I’m a powerlifter transitioning to Olympic-style lifting and still trying to get stronger while honing my technique in the snatch and C&J. I’m also planning to move to a vegetarian (not vegan) diet for ethical reasons. Can anyone recommend resources for serious lifters who are vegetarians? Obviously the biggest challenge is getting complete proteins (though non-vegan vegetarians can still eat eggs and dairy).
Thanks in advance.
I think it’s pretty obvious you’ll be eating a ton of eggs and drinking lots of milk. Nuts and legumes just don’t cut it. Also depends on the type of eating you do and if your afraid to gain fat or not. White rice and pasta will fuel muscle growth just fine, but may gain fat too.
Don’t forget creatine. Supplementing this for MOST is like a minor benefit… but for vegans/vegetarians? It’s essential - y’all ARE deficient in creatine.
Creatine monohydrate.
Many vegetarians have a B12 deficiency.
@nealdog - no issue with supplementing milk proteins (whey/ casein), right? That seems like it would close that gap.
@QuadQueen for potential micronutrient concerns
Along with eggs, remember egg whites. Fat free protein. Also greek yogurt/skyr and cottage cheese. At that point, honestly, protein won’t be an issue, and with whole eggs and grassfed dairy you have some great fat sources, but can also lean on avocados, nuts and nut butters.
Brother it is easier than you think.
Did it for years and recently switched back again.
Everyone talks in absolutes about ‘deficiencies’ and ‘incomplete proteins’ etc but if you eat a lot of whole foods you will cover your nutritional bases.
Get a blood test, see if you’re lacking anything and supplement accordingly.
As long as you’re not trying to be body-builder lean I’ve found I can still stay beach lean with a high carb, moderate protein, low fat split.
My strategy for meals is to get as much whole produce on my plate with vegetables, rice, beans, nuts etc and then if I need additional supplements to hit macros then have at it.
You can check my log if you want to see my training/physique or whatever but I’m able to sustain my muscle mass and performance with no more than 120g protein a day (for reasons specific to me, but it’s definitely reassured me that while 2g protein/lb might be ideal, it’s certainly not make or break)
Out of curiosity, what ethical reasons? I mean is the dairy industry any better or the way eggs are produced?
my primitive understanding is that vegetarian semi-sucks (not as bad as vegan). are you going to eat 75 eggs a day?
why not buy your own cow or talk to a friendly local farmer who doesn’t abuse animals
That’s how you live day in/ day out, though, with no issue. I think it’s very reasonable to assume you could get stage lean with your approach (just reducing the calories as necessary).
And your “beach lean” raises the bar to a point that fills me with a righteous rage whilst simultaneously driving me to thank various deities that your beach is, in fact, on the other side of the globe.
You require 375-525 grams of protein and fat a day to reach your goals?
Gaston only needed 5 dozen eggs…although I suppose that WAS only for breakfast…
EDIT: Going down this rabbit hole, assuming the small side of the equation (5g of fat and 5g of protein per egg), that’s 4,875 calories a day.
Honestly, those sounds like fantastic numbers for getting huge, but probably unecessary.
Suspect jaw though…I’m not buying natty
That’s a separate conversation, but I think you get the idea, that is, concern about the welfare of animals. As far as whether the dairy industry is any better, that’s an interesting question that perhaps I need to ponder. I do think some egg producers are doing a pretty decent job of at least not making life a living hell for their hens.
Btw, not trying to be preachy or judgmental at all here. I’ve been a carnivore my entire life. I get the arguments pro and con. I’ve just decided this is the way I need to go, and I want to make sure I cover my bases nutritionally as a weightlifter as I make the change.
Thanks to all who’ve responded.
So, there are a few nutrients that are tougher to get when you cut out meat. They are iron, zinc, Vitamin B12, Calcium, and Vitamin D.
If you’re still doing a good amount of dairy, the calcium and vitamin D pieces become less of an issue. There are small amounts of B12 in dairy and eggs too, but not anything substantial. There’s some zinc and iron in beans, nuts and dairy too.
The bioavailability of some of these nutrients (especially the iron), is much lower in plant-based sources than in animal sources.
My recommendations would be:
- Shoot for 3 servings of diary each day (protein powders DO NOT count here).
- Get your carbs from legumes/beans and/or sweet potatoes. You could also look at fortified whole grain breads/cereals, but that’s a slippery slope…
- Find a solid multivitamin or at the very least a Vitamin B complex and Vitamin D3 supplement.
- Make sure you’re getting enough high quality protein (whey, eggs, dairy are the best choices in terms of bioavailability)
- If you find that you aren’t recovering and/or performing well, address it right away to avoid digging a hole you can’t get out of.
I hope this helps!
@nealdog
As a quick search shows there are lots of veggie and vegan sports men and women including bodybuilders I would say if you eat a normal healthy diet you wont have any issue regarding protein, especially the whole second class protein thing (the liver stores amino acids for a couple of days and releases as needed).
The thing I have seen mentioned is when cutting out animal protein you may also cut out a lot of the fats you’d normally eat, this can leave you hungry and and possibly thinking you are protein deficient.
I found useful a vegan dietitians site, it has studies from all groups as vegan sources may be limited.
Would quinoa be a good choice here too? I’ve been encouraging my wife, who is mostly veg, to eat more of this since it seems rich in micronutrients.
Yep, not a bad choice for a grain!