Here are some Vegetarian foods as best alternatives to Meat for bodybuilding and maintaining good physics and Health.
Many people think building a muscular body on a vegetarian diet is impossible; which is not correct at all. To believe in that fact you do not need to trust me, just search for the vegan bodybuilders or the vegan sports persons on Google. You may not know that many of the professional wrestlers, mixed martial artists even some the famous fitness models also do depend on their vegetarian diet. Of course, there is a couple of misconception out there among the vegan about the nutrition, which leads to failure at the gym for vegetarian peoples.
In this article, we are about to discuss the perfect vegan food for a healthy body and muscular shape. We will be talking about meat alternative foods for vegetarian people for both fats losing and fat & muscle gaining purposes.
Even if you are not a vegetarian at all, this kind of foods are given below may be proved to be beneficiary for you. Moreover, adding some greens, vegetables and plants are not gonna harm our body but it is going to boost the immune system and digestion system.
The important thing one intake or eat Meat/Non-vegetarian is for Protein which is important building for Muscles.
Protein is one of the most important nutritional particles for anyone. No matter you are a sports person, or a gym enthusiast or a normal office employee. Protein is the thing which keeps your body going just like water. Protein is the second most plentiful substance in the body just after water, totalling almost one-fifth of a person’s body weight.
- According to a study of 2017 on Meta-Analysis by US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, it was found that the average need for Protein is between 1.6-2.2 gm/kg/day for anyone on a resistance training for muscle gaining. That means a person with 75 kg of weight is going to need around 120gm to 165gm of Protein per day for a good muscle build-up.
- To fulfil the need for an adequate amount of Protein you can have all these foods below.
Vegetarian alternatives to meat for an adequate amount of protein intake for a normal person…
Vegetarian Alternatives to Meat for Protein
Tempeh
Tempeh is a soybean product originated from Indonesia, which is very high in Protein as (19g/100g), also very rich in fibre. It is one of the most important substance if you want to build up the muscular body. Tempeh is a fermented food which consists beneficiary bacteria within it. It also contains Iron, Potassium, B12, Calcium etc. As Tempeh is made from cracked-cooked soybean and also a fermented food so it is easy to digest food for all kind of people irrespective of age.
Tofu
We all know that Tofu is made from Soybean Milk, so it is also known as bean curd. Along with Soybean milk, Tofu contains Water, Nigari (Mineral-rich liquid which from seawater, which remains after extracting the salt from it), which makes it a food not only good with Protein but also a good food with most of the sea minerals within it like sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, potassium chloride, magnesium bromide etc. There are plenty of Tofu recipes you can learn from YouTube as Tofu is a popular food worldwide because of its spongy ability which soaks any kind of flavour added to it.
Lentils (Dahl)
As there are various kinds of Lentils available in the market, you should know most of them contains around 9gm -10gm/100gm proteins within. While cooking Lentil soup you can add numerous amount of vegetables in it to increase the nutritional value of the soup, as adding various vegetables will increase the amount of calorie, vitamins, iron, calcium and many other vital minerals in it.
Nuts
There are many kinds of nuts you will find in the store, but almost all of them contains a good amount of protein. The normal ground nuts contain around 8gm/100gm protein within it. While the Cashew Nuts contain around 18gm Protein and the Hazel Nuts contain around 15gm Protein. Even the Peanuts has a high amount of Protein but Peanuts also contain the highest amount of Fat within it, so if you should consider your height-weight ratio before consuming peanuts regularly. Almond is the nut with the highest amount of fibre along with the good amount of Protein.
Oher Good Vegetarian food source for Protein.
- Hemp-seed
- Green Peas
- Chick Peas
- Cotton Cheese (Paneer)
- Mushrooms
- Soybean
- Seitan (Huge amount of Protein in this food)
- Teff (One kind of a fine grain)
- Oats (As processed or cooked)
- Milk (As breakfast only)
- Banana
Veg Carbohydrate (Carbs) as Meat alternatives
Meat Alternative foods with a good amount of Healthy Carbs…
Carbs are a must be in any Vegan’s diet, otherwise not only your body won’t get enough fats but also you will feel starting tired after a small intense workout. As you can say Protein gives you energy but Carbs store the energy within to use it when needed, so if you are having enough Protein but not carbs then all the Protein is going to be lost in the vain.
