If you think being vegan and a bodybuilder is incompatible, think again. You may be surprised that many bodybuilders follow a vegan diet. Probably the most famous vegan bodybuilder of all is Robert Cheeke. He is ripped and does it all on plant power.
So long as you get the protein right, there’s nothing to prevent you from staying fit, healthy, and capable of adding lean muscle mass. The great thing about veganism is that there is an abundance of information about how to do it right. There is no reason that being vegan will stop you from natural bodybuilding without the need for meat.
And as veganism is solely a plant-based diet, there are no bars to using bodybuilding herbs to help you on your fitness journey. There are plenty of herbal formulas for muscle and fitness on the market today. Not to mention special formulation herbs for fitness and herbs for weight loss. Drill a little deeper, and you will also discover how to improve mental health with herbs as well.
There are no concerns that you will be missing out on any muscle building supplements by being a vegan. And as legal steroids are based on the male sex hormone testosterone, they are vegan-friendly too. But before proceeding any further, let’s first define what veganism is?
What’s a vegan?
A vegan is a person who does not consume animal products in any form. This ethos extends to leather shoes, clothing, and even soap as they all contain animal ingredients.
There are many different reasons someone decides on a vegan diet. It can be for health reasons, concern for the environment and climate breakdown, animal welfare, or religious observance. But let’s get one thing straight, a vegan diet is mainstream today. Vegans come from every walk of life, from celebrities, bodybuilders to the person next to you in the Post Office queue.
Why consider a vegan nutrition plan?
For all the useful information on the vegan diet online, there’s an equal volume of misinformation. Ditching meat is not as difficult as you may imagine. And will bring a heap of health upsides, including:
- Improved heart health
- Increased weight loss
- Better blood sugar control
- Clear skin
- Reduced stress levels
- Increased energy levels
- Improved mental function
These are all great benefits of a vegan nutrition plan. But what if you are serious about your bodybuilding or fitness?
The secret for any budding vegan bodybuilder is balance. Eating the correct things at the correct time to put on muscle the same way you did when eating dead animals.
What does my vegan nutrition plan need to include?
It hardly needs saying that nutrition plays a pivotal role in muscle development. The general rule for optimal muscle growth is a high protein intake of up to 2.2 gm for every kilogram of body weight every day (up to 1 gram per pound). You also need to factor in a calorie surplus in the region of 10 to 20% to help make muscle gains, particularly for those who have been regulars at the gym for a long time.
When abandoning meat, vegan bodybuilders need to ensure they have an adequate intake of protein, calories, and micronutrients that are deficient in a vegan diet.
To get the best results from a vegan diet, your intake will be rich in the following:
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Beans
- Nuts
- Tofu
- Legumes
- Quinoa
- Fat
- And fluids.
A vegan diet does take a certain amount of planning and education to get it right. It would help if you were looking to have around five to seven days’ worth of meals planned out in advance.
What muscle building supplements can I take?
Should you wish to use natural bodybuilding formulations, we would recommend Juiced Upp as the first port of call. Juiced Upp brings you a collection of legal supplements that are alternatives to steroids. They have a brilliant range of stacks to help give you an edge, make bigger muscle gains, and cut down recovery times.
They have several best selling stacks you should investigate. These include:
- Grow Stack steroid alternative for building muscle and size
- Cutting Stack steroid alternative for weight loss and fat burning
- Perform stack is a natural performance enhancing formula natural herbs for muscle building
- And Beast stack is a legal steroid cycle.
They are rising stars in the natural bodybuilding industry and doing great things with what Nature itself has provided.
How about steroids for vegans?
There is virtually nothing to stop vegans from using steroids. After all, steroids are formulations produced in the lab that mimic testosterone, the male sex hormone. There should be no ethical barriers to vegans wanting to know how to buy steroids legally. Or using them safely as part of their muscle-building regime.
If you have already expressed an interest, doubtlessly, you already know where to buy steroids online. No need to go into that.
However, you must appreciate the risks and potential side effects of steroids. These indications that you may be having suffering from the side effects of steroids include:
- Skin outbreaks
- Blurred vision
- High blood pressure
- Aggression
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Increase in body hair growth
The above is not exhaustive and does not include symptoms that have been reported in connection with prolonged steroid use.
We do not endorse the use of steroids as the risks outweigh the benefits. So we say give Juiced Upp a go… all natural supps.
What other bodybuilding considerations are there to a vegan diet?
Traditionally, a bodybuilder’s diet comprised high meat levels because of its high protein level and calorie count. The vegan bodybuilder is ditching meat and, in doing so, giving themselves more work. This extra workload ensures their muscle gain does not suffer because of the lower quality of plant protein. Therefore, the vegan has to carefully plan their diet to ensure that it is appropriately balanced and sufficient for their needs.
When switching to a vegan diet, be sure to plan ahead. Planning will help you eat proper meals rather than graze throughout the day. It’s a smart move to get in all the ingredients you will need for a week’s worth of vegan dining. This is important as the staples of the vegan diet are often jazzed up with several different ingredients.
Instead of a clean break from meat, some people find it easier to have a transition period. This transition lets you introduce vegan food into your diet and eating habits more gradually.
The key points to remember are:
Bulk up on plant protein – You need to get sufficient protein to maintain your muscle building objectives. Tofu, legumes, and quinoa are all great for helping to maximize your muscle gains.
Eat fat – Fat contains per gram double the calories of either protein or carbs. The widely accepted fat intake for bodybuilders is one gram per kilogram of bodyweight. This works out at about 80 grams of fat every day for an 80 kg (175 lbs) male bodybuilder. It’s advisable to keep track of your fat, protein, and carb intake when first adopting a vegan diet. This will guarantee you are getting the correct amounts of each. You can be less strict with recording once you get the hang of the vegan diet, and your body adjusts.
Drink plenty of fluid – A vegan nutrition plan will typically be high in fruit, vegetables, legumes, and grains. Therefore, your fiber intake is higher than usual. The consequences of this dietary change can include stomach pains, bloating, and excessive flatulence. Drinking plenty of water should help to keep these symptoms at bay. For example, if you are consuming 2,000 calories each day, you should be drinking around two liters (68 ounces) of fluids. Your water intake will vary, mainly when you are working out.
Do your homework – Do your homework and read up as much as you can about vegan nutrition plans. Educating yourself will be the difference between a successful vegan diet and a nutritional train wreck of deficiencies. As many food groups are off-limits, it’s vital to understand which foods can replace the essential nutrients where a vegan diet falls short. With the mainstreaming of veganism and natural bodybuilding, there is no lack of resources available online.
Conclusion
The number of vegan bodybuilders is a testament that preparing a vegan nutrition plan is no obstacle to getting ripped down at the gym. So long as you pay attention, particularly at first, you should not experience any problems with your intake of fat, proteins, and calories. Neither should it bar you from muscle building supplements, bodybuilding herbs, or legal steroids.
