June 4, 2011. Bill Szydlowski
beds-more-than-just-the-style“style/a=”margin-bottom: 0in”>Vegetarians get the short end of the muscle-building stick. Most of the staples of your standard muscle building diet are not vegetarian-friendly.
Lean grass-fed beef, chicken, turkey, and fish are obvious examples, but even some protein supplements, like many protein bars, are not vegetarian because they have gelatin in them.
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glass-tv-stands“style/a=”margin-bottom: 0in”>Protein shakes are the only kind of protein supplement that is pretty much guaranteed to be vegetarian-friendly, but most of them are not okay for vegans. Here are some high protein foods that are good for vegetarian muscle building diets, and most of them are good for vegans too.
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First are the vegetarian-only options. These are not suitable for vegans, but they provide some of the most dense sources of protein for muscle building vegetarians. Eggs are the first choice of the lacto-ovo bodybuilder, and they easily be made into a low-fat food for building muscle by just taking the yolks out. The whites alone still taste good and have lots of protein in them.
Dairy is the other big choice for vegetarians that vegans will miss out on. Low-fat 1% or 2% milk, yogurt and whey protein powder are the best of the bunch. Yogurt helps especially because the bacterial cultures can help your digestive system stay healthy, and protein shakes made from whey protein powder pack a serious punch.
Pulses and legumes are the number one choice of high protein foods for most vegan bodybuilders because they are cheap and easy to prepare, and there is a nearly endless selection of them. Kidney, black, pinto, garbanzo and soy beans are good choices here, and tofu is part of the same group because it is made from soy beans but is even better for muscle building diets.
Grains can be good choices too if you combine them correctly to make complete proteins. There is a lot of information available online about these choices, and combining them with other types of protein such as from nuts.
Updated June 4, 2011. Published March 5, 2011. Bill Szydlowski
