Fat Loss 4 Idiots Opinion

Saturday, October 24, 2009

How To 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

Many vegetarian body builders use soy as their best source of protein. This is because soy products like edamame, tofu and soy milk offer all 8 essential amino acids that your body requires to build lean muscle. Soy milk can replace cows milk in many recipes, and tofu is a great replacement for beef or chicken. In fact, soy contains 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.

Protein shakes and supplements are hugely popular among most body builders as a great way to get enough protein. Most of these are soy or whey based and can often provide over 21 grams of protein per serving. If you add these to your daily diet, your muscles will definitely get the protein they need.

2. Vitamins And Minerals

If you eat a balanced diet, you should be getting most of the necessary vitamins and minerals you need, but many vegetarians still suffer a slight vitamin B12 deficiency. This happens because most vitamin B12 comes from meat. If you have a good multivitamin or add a B12 supplement to your daily routine, you can remedy this quickly and improve your energy levels too. If you drink the meal replacement shakes mentioned above, many of them will provide you with at least 1/3 of your daily vitamins and minerals per serving.

3. Fats

Even if you are eating a proper portion of nuts each day and will be getting plenty of good fats, you may still require more essential fatty acids that are often found in meat. You can add a tablespoon of flax seed oil to your diet each day to ensure you get these amino acids. Flax seed oil is one of the best sources of linolenic acid, an essential amino acid.

Making the changes mentioned above will ensure that you can build muscle as a vegetarian. These dietary changes will get your body ready and give you proper nutrition to go along with a good muscle building program. - 17269

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