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Here, vegan bodybuilders and nutritionists share their top tips for powering your body with a vegan bodybuilder diet.
Nope, not an oxymoron.
Photo: Westend61/Getty Images
As a whole, bodybuilding requires competitors to simultaneously lose fat and put on muscle.
Is it really possible to bulk up and slim down using on a plant-based diet?
It’s 100 percent possible," saysAnthony Balduzzi N.M.D., founder ofthe Fit Father Projectandthe Fit Mother Project.
Here, nutrition experts and two industry pros share their top tips for following a vegan bodybuilder diet.
Most bodybuilders meat-eaters and non-meat eaters alike split their season into two phases: abulking seasonand a cutting season.
(Here’show to calculate macros like a pro.)
The amount of calories and macronutrient breakdown is going to be different for every person.
(More on those later.)
argue it’s better to optoutof, counting calories is a major part of bodybuilding nutrition.
“These can be great tools to figure out an estimate of how many calories you should be eating.
Some people assume vegans need to consume more calories, but this isn’t true,” notes Venus.
So, what determines a meal’s quality?
So, is this breakdown different for vegan and non-vegan athletes?
“The macronutrients are the same,” says Matthews.
But experts confirm that it’s 100 percent possible to get enough protein as a vegan bodybuilder.
“There are way morevegan protein sourcesthan people realize,” she adds.
There are tons ofhealth benefits of hemp hearts.)
Plus, even foods such as potatoes, greens, chlorella, mushrooms, and Brussels sprouts have protein.
It’s worth mentioning that not all vegan protein sources are created equal.
“There are three exceptions: quinoa, buckwheat, and soy,” says Balduzzi.
(He and Matthews both take a B12 supplement).
This isn’t a strictly vegan occurrence: About a third of the population haslow vitamin D levels.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
You might also consider taking an omega-3 supplement, recommends Balduzzi.
