The vegan diet has become popular in the past years as many people turn to eat. Turning vegan has tons of health benefits, and it can save the animals from the cruelty of farming. 

Aside from attracting the general population’s interest, many athletes and bodybuilders are now becoming vegan, too! These fitness enthusiasts are taking vegan protein powder to support their protein needs. 

If you wonder whether a vegan diet can build muscles, keep on reading, and learn more. 

Vegan bodybuilding diet 

Bodybuilders work hard to build their musculature by doing an intense workout for aesthetic purposes. Nutrition is vital if you want to develop your muscles. For optimal muscle development, you need a protein intake of around 0.7-1.0 grams for each pound of your body weight every day. 

It is also beneficial to have a 10-20% of calorie surplus for gaining muscle mass. This is especially true if you have been training for quite some time.   

The vegan bodybuilding diet doesn’t have animal products and contains higher protein than regular vegan diets. However, following a vegan diet can be challenging for bodybuilders as plant-based protein has lower quality than its animal-based counterparts that affect muscle gain. 

With that in mind, you need to carefully plan your calories, protein, and some micronutrient intake to ensure the sufficiency of the nutrients. Moreover, the vegan bodybuilding diet changes based on the various stages of your training, such as off-season or preparing for a contest, when you normally lose some fat. 

Implementing the diet 

While the implementation of the vegan diet may look so simple, you need good planning to ensure that you’re taking complete meals. The vegan diet for bodybuilders includes various staple foods that most of the meals are based on.  

When you start with the vegan bodybuilding diet, it is advisable to plan out your meals for the week. It is to ensure that you have the complete ingredients since most vegan recipes need several items. 

If you are moving to a vegan diet, it’s better to slowly add more vegan foods to your diet before totally switching. 

Eat high protein plant-based foods. 

If you follow a vegan bodybuilding diet, it is crucial to consume enough protein to support your muscle-building goals. However, many sources of vegan protein usually don’t have all of the vital amino acids. You need to take a wider variety of higher amounts of these foods to meet your protein needs regularly. 

Eating high protein vegan foods, like tofu, seitan, quinoa, and legumes, can provide you with enough protein that is required to maximise muscle development. Taking vegan protein powder can significantly help you meet your protein needs as it allows for a pure source of protein to support your workouts throughout the day. 

Consume enough fat 

By taking enough amounts of fat, you can get the required calories needed to support muscle gain. Fat offers more calories than protein and carbs per gram. It is recommended to take 0.5 grams for each pound of bodyweight for off-season bodybuilders or 80 grams of fat every day for a male bodybuilder that weighs 175 pounds. 

Drink lots of water 

The vegan bodybuilding diet is high in grains, fruits, legumes, and vegetables, which means higher fibre intake. Too much fibre intake has certain side effects, such as abdominal pain, bloating, and excessive flatulence. 

Drinking enough water can keep you from these complications from a high fibre diet. It is recommended to drink 1 ml of water per calorie to start. For instance, if you are consuming a 2,000-calorie diet, you must drink 2000 ml of water. However, the required amount of water varies, especially when you are exercising. 

Education is important if you want to follow a vegan diet. Since the diet will keep you from eating some food groups, you may risk having nutrient deficiencies. Fortunately, with the rise of the vegan diet’s popularity, educational resources were created to lead you on the right path.