and you do not feel that you have a heavy diet which helps you stay energized throughout the day without getting tired.
With the help of this article, you will be able to know in detail how athletes, bodybuilders, and people who want to gain muscle are using a vegan diet for becoming healthy. Overall, this article will unfold how you can customize your vegan diet if you want to gain weight. We will also talk about some of the ideal meal plans that people repeat over the week for better taste and a better nutrition base.
Vegan Bodybuilding Diet and Its Constituent
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We all know that a bodybuilding diet always goes in surplus. You need to eat more than a normal person and then exercise so that you can convert this food into muscle. Most bodybuilders want to develop muscle and become buff. This is done through resistance training. In this case, diet plays an equally important role as much as exercise. If we look at numbers we can say that for optimal muscle growth you need at least 1 gram of protein per pound for the body weight. This means you need to eat a lot. With a calorie surplus of at least 10 to 20 %, you will be able to gain enough mass that you can switch to better training. Traditionally protein is derived from animal sources however with vegan you need more quantity to derive the same amount of protein. The main issue is that plant-based food has relatively less protein and if you need a good amount of protein in your diet you need to eat a lot.
What to Add to Your Vegan Diet?
Food that is plant-based but high in protein should be added to your diet. This includes beans, legumes as well as chia seeds, sunflowers, flax seeds, and hemp. Simple food items like quinoa and amaranth that are a good source of protein yet help with digestion through added fibers are also important. Another very important food item that you must add to your diet includes pea protein and soy protein which are good as a meat substitute. Simple soy products like tofu, soy milk, soy protein, and tempeh are also good sources of vegan protein. Some people like milk and yogurt but with a vegan diet, they do not have options. For this reason, it is best to have vegan-based milk and yogurt. Some companies even add vitamin D and calcium for better health. You also need to add nutritional yeast which will provide you with vitamin B 12 that is mainly available in meat. There are so many different protein powders that are vegan-based. You can add these powders in food for better flavors and more protein. Oats and whole-grain cereals are another very good option that will help you with a protein-based diet. With whole grain items, you will get better flavor, more fiber, and more nutrition that will help you get better flavor as well.
For a simple diet plan, you can use a vegan substitute for everything. Even if you want to have a smoothie in the morning try to use soy milk as compared to regular milk.
What to Avoid?
Within the vegan diet, you need to make sure everything that you eat is plant-based. There are so many options that supply a good amount of protein but there is a use of animal-based derivatives. Some of the food items that you should avoid include all kinds of animal food. Junk food that is mainly vegan but it is not good health, this includes deep-fried food, chips, dark chocolate, etc. with more people adopting the vegan diet journey there are so many people trying to make everything vegan diet so they have introduced vegan junk food like ice cream, candy sugar bars, etc., these are also not good for health. Another important thing is to avoid vegan cheese that consists of a lot of calories.
Bottom Line
With vegan food, the main thing that you need to focus on as an athlete is that you might have to eat more. This means that the same amount of carbs and protein that you might have attained from one plate of vegan food, you might have to double the quantity. This is good for the brain and the stomach because you are practically eating more but gaining fewer calories. However, when you aim to gain more muscle, you need to have things that are high in calories. More calorie consumption along with more protein and carbs can help you gain more muscle. With the distribution of portions and eating more frequently along with better exercise and more rest periods for helping your body heal, you will not only gain more muscle you will speed up the muscle gaining process. Overall, this is more related to the way you consume food rather than the amount of food you consume and how much you consume it.
