Complete Guide to Vegan BodyBuilder Diet for Muscle Gaining 

Soniya
Vegan bodybuilding diet to gain muscles quickly. (Image via Pexels / Sabel Blanco)
Vegan bodybuilding diet to gain muscles quickly. (Image via Pexels / Sabel Blanco)

A vegan bodybuilder diet is the doorway to clean and plant-powered gains. Several vegan bodybuilders have challenged the notion that 'one needs to eat animal proteins to gain muscles. They prove that it's not true and that you don't need meat to gain muscles.

Vegan diets can be suitable for bodybuilders and non-vegans alike. When it comes to a vegan bodybuilder diet, a good understanding of food sources for each essential macro and micronutrients is essential as many plant-based foods are deficient in certain nutrients but also rich in others that can sometimes cause competition for absorption with other nutrients.


What does a vegan bodybuilder diet entail?

Vegan bodybuilder diet. (Image credits: Freepik/ Racool_studio)
Vegan bodybuilder diet. (Image credits: Freepik/ Racool_studio)

Vegans develop muscle in the same way as non-vegans, but they eat a different diet. To build muscle, everybody needs to eat enough protein, and vegans can get that protein by eating beans, tofu, tempeh, and other soy products.

Vegans are limited in the amount of food that they can eat for a few days before a competition because this scarcity triggers the body to release hormones that break down fat for energy. This is called ketosis and is similar to the Atkins diet.

Fruits, vegetables, and plant-based proteins are rich in the vegan bodybuilder diet. It is usually higher in protein than a traditional vegan diet because it avoids all animal-based products.


Vegan bodybuilder diet basics:

Implementing a vegan bodybuilder diet may seem easy, but it takes some planning. The vegan bodybuilder diet includes many foods on which your meals are based.

You can start a vegan bodybuilder diet by planning out several days' worth of meals—and be sure to include a wide variety of foods. If you're going vegan to lose weight, follow a diet that's rich in fruits and vegetables.

#1 Consume high-protein plant meals

Tofu and mushrooms. (Image credits: Pexels/ Ella Olsson)
Tofu and mushrooms. (Image credits: Pexels/ Ella Olsson)

It's critical to consume adequate protein on a vegan bodybuilding diet to achieve your muscle building goals. Because many vegan protein sources don't include all of the essential amino acids, you'll need to eat more of them and a larger range of them to meet your needs on a daily basis.

High-protein vegan foods like seitan, tofu, mushrooms,lentils, and quinoa can help you satisfy your protein requirements and grow muscle.

Vegan protein powders can also help you achieve your protein requirements by offering concentrated protein sources during and after exercises.


#2 Consume more fat

Nuts are a great source of fat in a vegan bodybuilder diet. (Image credits: Pexels/ Marta Branco)
Nuts are a great source of fat in a vegan bodybuilder diet. (Image credits: Pexels/ Marta Branco)

Making sure you eat enough fat in your vegan diet for muscle gain. While carbs and proteins provide energy, fat provides twice the number of calories per gram as carbs or proteins do, which means you need to consume more fat to get enough energy for your workouts.

Make sure to eat enough fat—aim for around 80 grams per day: Half of your total calories should come from fat.


#3 Drink plenty of water

Ensuring hydration. (Image credits: Freepik/ Pressfoto)
Ensuring hydration. (Image credits: Freepik/ Pressfoto)

Since a vegan bodybuilding diet is high in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, fiber consumption can quickly increase.

Certain negative effects, such as bloating, increased flatulence, and gastrointestinal pain, might occur when you drastically increase your high fiber diet.

One approach to avoid difficulties on the vegan muscle building diet from a high-fiber vegan diet is to drink enough water. Starting with 1 mL of fluid per calorie is a good suggestion..


Foods to eat regularly on vegan bodybuilder diet:

Foods to eat. (Image credits: Pexels/ Ella Olsson)
Foods to eat. (Image credits: Pexels/ Ella Olsson)

Beans and legumes: These contain protein and other nutrients.

Hemp, flax, sunflower, and chia seeds: These contain protein and omega-3s.

Quinoa and Amaranth: These two pseudograins contain complete protein.

Meat alternatives include: These items are mainly produced using soy or pea protein and are designed to look and feel like meat.

Soy goods include tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy milk, and soy protein powder.

Calcium-fortified plant milks and yogurts: These can help vegans get their daily intake of calcium and vitamin D.

Spirulina: This blue-green algae can pack a lot of protein as well as several vitamins and minerals.

Vegan protein powders made from a combination of pea, hemp, brown rice or similar preparations are also available for those who want convenience foods in their diets (see recommended brands).

Nutritional yeast: It is a common vegan substitute for cheese. Nutritional yeast contains vitamin B12 and many essential minerals.

Sprouted grain breads: They are also high in protein and complex carbs.

Oatmeal, nuts, and nut butters: They provide a good source of protein when combined with other complementary proteins.

Tahini and healthy oils: These are good sources of fat and essential omega-3s. Vegan dark chocolate provides many antioxidants, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B, and E.

A few examples:

• Add cooked brown rice, beans, lentils, or chickpeas to oatmeal.

• Try a peanut butter sandwich made with whole grain bread.

• Use hummus for a spread on pita wedges and vegetables.


Ultimately, it seems that the vegan bodybuilder diet is a great choice for athletes who are looking to cut weight and gain lean muscle mass. It’s unknown how long-term this diet may be sustainable for vegans, but if you’re looking to try something new, why not give it a shot?

If you want to gain extra muscle on top of what your vegan bodybuilder diet can provide, consider combining this diet with intermittent fasting or another type of workout program. Your body never stops growing while you eat, so your muscles will always have room to get bigger and stronger.

Poll : Have you tried vegan diet for muscle gain?

Yes; I am a vegan

No, never did.

67 votes

Edited by Diptanil