If you’ve ever looked at the bodybuilding world, you’ve probably noticed a few food staples: chicken breast, white fish, rice, and green vegetables (broccoli and asparagus ring into the top spots); they’re pretty much a non-negotiable part of any bodybuilder’s diet.
But what do you eat if you’re vegan?
Veganism is becoming more and more popular among athletes looking to improve overall health and fitness. Whether you’re doing it for health reasons, ethical, or religious, many people associate a vegan or plant-based diet with the inability to build muscle.
Let’s squash that myth right now. The misconceptions about muscle growth and veganism are quite pertinent, but take a look at many of the top bodybuilders out there—it may surprise you to know that several are vegans.
So, let’s explore what you need to know about veganism, meal prep, and bodybuilding—the benefits of doing meal prep, understanding your energy needs, the importance of macros, and some of your plant-based basics that must be part of your vegan bodybuilding meal prep.
The Benefits Of Meal Prep
Many people look at serious athletes and bodybuilders and laugh at the fact that they meal prep—we mean measure, count, and weigh everything.
But laughing really doesn’t get you anywhere in terms of your goals, and in reality, meal-prep offers a serious advantage in several departments.
#1 Consistency
We’ve all heard of cheat days. And while cheat days, or meals, aren’t necessarily a bad thing, you don’t want to be doing them daily because you aren’t prepared. Meal prep takes the work out of cooking and provides you with consistency in your meals and routine.
But remember, consistency doesn’t have to be boring. When you’re doing meal prep, choose a few different meals that you want to eat that week that fit within your macro count and rotate between them. Spice them up with herbs and condiments, and call it a day!
That way, you still satisfy the natural tendencies to eat delicious food but are consistent with your portions and macros. No need to worry about how much protein you need or how many carbs you can have because it’s all measured out and done for you.
#2 Timesaving
For anyone that loves to cook, you know it can involve some labor. And realistically, who wants to spend hours in the kitchen when you’ve just finished a tough training session and you’re hungry.
Not us! Picking one day of the week to get your meal prep done (we love the weekend) is great because it saves you from having to cook three times (or more) a day.
Instead, you can use that time to be productive in other areas of your life. It’s a win-win situation in our eyes! You can go to sleep Sunday night knowing that you’re prepared to smash the week ahead.
#3 Portion Control
Who’s been in the situation where you cook more than one portion of something, and it’s just so darn good that you keep picking and picking until you finally realized you’ve eaten 75% of it?
Portion sizes can be the downfall of some health and fitness goals, especially if you have strict macros. Because portion sizes aren’t consistent across all food groups, it can be challenging to eyeball the right amount to eat to reach your goals.
But if you’re looking to maximize muscle growth, you have to pay attention to calories and macros. By prepping your meals and having pre-measured portions, you’re less likely to overindulge.
Understand Your Caloric Needs
Your ability to build muscle on a plant-based diet comes down to having a solid understanding of your energy and macronutrient requirements.
If you’re not eating enough calories, you won’t be able to gain weight or muscle; if you’re overeating, you’re going to gain fat; and if you’re not eating the right balance of protein, carbs, and fat, you won’t achieve the results you want.
But contrary to what most people think, figuring out your energy needs isn’t as tough as it seems. And once you’ve nailed your calories, you can then determine what your macronutrient intake should be based around your specific goals—bulking up, leaning out, maintaining, etc.
The most common method used to calculate basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the Harris-Benedict equation, which uses a combination of weight, height, and age to determine daily energy expenditure.
Males: H = 66.4730 + 13.7516(W) + 5.0033(S) – 6.7750(A) Females: H = 665.0955 + 9.5634(W) + 1.8496(S) – 4.6756(A)
Where:H = calories/dayW = weight in kgS = height in centimetersA = age in years
However, it’s also important to remember that this isn’t exact. Energy expenditure will be partially dictated by individual biochemistry, but studies have also suggested that the Harris-Benedict equation overestimates BMR by about 10-15% 1. Regardless, it provides a good baseline for getting started.
