Rapid Fat Loss Diets

Friday, October 16, 2009

How You Can Build Muscle As A Vegetarian

By Ryan M Hall

Contrary to popular belief, you CAN build muscle as a vegetarian. The main hurdle you will have to overcome is the fact that protein aids in muscle building. The downside of course is that most people get the majority of their protein from animal sources. So how can you over come this?

1. Eat More Protein

Soy is the perfect source of protein for many vegetarian bodybuilders. This is because soy products such as tofu, edamame, and soy milk provide all 8 essential amino acids required by your body to build and rebuild muscle. Soy milk can be used to replace cows milk in any recipe, and tofu is a great meat replacement for most chicken or turkey based dishes. In fact, soy has more protein content than beef.

Sunflower seeds, walnuts, cashews, almonds and pistachio nuts are a good source of protein and healthy fats. Keep a container of nuts with you to snack on during the day to make sure that you are getting that healthy fat and protein.

One of the first ways most body builders ensure that they get enough protein is with protein shakes and supplements. Most of these protein shakes are soy or whey based and can offer upwards of 21 grams of protein in each serving. Adding these to your diet will give your body the protein it requires.

2. Vitamins And Minerals

If you are eating a balanced diet, you should be getting most of your necessary vitamins and minerals. That being said, many vegetarians suffer from a vitamin B12 deficiency. This is because vitamin B12 is primarily found in meat. You can take a good multivitamin, or use a B12 Supplement along with your normal eating habits. If you choose to drink on of the meal replacement shakes mentioned above, you will be getting about 1/3 of your needed vitamins from each of them.

3. Fats

If you eat a good portion of nuts each day, you will be getting a great balance of good fat each day, but many vegetarians still need to get more essential fatty acids as they are commonly found in meat. Another option you have is to add a tablespoon or two of flax seed oil to your daily diet. Flax seed oil is one of the best sources of the essential amino acid alpha linolenic acid.

You can build muscle as a vegetarian if you make the changes and dietary additions mentioned above. Doing so will set you up to build muscle fast if you follow a good muscle building program. - 17273

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