Did you know India has more vegetarians than the rest of the world combined?
With close to 40% of our population eating no meat, India is leading in the vegetarian race. But what does this mean for the fitness goals of the vegetarians? Is it harder to build muscle with no meat or is that just a myth?
Without further ado, check out which type of vegetarian diet you follow:
Lacto-vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish, poultry and eggs, as well as foods that contain them. Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter, are included.
Ovo-vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products, but allow eggs.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish and poultry, but allow dairy products and eggs.
Pescatarian diets exclude meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs, but allow fish.
Vegan diets exclude meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products — and foods that contain these products.
Exercise and diet
Exercise consists of two parts according to Dr. Donald Layman, a food expert. He says that it takes the stress of exercise to stimulate the need for muscles and that we need the extra protein to actually build muscle.
When choosing foods in a vegetarian diet, choose a combination of plant based food such as whole fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains.
Keep in mind: Including essential amino acid leucine in your diet is essential since it acts as a primary trigger to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS). Muscle Protein Synthesis is essentially the process of building muscle. The more leucine a food contains, the better job it will do at stimulating muscle growth.
The only downside is that these essential amino acid leucine is generally low in plant-based protein sources. The good news of vegetarians is that whey is an excellent source of leucine! Include whey in your diet and you’re good to go!
All forms of dairy are an excellent source of high quality protein source and consuming these foods (like paneer, milk, curd and whey) is the easiest way to get high-quality protein.
Did you know the world’s top athletes are vegan? Check them out!
According to an academy of nutrition, here is a healthy breakdown of how your diet should look like:
Eat five or six small meals per day that not only include protein, but also a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, vegetable oils and plenty of water.
More than half your calories each day should come from quality carbohydrates, which fuel your muscles.
Fats are necessary for supplying energy to muscles during workouts. Good sources of fat include olive oil, almonds, walnuts, avocados and canola oil.
Contact Ral for more information to build your diet plan!
Happy muscle building to all the vegetarians out there!
