The key to proper nutrition when building lean muscle and dropping body fat is clean eating and having a proper intake of protein, fats and carbs specific to the goals you wanna reach.
Let’s look into what the essentials are for a balanced vegan diet – ensuring the best nutrition, and balancing out our macronutrients the same way we would balance a diet that would include meat.
Here’s a list of the best fats, proteins and carbs to include with an active vegan lifestyle, making sure you include a variety of foods into your diet every day and getting at least
1g of protein pound of body weight.
Protein
Soybeans
Lentils
Beans
Chickpeas
Tofu
Tempeh
Peas
Fats
Avocado
Flax Seeds
Chia Seeds
Walnuts
Pumpkin Seeds
Hemp Seeds
Coconut Oil
Sesame
Carbohydrates
Quinoa
Spelt
Oats
Potatoes
Brown Rice
Squash
Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, kale, asparagus, beets, carrots and tomatoes.
Fruits like banana, strawberries, oranges, pineapple, grapefruit and apples.
Recommended is a list of nutrients you may need to supplement if you’re following a vegan diet:Vitamin B12
Vitamin D
Omega-3
Iodine
Iron
Calcium
Zinc
Keep your hard-earned muscle by eating enough calories, and ensuring you’re getting enough variety of good quality protein. A mix of good quality protein will provide all essential amino acids our bodies needs for muscle growth, repair and feeling your best.
During workouts, whether its weight training or cardio, we recommend taking BCAA’S. Mix a serving with 3 cups of water and sip before training, during training and after. BCAA’S will help fuel your body by:
Reducing muscle and protein breakdown, helps with better muscle recovery, and fights fatigue during your workout so you can run that extra mile, or push those extra reps.
Check out this meal plan we’ve created for a vegan athlete:
Meal 1
Oatmeal with protein powder, almond milk, chia seeds, and strawberries
Workout
A serving of BCAA’s with water and electrolytes
Snack
Whole Wheat toast with peanut butter and banana and a protein shake
Meal 2
Salad with quinoa, spinach, chickpeas, peas, beets, and pumpkin seeds, and walnuts
Snack
Celery and Hummus
Meal 3
Tofu Burger with portobello mushroom, sweet potatoes, avocado and broccoli
Snack
Dark chocolate and Dates
Whether you’re goal is to lose body fat or build muscle we create meals plans specific to those goals, email us at info@luxfit.ca to figure out what how many macronutrients you should be eating daily to hit those goals.