Vegetarian Diet that builds muscle for college athletes!

hawkbird94
hawkbird94 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Hello!,

So I've always wondered...whats a great way I can get away from the negatives of meat while still developing the muscle I need to sustain strength during the season and build muscle in the off-season. This is my first discussion so I would appreciate any opinion that I can reason with a decide for myself!

Replies

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Try this group.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/45-happy-herbivores
  • sandsofarabia
    sandsofarabia Posts: 95 Member
    You can find protein in SO MANY FOODS that's not meat. I personally am not a veggetarian but I am always reading the lables on foods and tend to find a lot of bars, cereals, etc with high protein. Like there is a cereal called Special K Protein and its low on carbs also. You can always add a little protein powder into your food but you may be surprised at what you find in lables.

    Yogurt too.. like those lite&fit ones typically have high protein amounts. I'm by no means an expert since I never pay attention to protein but foods that contain nuts and such can really help. You don't need meat to build muscle
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,207 Member
    Building muscle requires protein and a surplus of calories. So really it's about finding the right vegetarian options with the highest protein per gram of food and consuming an amount you need. Consider at the least, 1 gram of protein per pound of weight. Some say lean weight, but if you're trying to add lean mass, then an surplus is needed anyway.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • canoepug56
    canoepug56 Posts: 161 Member
    @ninerbuff am I correct in thinking that vegetable protein is an incomplete protein ? i.e it doesn't have essential amino acids ?
  • jddnw
    jddnw Posts: 319 Member
    canoepug wrote: »
    @ninerbuff am I correct in thinking that vegetable protein is an incomplete protein ? i.e it doesn't have essential amino acids ?

    For practical purposes like eating, it doesn't matter. Google "the myth of incomplete protein"
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,576 Member
    Negatives from meat? gotta love the enthusiasm.
  • Cryptonomnomicon
    Cryptonomnomicon Posts: 848 Member
    jddnw wrote: »
    canoepug wrote: »
    @ninerbuff am I correct in thinking that vegetable protein is an incomplete protein ? i.e it doesn't have essential amino acids ?

    For practical purposes like eating, it doesn't matter. Google "the myth of incomplete protein"

    Agreed but maybe a little more context as outlined below, have bolded relevant parts.

    The term "complete protein" refers to amino acids, the building blocks of protein. There are 20 different amino acids that can form a protein, and nine that the body can't produce on its own.

    These are called essential amino acids—we need to eat them because we can't make them ourselves.In order to be considered "complete," a protein must contain all nine of these essential amino acids.

    Yes, meat and eggs are complete proteins, and beans and nuts aren't. But humans don't need every essential amino acid in every bite of food in every meal they eat; we only need a sufficient amount of each amino acid every day. A carefully planned plant-based diet contains such a wide variety of amino acid profiles that its virtually guaranteed to get all of the amino acids...emphasis on carefully planned but nutrient deficiencies are not exclusive to vegetarians, plenty of omnivores have poor nutrition and/or supplement their diets.

    Still, some people want complete proteins in all of their meals. No problem—meat's not the only contender. Eggs and dairy also fit the bill, which is an easy get for the vegetarians, but there are plenty of other ways to get complete proteins.

    Plenty of vegetarian/vegan protein supplements such as protein powders, bars etc just do a web search. There are also mock meat options available for vegetarians.

    Also do a web search for high protein vegetarian options.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,207 Member
    canoepug wrote: »
    @ninerbuff am I correct in thinking that vegetable protein is an incomplete protein ? i.e it doesn't have essential amino acids ?
    There are amino acids in meat not found in plants individually. You can combine plants to attain a complete profile though.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited April 2015
    hawkbird94 wrote: »
    So I've always wondered...whats a great way I can get away from the negatives of meat while still developing the muscle I need to sustain strength during the season and build muscle in the off-season. This is my first discussion so I would appreciate any opinion that I can reason with a decide for myself!

    Find pros in the sports you are playing, who eat the way you want to eat, and follow their example. Eg...if you want to be a vegan football player....

    http://www.si.com/edge/2014/04/24/going-vegan-nfl-0
    Two years later, Foster still strives to eat vegan, tweeting words of encouragement to those who adopt the diet. But similar to his successful 2012 go, he added chicken and fish back to his diet during last year’s season, according to his team dietitian, Roberta Anding...
  • canoepug56
    canoepug56 Posts: 161 Member
    Thanks for the answers :)
  • fitandmuscle
    fitandmuscle Posts: 1 Member
    I want to add some personal experience,building muscle mass is dependent on what body type you are. Are you naturally skinny, muscular, or fat? If you are naturally skinny, then you will have to consume alot of calories to build muscle mass and workout 2-3 times a week, not everyday because workouts burn calories. Because skinny people(ectomorphs) have high metabolisms and burn off calories easily, they must eat lots to even think about building muscle. For them, high carbs and high protein intake is a necessity.

    Source:bestfitnessandmusclebuilding(.)com
  • Cryptonomnomicon
    Cryptonomnomicon Posts: 848 Member
    fitandmuscle wrote: »
    I want to add some personal experience,building muscle mass is dependent on what body type you are. Are you naturally skinny, muscular, or fat? If you are naturally skinny, then you will have to consume alot of calories to build muscle mass and workout 2-3 times a week, not everyday because workouts burn calories. Because skinny people(ectomorphs) have high metabolisms and burn off calories easily, they must eat lots to even think about building muscle. For them, high carbs and high protein intake is a necessity.

    Source:bestfitnessandmusclebuilding(.)com


    The classic somatotype labels (endomorph, ectomorph, and mesomorph) that many lifters apply to themselves were not even designed with bodybuilders in mind. Building your training and nutrition around them can be self-limiting.

    1. You Are Not Your Somatotype

    A somatotype is one of three labels people like to use to describe themselves. Fat guys who say they have trouble losing weight claim to be endomorphs; skinny guys who say they have trouble gaining weight claim to be ectomorphs; and lucky *kitten* who say they gain muscle no matter what they do call themselves mesomorphs.

    It's a popular system of categorization because it seems so cut and dry. If you look like this, then you're called this and you have these natural-born disadvantages, which means you should eat and train like this. That's why it's so appealing to lifters. It's a system of built-in excuses. "Oh, I'm an ecto so it's not my fault I'm 6'3" and 155 pounds. I've got, like, a serious condition."

    Sheldon's "somatotypes" theories enjoyed a vogue as the "pop-psych flavor of the month" through the 1950s. Modern scientists, however, generally dismiss his claims as outdated, if not outright quackery. Sheldon's methodology and theories have been extensively criticized and largely discredited.

    Drop the labels and deal with yourself as an individual.

    Source: Just do a web search on the quakery behind the somatotype myth.



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