Besides this, it’s also important to account for energy expenditure from physical activity. If you’re trying to lose weight, maintaining a caloric deficit is likely the route you’ll want to go, but if you’re looking to add mass, you need to be in a caloric excess, so knowing how much extra to add to compensate for exercise is key.
To factor in activity, you want to multiply your BMR by a specific variable that correlates to your general activity level:
- Sedentary: x 1.0
- Very light activity: x 1.2
- Light activity: x 1.4
- Moderate activity: x 1.6
- High activity: x 1.8
Sedentary means you live a relatively inactive lifestyle; you work a desk job, spend most of the day sitting with little to no physical activity.
Light activity means you work a non-physical job and participate in light activity like walking 1-3 days per week.
Moderate activity means you may work a moderately physical job and participate in workouts or other physical activities 3-5 days per week.
High activity means you work a physical job or participate in daily high-intensity exercise.
Athletes tend to have a high or very high activity level, meaning they require a substantial increase above BMR to compensate for calories burned during activity.
Once you have figured out your BMR, multiply it by your activity level to determine your TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure.
While not exact, it will give you a rough estimate of the number of calories you’re burning daily to ensure you meet or exceed your energy requirements.
The Importance Of Macros
Protein
As you’ve probably guessed, protein is one of the most important macronutrients when it comes to bodybuilding because it’s the foundation for muscle growth and maintenance.
Amino acids that are obtained through protein metabolism are required to build and repair muscles that are damaged as a result of strenuous lifts.
For bodybuilders pushing their muscles to the max, adequate protein intake becomes critical because it can make the difference between a win or a loss when competition time rolls around. But getting complete sources of protein on a vegan diet can be a challenge.
Suppose you aren’t familiar with the basics of protein. In that case, it comes in two forms: complete proteins containing all nine essential amino acids in correct ratios, while incomplete proteins lacking one or more essential amino acids or are found in insufficient amounts.
The former tends to be characteristic of animal-based proteins, while the latter is characteristic of most plant-based proteins—but not all. We’ll cover your best plant-based options more below.
Because muscle growth requires the presence of all nine essential amino acids plus the eleven non-essential amino acids, of which can be synthesized in the body, poor intake of the essential amino acids means muscle protein synthesis gets put on the back burner.
And when the rate of muscle protein breakdown exceeds muscle protein synthesis, you’re going to lose muscle rather than gain it.
You need to remember that while protein requirements obviously increase around the training window—you need immediate availability of amino acids to repair the damage induced by resistance training—it needs to be consumed in sufficient amounts throughout the day.
The anabolic state where muscle protein synthesis occurs has a window of about three hours post-exercise, which means during those 3 hours, you must top up amino acid stores if you want to repair and grow muscles.
And to maximize MPS, research suggests a minimum of 3–4 g of leucine per serving of protein to promote muscle growth 2.
However, a 2017 meta-analysis confirmed that dietary protein supplementation significantly enhanced changes in muscle strength and size during prolonged resistance training programs in healthy adults, but that intakes exceeding 1.6 g/kg/day did not further contribute to muscle gains 3.
Despite this, for vegan athletes looking to maximize resistance-training gains in fat-free mass, 1-6.2.2g/kg/day could be beneficial.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are less important for bodybuilders in the shredding phase, but if you’re looking to bulk and put on mass before cutting, carbs are an important source of energy for working muscles, but also serve to spare muscle.
If muscle growth is your goal, restricting carb-intake is completely counter to what you’re trying to achieve. They are a main source of energy for athletes, and they serve a few main functions for muscle growth and performance:
1. Regulate Muscle Glycogen Replenishment
Glycogen stores are the major source of fuel during intense workouts. When the body needs immediate energy, glycogen is broken down into glucose to supply fuel to power you through workouts.
When muscle glycogen dwindles and the body isn’t capable of using other substrates for fuel, your body begins to fatigue and performance decreases. And no other macronutrients can be broken down as rapidly to provide an immediate energy source like carbohydrates can.
