vegan-fitness-for-womenBody Building Using Plant-based Foods

If you’re serious about training and appreciate the value of a diet high in fruits and vegetables, maybe you’re still reluctant to consider a full switch from “healthy” to full-on “vegan,” because you’re afraid you’ll lose the hard-earned muscle you’ve worked years to gain, or fret that you’ll never pack on the lean muscle you want while cutting meat, fish and milk from your diet.

But, men, you can take comfort from – and certainly get inspired by – the amazing specimens who have come before you! Bill Pearl is a prime example. Now in his 60s, the former “Mr. Universe” became a vegetarian at 39. “I’m more healthy and can train with more energy,” Pearl says. “Take it from me, there’s nothing magic about eating meat that’s going to make you a champion vegan-body-buildingbodybuilder. Anything you can find in a piece of meat, you can find in other foods as well.”

Of course, this applies to women, as well.  There are countless vegan women bodybuilders filling the pages of numerous bodybuilding magazines.  Full vegan bodybuilders like Robert Cheeke are seeing results, too. A vegan activist and former super-lean cross-country runner, Cheeke has packed on enough plant-based muscle to place in the Natural Bodybuilding World Championship. He and other vegan bodybuilders claim they get more than enough protein to feed muscle growth, adding that their diets make it much easier to maintain a lean, competition weight year-round. Another advantage: vegan athletes consistently testify to the improvements in post-workout recovery time since switching to a plant-based diet.

Energy Training Foods
Elite athletes claim the “new four basic food groups” – grains, vegetables, legumes (beans) and fruits – offer the complete nutrition they need to perform at their highest level. For whole grains, they usually choose from a variety of whole-grain breads, cereals, rice, and pastas—all rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber, zinc and B vitamins, along with protein.

For vegetables, a rainbow of color is important. Supplementing leafy greens with yellow, orange and red vegetables offers vitamin C, beta-carotene, and other antioxidants that will protect your body from the stress of exercise. These foods also provide iron, calcium, fiber, and a modest 2 grams of protein per serving. Black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and great northern beans are high in protein, fiber, iron, calcium and B vitamins, as are meat and dairy substitutes like soy milk, tofu, tempeh and textured vegetable protein.

For vitamins, whole fruits and fruit juices are essential vitamin sources, especially the always-essential vitamin C. Most elite athletes, including those who consume meat and dairy, supplement their nutrition in a variety of ways, including taking daily doses of vitamin B12.
Finally, a few tricks for keeping plant-based protein levels high include topping salads with beans, blending non-dairy frozen desserts with fresh fruit and supplementing meals with soy-based protein shakes.

DONATE