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Vegetarian Bodybuilding Diet

Vegetarian Diet for Bodybuilding

The words "bodybuilder" and "vegetarian" aren't mentioned together too frequently as most bodybuilders eschew the vegetarian approach. Actually, most bodybuilders could benefit quite a bit from increasing their intake of vegetables, even while maintaining their meat diets.

A vegetarian diet for a bodybuilder requires a lot more work in the preparation area to ensure that all of the nutrients needed for growth are eaten. And the type of vegetarian you are also plays a big role. For instance, there are ovo-lacto, veganism, raw veganism, Ovo, fruitarianism, Buddhist vegetarianism, lacto, and Jain vegetarianism, just to name some of the more prominent. Some allow you to eat dairy but not meat, etc. So the type of vegetarianism you choose plays a big role in the nutritional support you must use to cover the potential holes in your diet.

Why are there holes? No plant delivers all the essential amino acids. Vegetarians make up for this issue by eating certain pairs or more of different plants that complement each other. Your body needs essential amino acids and essential fatty acids from its diet. If the diet consistently lacks those nutrients (and others) your health can be impaired and your muscle growth may be stunted.

In addition to protein, meat contains other vital elements such as creatine that the body needs for growth. These other elements must also be accounted for if you want to cover all the bases.

If you are foregoing dairy products, you are missing out on the very top line muscle building factors. Milk and eggs are the supreme foods for muscle growth. Milk has a fabulous insulin growth effect, and eggs are the ideally structured food for growth with a perfect mix of highest quality protein and fat. A vegetarian has to really scramble to come up with anything that can even make up half of what these two foods give the body.

Soy protein is one option, and it has certain benefits, but it is not as fully favorable as either milk or egg protein, and soy doesn’t have that vital creatine in it.

It is possible for a bodybuilder to be a vegetarian but there are a lot more dietary hurdles for a vegetarian to clear, and it is tough to provide the high level of nutritional support the muscles need.

For more great information checkout the Muscle Cookbook

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