Thread: Will a Vegetarian Have a Hard Time Gaining Muscle?

You can definitely be athletic and gain muscle while being a vegetarian at the same time. I've been running competitively for a few years (though I took a break recently because of injury) and I found it no problem. Although, I'm not quite the same as you since I'm a lacto ovo vegetarian, but I don't think it will have too much of a difference. I don't really eat eggs a ton anyways. Anyways, I would recommend eating lots of nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils. These are all plant foods high in protein. Peanut butter and canned beans (especially beans) would probably be pretty inexpensive to obtain. But, if you're really worried about it you can go to a health store and buy protein bars or whey powder. When I was running I would often make a smoothie in the morning with some whey powder blended together with some fruit. Very tasty.

Using the internet it's pretty easy to find good foods for vegetarians. Here's something that pretty much answers your question. The 21 Best Muscle Building Foods For Vegetarians Slideshow | LIVESTRONG.COM I've eaten many of the things on this list as well. Try guacamole if you haven't, just cause it's tasty and high in protein and healthy fats. Steel-cut oats are also nice to eat in the morning. ^_^

Even with a good diet creatine supplements are still recommended, along with protein shakes. But then again, most omnivorous body builders use that stuff anyway.

My husband watches a lot of UFC and other mixed martial arts. I've heard that some of the fighters are vegetarian or vegan and they don't seem to have any problem gaining muscle. The two that I came across are Jake Shields and Mac Danzig. Here's a link with info. on Danzig's diet, maybe you'll find it helpful:

UFC Fighter Mac Danzig's Vegan Diet | Mahler's Aggressive Strength

As long as you select multiple foods that give protein, I don't see why you would have a problem.

Yeah, it's all about protein. Beans, and nuts are a great source of it. You can also get protein bars if you need more.

Originally Posted by Aristaeus

Greetings,

I have recently been attempting to regain mine old physique, and was wondering if I would be able to do so with mine current diet. I have read in many articles that consuming ample amounts of food, particularly meats, is essential in gaining muscle. However, since I do not consume meat of any kind, I am beginning to wonder whether or not I will be able to fulfill mine task.

Mine main enquiry: Will mine goal be achievable without the consumption of animal protein? And, what muscle-building foods would anybody here recommend for a lacto-vegeterian?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

I don't know why you're vegetarian. Buying a package of ground beef will contribute roughly 0.0001% to slaughterhouse fundings.

If it's because you have morals and don't want to eat an innocent creature, think of it like this; It's already dead. You're not a bad person for eating something that doesn't care about you. Vultures are scavengers, and they eat roadkill.

Don't let emotions get in the way of your gains. If you must think that you are partially responsible for its death, take comfort in the fact that it died for a purpose. To get you healthy.

If it's because you're religious, your god created the universe, he's not going to throw you into the deep pits of solitude and suffering because you thought steak would be a good meal. Your god has more important things to worry about than if you put lunch meat on your sandwich.

Either way, you could take protein supplements which are mostly composed of soy, sugar, and other things. That helps quite a bit, even with us meat eaters.
You'd have to chug a lot of these, since you mainly rely on daily protein (milk, eggs, hamburger, steak, fish, etc.) to fulfill your protein needs. There are some "fake" alternatives to meat like Tofu, which I've seen has protein in it. 0.5 cups has 10g of protein, so you could rely on tofu. Some rice and grain have protein in them. Are you ok with eating eggs? They have lots and lots of protein in them.

Best of luck to you. It's unfortunate that you can't eat meat due to an alleged moral constraint, but I know how that feels in alternative situations where I feel similar things. I would suggest that you do eat meat, since it has protein, and it died for a cause; to make you strong and healthy.

Originally Posted by EzioAuditore

I don't know why you're vegetarian. Buying a package of ground beef will contribute roughly 0.0001% to slaughterhouse fundings.

If it's because you have morals and don't want to eat an innocent creature, think of it like this; It's already dead. You're not a bad person for eating something that doesn't care about you. Vultures are scavengers, and they eat roadkill.

Don't let emotions get in the way of your gains. If you must think that you are partially responsible for its death, take comfort in the fact that it died for a purpose. To get you healthy.

If it's because you're religious, your god created the universe, he's not going to throw you into the deep pits of solitude and suffering because you thought steak would be a good meal. Your god has more important things to worry about than if you put lunch meat on your sandwich.