2. Prevent Muscle Breakdown
It may seem counterintuitive, but restricting carbohydrates can actually accelerate muscle protein breakdown. That’s because insulin is required to get amino acids into muscle cells to assist with MPS, and when insulin levels are kept low because of carb restriction, amino acids can’t get into cells to do their job.
A 2003 study found that restricting carbohydrate intake results in protein loss due to increased excretion of nitrogen 4; nitrogen is an important component of amino acids and muscle proteins, and excess nitrogen loss signifies degradation of muscle protein.
3. Enhance Muscle Recovery
The role of carbs in muscle recovery goes back to their role in replenishing glycogen stores. After a hard workout, your body is likely low on glycogen and glucose, which means there isn’t enough usable or stored energy to power activity. As such, you start to fatigue.
At this point, your body needs to bump up glucose levels (despite stores being low), so it releases cortisol, a hormone with potent catabolic effects.
What cortisol does is essentially eat up muscle tissue to supply amino acids that can be converted into glucose through a process known as gluconeogenesis. The net result is a loss of muscle tissue.
But consuming carbs post-workout helps to increase insulin, which not only shuttles amino acids into your cells, but is also a hormone with potent anabolic effects. High insulin levels help to drive nutrients into your cells to repair damage and stimulate growth.
Fats and Lipids
People often forget that even if you’re looking to maximize muscle growth, fat intake is still important. And the rep that fats have? Well, it’s completely unfair. Try absorbing the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) without adequate dietary fat—it’s going to be near impossible.
Fats play a crucial role in many body functions, some of which include:
- Nutrient absorption
- Satiation
- Insulation and protection
- Energy substrate
- Structural building blocks
- Hormone synthesis (hello testosterone)
- Cognitive function
- Cell growth
But it’s also about consuming the right kinds of fats. You want to be increasing your intake of monounsaturated fats and omega-3s, as opposed to loading up on omega-6s and trans-fat that, when consumed in excess, lead to a pro-inflammatory state.
Vegan Staples For Bulking Up
When it comes to building mass on a vegan diet, there are a few staples you’re going to want to include in your diet.
Because getting adequate amounts of protein can be a challenge on a vegan diet, subbing in foods that offer both carbohydrates and protein is going to be incredibly helpful to meet your macros.
Here are our top picks for vegan bodybuilding meal prep staples by category:
Proteins
The important thing to consider with plant-based proteins is that you’re consuming complete proteins. Ever wonder why Latin cultures often pair rice and beans together?
That’s because they complement each other regarding amino acid composition; rice contains the amino acids that beans are low in and vice versa.
But with that said, there are a few foods that are 100% plant-based and have a balanced amino acid profile, so they are a complete source of protein:
- Quinoa: Quinoa is a staple both in terms of carbs and protein. It contains about 15% protein in addition to being a rich source of many other nutrients, including fiber, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, folate, iron, copper, and zinc 5.
- Performance Lab Protein: As one of the cleanest and most effective plant-based protein powders on the market, Performance Lab Protein offers 20g of organic brown rice protein per serving with leucine that absorbs 30% faster than leucine from whey to get the muscle growth and recovery process started faster and maximize your results and performance.
- Hemp: On a weight by weight basis, hemp seeds offer a comparable amount of protein to that of beef or lamb, with about 11g per 3 tablespoons 6, besides loads of heart-healthy omega-3s.
- Spirulina: Don’t be deterred by the vibrant color of this cyanobacteria. Spirulina is an absolute nutrient powerhouse. In just one tablespoon, it packs a whopping 4 grams of protein, in addition to B vitamins, copper, iron, and not to mention a load of antioxidants that help to protect your cells against the damaging effects of free radicals produced during physical activity.
- Tempeh (fermented soy)—Because soy is often genetically modified, ensure you’re purchasing organic, non-GMO tempeh. The fermentation process of tempeh also makes it easier on the digestive tract. Per 3oz. serving, it offers about 15g of (complete) protein.
