Vegetarian Bodybuilding
Can Vegetarians Gain Muscle And Be Bodybuilders? You bet they can! I’m a vegetarian and it hasn’t hurt me any! :)
Vegetarian bodybuilders are at no disadvantage whatsoever and can gain as much muscle as their meat eating training partners. How can this be you ask? You don’t have to eat meat to gain muscle, all you need to do is get high quality protein and that is possible without eating meat. The main reason that most folks think being a vegetarian is a disadvantage for a bodybuilder is they don’t understand what vegetarians can eat. First of all, the term “vegetarian” has really fallen out of use because its too vague – its kind of like a “toning workout”. Skip the dictionary definition, lets use mine:
- lacto-ovo vegetarian: someone who can eat all plant based foods plus the eggs and milk from animals
- vegan: someone who can only eat food which comes from plants
If someone says “vegetarian” without specifying, then they probably mean lacto-ovo vegetarian. Someone who just eats vegetables is a vegan, not a vegetarian. Alles Klar? The protein quality in the eggs and milk that a vegetarian can eat are just as high as the protein that is in meat!
Please read the full details in my page vegetarianism and bodybuilding to see how easy it is to get the same high quality protein that you would by eating meat.
By the way folks, I consider myself a pseudo-vegetarian. Since I made up the term, I get to decide what it means. It means I get *most* of my protein from plant sources during the year. Under normal circumstances, I get about 90% of my protein from egg, dairy, and plant sources. I’m not a vegetarian for political, religious, or ethical reasons. I’m a vegetarian because I belive it to be healthier. Can I *prove* that a vegetarian diet is healther? No, but I can’t prove global warming either. Everyone has to decide for themselves what level of proof is required before they change their behaviour. Many studies have indicated that meat can cause heart disease and cancer, the latest was released just today. This study suggests that red meat eaters are 18% more likely to have heart disease and 10% more likely to have cancer.