Either way, you could take protein supplements which are mostly composed of soy, sugar, and other things. That helps quite a bit, even with us meat eaters.
You'd have to chug a lot of these, since you mainly rely on daily protein (milk, eggs, hamburger, steak, fish, etc.) to fulfill your protein needs. There are some "fake" alternatives to meat like Tofu, which I've seen has protein in it. 0.5 cups has 10g of protein, so you could rely on tofu. Some rice and grain have protein in them. Are you ok with eating eggs? They have lots and lots of protein in them.

Best of luck to you. It's unfortunate that you can't eat meat due to an alleged moral constraint, but I know how that feels in alternative situations where I feel similar things. I would suggest that you do eat meat, since it has protein, and it died for a cause; to make you strong and healthy.

Mine vegetarianism does not stem from religion or morality. I'll have you know I am an atheist. I have mine own special reasons for disliking meat--which I do not feel the need to explain. I asked for information, not a philosophical lecture.

At any rate, thanks for the input.

Originally Posted by Aristaeus

Mine vegetarianism does not stem from religion or morality. I'll have you know I am an atheist. I have mine own special reasons for disliking meat--which I do not feel the need to explain. I asked for information, not a philosophical lecture.

At any rate, thanks for the input.

I think you'll be pleased to know that I am also an atheist. I won't ask why you're vegetarian, but what lengths will you go to achieve your strength goal, as far as straying from the vegetarian diet?

Originally Posted by EzioAuditore

I think you'll be pleased to know that I am also an atheist. I won't ask why you're vegetarian, but what lengths will you go to achieve your strength goal, as far as straying from the vegetarian diet?

I don't intend to consume another piece of meat for as long as I live--that includes eggs (heck, especially eggs).

Though it was difficult at first, after doing a lot of research I eventually developed a decent balance in mine diet. Though, I try not to go overboard with the supplements and protein drinks, as too much protein can actually make you dehydrate faster.

Truth be told, even when I used to eat meat (which was VERY long ago), I had a hard time gaining muscle. I have a rather skinny and slightly bony figure (it's not something I do on purpose; it's just something that runs through the bloodline). But, I can usually sprint fairly long distances without getting tired.

Anyhow, sorry if I seemed somewhat hostile. It's just lots of people, when they find out I am vegetarian, immediately start bashing and patronising me, and stuffing words in mine mouth ("You're at the top of the food chain for a reason!"). I've even been threatened to be tied to a chair and have a steak shoved in mine mouth, or thrown into the wilderness with nothing but meat to nourish me. As a result, I tend to just keep it to mineself. Lots of close-minded idiots in this world.

Frank medrano is a vegan bodybuilder.
As a climber I like him a lot because you can clearly see from his body that his muscle is useful. It's different from other bodybuilder, and most guys in general who gain through steroids and protein shakes, and then try strengthen the muscle afterwards.

As for protein rich foods, a great and easy diet (and certainly vegetarian and cheap) is oats for porridge, peanuts for snacks and couscous for dinner.
I'm not sure how the numbers translate but you can get a fair amount of naturals proteins in, almost comparable to genuinely eating a piece of meat.
So it should be entirely possible to match the muscle gain a normal diet could produce.

There's no natural alternative to protein shakes as far as I know, and they'll definitely make it easier if you don't want to eat the same food every day.

Originally Posted by Aristaeus

I don't intend to consume another piece of meat for as long as I live--that includes eggs (heck, especially eggs).

Though it was difficult at first, after doing a lot of research I eventually developed a decent balance in mine diet. Though, I try not to go overboard with the supplements and protein drinks, as too much protein can actually make you dehydrate faster.

Truth be told, even when I used to eat meat (which was VERY long ago), I had a hard time gaining muscle. I have a rather skinny and slightly bony figure (it's not something I do on purpose; it's just something that runs through the bloodline). But, I can usually sprint fairly long distances without getting tired.

Anyhow, sorry if I seemed somewhat hostile. It's just lots of people, when they find out I am vegetarian, immediately start bashing and patronising me, and stuffing words in mine mouth ("You're at the top of the food chain for a reason!"). I've even been threatened to be tied to a chair and have a steak shoved in mine mouth, or thrown into the wilderness with nothing but meat to nourish me. As a result, I tend to just keep it to mineself. Lots of close-minded idiots in this world.

You don't have to tell people you're a vegetarian.
If you want to be free from detection, try protein shakes. they have lots and lots of protein in them, more than you'd find in a steak. It's natural for all body builders to drink, and it even contains some other vitamins too.