Other great sources of protein include:
- Lentils
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- Navy beans
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
The great thing about beans and legumes is that they not only offer a load of protein, but they’re also nutrient-dense; they’re high in fiber and other essentials like B vitamins, copper, iron, folate, vitamin K, manganese, and magnesium.
Carbohydrates
The great thing about carbohydrates is that there is no shortage of choices on a vegan diet. The only main thing you have to distinguish between is whether you’re looking for a slow-digesting complex carb or a fast-digesting simple carb.
Complex carbs will help to provide sustained energy to power you through a longer-duration workout, whereas complex carbs post-workout help to spike insulin to enable quick transport of glucose and amino acids into muscle cells to jumpstart repair and recovery.
However, you also have to be mindful that flooding your body post-workout with simple carbs will help to stimulate MPS, but it may also lead to a severe energy crash; it sparks a vicious cycle we like to call the blood sugar roller coaster, so opt for complex carbs whenever possible.
Simple carbs:
- White rice
- White potatoes
- Fruit (bananas)
Complex carbs:
- Quinoa
- Beans and legumes
- Oats
- Brown rice
- Sweet potatoes, yams
- Plantain
We want to isolate and highlight Performance Lab Carb for a minute because obviously we’re partial to it as one of the cleanest and best carb supplements around. KarboLyn® technology is key to Carbs’ muscle-fueling power.
It’s bioengineered to absorb faster and last longer than any other carbohydrate supplement on the market. The addition of Himalayan Pink Salt and Organic Coconut Sugar act as transporters to drive KarboLyn® into muscles more efficiently, helping to supercharge athletic performance and speed up your recovery.
It can be consumed intra-workout or post-workout, and can be combined with Performance Lab Protein to give you the perfect post-workout meal.
Healthy Fats
Fats are where many people get confused, but they’re relatively simple to navigate. Because the majority of ‘unhealthy’ fats are found in animal products or processed snack foods, you’re likely not over-doing it in those areas.
Here are some of the best sources of fats to include in your meal prep:
- Avocado, avocado oil
- Olives, olive oil
- Coconut, coconut oil
- Nuts and seeds
Be mindful that seed oils (canola, sunflower, safflower, soy, corn, etc.) are popular choices because people think they’re plant-based and therefore healthy—but they’re not.
Most industrial seed oils are processed and refined at high temperatures, which means the oils are rancid before you even consume them. They’re also high in omega-6 fatty acids that lead to a pro-inflammatory state in the body. Limit or avoid consumption of these whenever possible.
Final Thoughts
For bodybuilders, nutrition is key. If you’re skimping on the food side of things, you’re probably going to sit there wondering why you’re not getting the results you want under the bar.
The critical point to remember is that you can work as hard as you want in the gym, but if you’re not nailing your nutrition, you’re going to put yourself out of the competition before it even gets started. Your diet is the driving factor for the results you want.
Eat clean, train hard, and be conscious about what you’re putting into your body—it will dictate your success.
References
- CJ Henry. Basal metabolic rate studies in humans: measurement and development of new equations. Public Health Nutr. 2005;8(7A):1133-1152.
- M Stark, J Lukaszuk, A Prawitz, A Salacinski. Protein timing and its effects on muscular hypertrophy and strength in individuals engaged in weight-training. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012; 9(1): 54.
- RW Morton, KT Murphy, SR McKellar, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults [published correction appears in Br J Sports Med. 2020 Oct;54(19):e7]. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-384.
- PH Bisschop, Mg De Sain-Van Der Velden, F Stellaard, et al. Dietary carbohydrate deprivation increases 24-hour nitrogen excretion without affecting postabsorptive hepatic or whole body protein metabolism in healthy men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003;88(8):3801-3805.
- LE Abugoch James. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.): composition, chemistry, nutritional, and functional properties. Adv Food Nutr Res. 2009;58:1-31.
- Callaway, JC. Hempseed as a nutritional resource: An overview. Euphytica. 2004; 140: 65–72.