Though you should remember that excessive amount of Carbs can make person fat. So, consider the type and the number of Carbs according to your Height-Weight proportion, age and exercise type of yours. That is why one should avoid the most common and cheap source of crabs which are White Rice and Potatoes.
- Carbs are also good for people with low blood sugar as carbs help to contain the blood sugar a little high. So, people with high blood sugar should control the amount of carbs consumption.
- Remember consumption of Complex carbs or so-called saturated Carbs is the best thing, which does not grow much fat within the body as well it does not make the blood sugar fluctuate.
- Best meat alternatives food for saturated carbs are mentioned below:
- Brown Rice
- Black Rice
- Sweat Potatoes
- Quinoa (It also contains a high amount of Protein)
- Dahlia
- Lentils
- Oats
- Wheat bread (As processed or cooked)
- Pasta (As processed or cooked)
- Spaghetti (As processed or cooked)
- Wheat Gram (As processed or cooked)
- Foods to avoid as carbs source:
- White Rice
- Potatoes
- Green Peas
Meat Alternatives in Veg for Fats
One more important food substance, but to be consumed in a very controlled amount. Though nature contains lots of food choices with fats within them, one should consider the amount of intake, and whether it is healthy fat or unhealthy fat in case he or she wants to keep a fit and muscular physique.
- Unsaturated fat is considered as a healthy fat as it fulfils the need for fat in a body also does not contribute much in making body fatty.
- Fat is important to a body as it helps the body to absorb some vitamins and minerals and also fights inflammation and helps in building cell membranes, so you just can’t stay without fat in your diet.
- Here are some good meat alternatives for healthy fats:
- Avocado
- Capsicum
- Almonds
- Brazil Nuts
- Walnuts
- Cashew Nuts
- Coconut
- Flax Seeds
- Chia Seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Jack fruit Seeds
- Almond Butter
- Peanut Butter
- Clarified Butter (Indian Ghee)
- Soybean oil
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
Amino Acids
The most important food substance if you want to have a muscular body. Here are some meat alternatives to get Amino acids…
In medical language the Amino Acid is often considered as the building blocks of protein, so without the Amino Acids there is no way around you end up with a muscular body.
- There are 21 types of Amino Acids in nature in total, among 12 are synthesized by the body and also consumed from food. But the other 9 types of Amino Acids are called “Essential Amino Acids” as they only can be consumed through natural foods.
- An Amino Acid called Leucine is directly related to the Protein synthesis in our body as the amount of Leucine reduces in the body the Protein synthesis also reduces.
- Lysine helps in building the muscles; Histidine is important for boosting up the cell growth and tissue repair; Threonine strengthens teeth and skin; Methionine enhances body flexibility and builds up good hair; Valine helps in building good mental focus, muscle coordination, hand-eye coordination etc.
- While a Vegan is about to consume plant-based Proteins only. Thus, one should deem that the quality of the Veg-Protein and Non-Veg-Protein are not the same. As Plant-based Protein is less bio-available, and most of the plant-based Protein sources also lack the Essential Amino Acids.
- However, here are the Veg foods with Essential Amino Acids:
- Black Beans
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Soybean
- Mushrooms
- Cotton Cheese
- Cottage Cheese
- Peanuts
- Broccoli
- Cali-flower
- Cabbage
- Wheat Germ
- Milk (Cow, Goat, Buffalo)
- Also there some Protein Supplements available with all the Essential Amino Acids within them, but before considering of those consult a physician or dietitian to avoid negative side-effects.
Wrapping up
As the main motto of this Vegetarian food as alternatives for meat article is discussing the good diet for vegans to maintain a good physique so you should consider a good meal plan also along with the diet for the best result. As any nutritionist, dietitian and general physician would recommend you to Eat a little in every meal but also to have many meals around the whole day. So never eat to full the stomach of yours, but eat with a regular interval and try to have 5-6 meals at least, starting with a heavy breakfast and ending with a very light supper at the night. A good meal plan with a good diet plan is very good for anyone at any age even he/she is not interested in bodybuilding or physique.
So, if you are a vegetarian, do not worry at all and follow a diet plan with the above said foods, with a good repetitive meal plan and add some resistance training (push up, pull up, sit up, crunches, planking etc.) and cardio training (swimming, running, burpees, skipping etc.) and you will build up the desired body without going to a gym or without any professional trainer.
Other Alternatives: