Weight Training for Vegetarians?

Question

I'm looking to gain a little muscle, but I'm a vegetarian. I heard (in?)correctly that I need to double my daily intake of protein from 60g a day to 120g a day in order to gain muscle mass from resistance exercises, but I think this number might be exaggerated. If it is not, what are some concentrated, inexpensive sources of protein I could use?

Answer 1

I am a vegetarian and I have been trying to build some muscle. You do not need 120g of protein, but you do need more protein, 60g should be more than enough. In addition to your regular food, take protein shakes which can give you 20-25g per serving. Go for Whey protein which is the best. Make sure to include many natural sources of protein in your diet - Beans, Milk products etc. Just remember, if you are not getting enough protein, your sleep needs will increase. Whenever you feel that you need more sleep than what you are normally used to getting, then it is time to increase your intake of protein. This is my thumb rule for figuring out how much protein I need. Best of Luck!

Answer 2

Dude everybody knows that if you are weight training regardless if your a vegetarian or not is 1 gram of protein for each pound you weigh. For example of you weigh 180 pounds then you take in 180 grams of protein a day. It seems like a lot, but it is easily attained. One thing you will need is some protein powder. The one I use has 25 grams of protein per scope. If you have two shakes one before workout and one after that's already 50 grams of protein. Drink milk that's another 10, have a protein bar that's 10-30 grams of protein depending on the bar. It might sound hard, but its really not.

Answer 3

I weight train also and I am Vegan.
Good sources of protein for meals
are organic lentils, organic split peas,
quinoa, amaranth, spelt, wheat berries,
boca and other veggie burgers, 1/4 cup
of nuts a day, sprinkling pumpkin and
sesame seeds on meals, broccoli,
mushrooms, spinach, chard, beans
etc.

Amy's, Simply Asia, Moosewood,
and Dr. Sears Zone are brands of
convenience meals in grocery stores
that carry quick high protein meals
that you add the above items Listed
to in order to get a high protein meal.

Also the company's Cliff and Luna
make Vegan power bars that average
10 to 20 grams of protein.

Naturade makes a vegan protein
powder one form that includes soy
and one that excludes it.
Also Nutribiotic makes a vegan
protein powder made entirely from
brown rice. You can find these at
whole foods or online.

You doo need to get 1 gram of
protein per your current weight.
Hope this helps
Rock on.

Answer 4

A good rule is 1.5g of protein for every pound of body weight when seriously weight training. So that number is probably to low. I'm a Vegan who is weight training right now. Get a Soy protein powder, it's just as good as the other stuff, and it has no animal products.

Check out this website: veganbodybuilding.com

Good luck!

Answer 5

o my gosh... 120 g.. is WAAAY too much...even for a meat eater

well things you can get protein by:
-boca burgers (delicious :)
-protein bars (Balance, Pria..etc)
-Ensure
-nuts, peanut butter
-grains,rice..

hope that helped :)

Answer 6

How much protein you need, and what are the best forms,
can and do cause heated debates. I have received some
emails from those concerned whether they were getting
enough protein on the plan. If you follow the basics
and eat a big raw salad before your lunch and dinner
like I suggest, you will see from the info below that
you are in fact getting plenty of good protein as well
as an abundance of living enzymes that support every
function of the body.

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Whether you choose to eat animal products or not, that
is your choice. But how much protein do you really need?
And are animal products the only way to get the protein
that is so vital to our health?

Do you need to eat meat for breakfast lunch and dinner or
include some at every meal like the high protein diets suggest?

Many say meat is the way to go because it was man's first
food. Well, I guess it will depend on which book you are reading
to find out about the history of man.

Finding out how much protein you need will also depend
on who you are listening to at the moment and their thoughts
on the consumption of animal products. Eating meat and eating
as much as you want is really the "in" thing right now. But I need
you to know that I get emails all the time from people who say
the high protein diet worked for them in the past, but for some
reason, it stopped working and they can no longer lose weight
following it. It is partly to do with all the muscle meats
suppressing thyroid function which will slow or cease weight loss.

According to Dr. M. Ted Morter, Jr., of Your Health--Your
Choice, 'the problem with protein is excess'. "Following the
premise, if a little protein is good, a lot is better can
lead you down the garden path to disease."

Dr. Morter suggests keeping your daily animal protein
intake under 47 grams per day (that is less than 2 ounces!)
and keep protein pig-outs limited to rare special occasions.

He believes that you can maintain glowing health on a
daily protein intake of the amount that is in two eggs.

You would be surprised to know that you probably eat more
protein than you think.

Protein is found in many foods besides animal products.
For example, one slice of cheese pizza has 6 grams of
protein and 1 cup of potatoes has 7 grams of protein,
yet most people wouldn't even think they were getting
protein at all from potatoes.

In keeping with Dr. Morter's suggestion of 47 grams of
protein a day, he also says to make sure and include protein
from foods other than animal products. He states, "Even without meat,
a variety of typical American foods will give you at least enough protein."

No authorities completely agree on how much protein we
actually need. Here are more suggestions on protein
amounts from various organizations:

1. Reports from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
estimate that we need 2 1/2 percent of our daily calories
from protein.

2. The World Health Organization sets protein requirements
at 4 1/2 percent of caloric intake per day for both men
and women.

3. The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy
of Sciences gives a range of 4 1/2 to 6 percent as the
range for the needs of protein for 98 percent of the US
population.

4. The National Research Council cites a figure of 8 percent
of our daily calories needing to be coming from protein.

Beef cattle, deer, elk, bison, etc., all animals with ample
and massive muscle, don't have any problem gaining their
protein (and calcium) from plants. Granted, they have a
different digestion process than we do, but Living Well does
not promote the consumption of grass or grazing on it all day.
People that eat a diet high in raw leafy green vegetables, a wide
assortment of all other kinds of vegetables, beans, seeds, and
whole grains, will not be lacking in protein.

I have always gone by feel when it comes to eating animal
protein myself. Some days I just feel I need a few eggs so I
eat them. Going by "feel" when deciding to include small amounts
of cheese, meat, eggs, etc. is fine to do.

Listen to your body. When you do think of eating animal
products it will be healthier to eat them sparingly.

Consider this. The most we ever grow is from when we are
born to age six months. During that time we double our birth weight.

You would think that a little person who is doubling in size
would need more protein than anyone. But breast milk, the perfect
food for the baby with just the right amount of protein,
carbohydrates, fats, and enzymes is only about 5-8 percent protein
(the number varies depending on the source). So a child that
has maximum protein needs gets enough when less than
10 percent of his daily caloric intake is protein.

The importance of protein cannot be denied as we need it to
stay alive, to build tissue and more, but know protein is
available to you from many living foods as well as animal
products.

Nature does provide, so if you have decided to switch to
an eating plan that reduces animal products, know that you
can get a good amount of protein from plants too. It is
important that you combine these plant foods in such a way
to maximize protein.

Protein is important. Without sufficient protein, your
metabolic rate becomes extremely low. You are shooting for
quality in protein though, not quantity. You don't need to
bombard your body with excessive amounts of animal protein to lose weight.

You can definitely get protein from animal sources, but eating
animal products in moderation will encourage good health,
keep from clogging your body and help you to feel light and
energetic. And hypothyroids, remember that muscle meats
actually suppress thyroid function, so go easy on that kind
of protein. Choose other sources suited for your condition.



Here are protein percentages in some plant foods:
spinach--49% protein
broccoli--45% protein
lettuce--34% protein
cauliflower--40% protein
kale--45% protein
zucchini--28% protein
cabbage--22% protein
Chinese cabbage--34%
Mung beansprouts--43%
bamboo shoots--39% protein
wheat germ--31% protein
strawberries, oranges, cherries, apricots, watermelon,
and grapes--8% protein
lemons--16% protein
honeydew melon--10%
navy beans--26% protein
mushrooms--38% protein
pumpkin seeds--21% protein
soybean sprouts--54% protein
oats--15% protein
brown rice--8% protein
whole wheat--17% protein
walnuts--13% protein
pecans--5% protein
filberts--8% protein
potatoes--I don't have the exact percentage but the
amount of protein in potatoes is similar to the
amount in cow's milk

Source: Nutritive Value of American Foods in Common
Units, USDA Handbook No. 456

From the list above you can see how eating a big salad
full of different kinds of vegetables can provide the
body with protein. And you can also see from that list
that grains and nuts have less protein than greens. Many
vegetarians who are overweight and protein deficient
get that way because they eat mostly processed grains
very little protein rich vegetables. Someone eating
vegetarian or vegan must eat more vegetables than grains
and nuts to get a good amount of protein into their body.
As far as plants go, sprouts will be highest in protein and
since they contain all eight essential amino acids, they are
a complete protein.

Speaking of sprouts, you need to be including them in
your Living Well plan. Not only are they high in protein,
but they are packed full of vitamins, minerals and enzymes.
If you grow your own, they will be organic. Any of the sprouts
you buy in the store are sprayed. It is a law that they have
to be sprayed with some sort of chemical because of the
problem with e-coli and sprouts a while back. I heard
this info from my local grocer.

There is a place with a goldmine of information (cheap $9.95),
for homemade do-it-yourself sprouters and readymade
sprouters (that beat the commercial units), resources
for bulk organic grains, etc. Check out the following
link for more info:
http://www.eatsprouts.com/order.html.

Note: This is the place to get the best build-it-yourself
sprouter info, but I do not agree with all the philosophies
on this site. It is a lot of Ann Wigmore info.

Sprouts are very economical too (once you get the
sprouter paid for). So if your budget is limited and you
can't afford a lot of organic produce, sprouts are your
answer to greater health, healing and a useable source
of complete protein for the body.

I want to point out that my intent with this article is not
to promote vegetarianism, or make you feel like you should
not be eating animal products. Hey, I eat animal products
myself. But you need to know you don't have to eat massive
amounts of protein to lose weight, maintain tissue, metabolism, etc.
You do need protein and animal protein is fine to eat,
but as with anything, moderation is key and it should
never be the bulk of your meal. The rainbow on your
plate should always dominate.

This article was written by Victoria
Creator of the Living Well Plan