How to Build Muscles on a Vegetarian or Vegan Diet

What’s the first image that pops to your head at the idea of someone who is on a strict vegan or vegetarian diet? You’re probably envisioning a slim, lean figure, but most likely with no visible muscles or that fit physique we all desire. However, a single glance at Nimai Delgado or Jehina Malik, and you get a glimpse of how wrong those initial assumptions are. Their chiseled physiques, perfect form, and healthy glow all go in favor of their lifestyle choice not to eat meat. They, in fact, take it a step further and stick to a vegan diet.

You, on the other hand, can start as a vegetarian first and see how well this lifestyle can work for you before you make the switch to veganism. For starters, let’s take a look at the most fundamental principles you need to follow in order to build healthy, lean muscle on a vegetarian or vegan diet and finally build that stunning physique you covet so much!

Manage your expectations

It all starts with the right mindset. Too many amateur athletes who strive to change their diets to ditch meat and other animal products believe that muscle building strictly depends on their protein intake alone. That belief is more than enough to wreak havoc on your expectations. What you need to do is educate yourself on how a vegetarian and vegan diet works to benefit your health, monitor your body’s reaction to those dietary changes, and start adjusting your goals.

If your priority is to kick meat and other animal products, then you need to make sure that your muscle building expectations are realistic. The pace at which you can gain lean muscle depends on many different factors, and diet is just one of them. You also need to make sure that you’re not over-training and pushing your body to burn out while you’re introducing such a major lifestyle change. Start slow, listen to your body, and make sure that you aren’t expecting to build five kilos of muscle mass in a matter of days.

Master the art of protein consumption

Let’s go back to that one major concern vegetarian and vegan athletes have: your protein consumption. As the building block of life, and of muscles, protein is one of those three macronutrients you need to monitor in order to build lean muscle. We all differ, but a typical athlete aims to consume anywhere between 1.2 to 1.7g of protein per kilogram of body weight.

This may be a challenge especially for those just starting out as vegetarians and vegans, so consuming quality vegan protein supplements is the most effective solution for your gains. Anything from hemp to pea can be your go-to source so that you keep your muscles happy, and your daily nutrition needs covered. Of course, you also need to learn as much as possible about whole food source of lean protein, such as beans, tempeh, lentils, spirulina, and other plants, which are also brimming with fiber and other goodies great for building lean muscle.

Prevent deficiencies

A frequent problem among vegan and vegetarian newbies involves missing out on certain micronutrients that are as essential as protein for optimal health and wellbeing. When your diet is not balanced, you may risk compromising your immune system, which will in turn prevent you from training hard enough to put all that healthy protein to work and build muscle. Some of the most common deficiencies include iron, zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 deficiencies.

These are perfectly manageable through proper diet tips, meal planning, and by tweaking your grocery list to introduce more foods that contain these vitamins and minerals. For starters, whole grains, beans, and legumes are loaded with a variety of these vitamins and minerals, while certain plant-based milks can help you get more micronutrients every day. Still, it’s key that you regularly check if you have any of these deficiencies and you can also use supplementation to complement your diet.

Refine your training regime

For people who have consumed meat, eggs, dairy, and other animal food sources — you need to ease your body into your new lifestyle and make the transition as seamless as possible. For some, that may mean lowering the intensity of your workouts, switching to a different training regime for a few weeks, or swapping current for alternative exercises while you get used to your new lifestyle.

What you need to remember is that vegan and vegetarian athletes can indeed train as hard and arduous as anyone else, which means that you cannot use this change as an excuse to slack at the gym, the track, or anywhere else. In fact, if this diet is right for your body, you’ll become an even better athlete in time, allowing you to build all the muscle your body can produce. Manage your pre and post-workout meals, track your diet and hydration, and you shouldn’t experience any major issues in your training. On the contrary, you’ll find it even more rewarding!

Building muscle is a noble, healthy goal for many professional as well as amateur athletes out there. If you’re looking to change your lifestyle to help the planet as well as your own health, you’re on the right track. Just remember that both your new diet and muscle building goals are indeed possible when managed correctly and with care.