More and more people are turning to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles for moral reasons or their many health benefits, or both. However, many athletes are wary of taking the leap, believing that it's not possible to build a strong, muscular body if you don't eat meat and animal products.
They are wrong. The reality is that you can make fantastic gains with exercise, weightlifting included, as a vegetarian or vegan if you know what you're doing, which is the reality for meat eaters, too (just because you train and eat a bunch of animal protein every day doesn't mean you're going to get stronger or more muscular).
Another problem that most people share, regardless of their dietary preferences, is that eating properly to build muscle or lose fat presents unique problems if you're not good in the kitchen.
Eating to build muscle requires that you eat a little bit of food every day, and forcing large amounts of protein and bland grains, legumes and tubers day after day gets really old, really fast. And going wild and eating whatever your stomach desires is a sure way to pack on an ever-growing layer of unnecessary fat.
On the other hand, eating to lose fat requires that you carefully monitor your food intake to maintain a caloric deficit each day (that you eat fewer potential energy calories than you burn through basic body functions and activity).
This leaves no room for the fatty, sugary indulgences that so many people crave, and it's only a matter of time until you can't look at another pile of steamed vegetables.
The good news is that there is a simple solution to the above problems. By learning how to cook quick, healthy and tasty meals that provide enough protein, carbohydrates and fat, you can enjoy eating to build muscle or lose fat. And following a vegetarian or vegan diet won't get in the way.
Source: Michael Matthews
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