Bodybuilding Diet For Vegetarians

Some athletes, including bodybuilders, choose to follow a vegetarian diet, a diet that does not contain meat, poultry or seafood. Although it takes careful planning, according to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarian diets can be appropriate for all individuals—including athletes. When following a vegetarian bodybuilding diet, it’s important to ensure all essential nutrient requirements are being met.

Types of Vegetarians

There are different types of vegetarian diets that athletes can follow. A vegan diet is the least liberal type of vegetarianism and only includes foods that originate from plant sources. Vegan diets exclude any type of animal food product, including meats, dairy products and eggs. Lacto-vegetarian diets include plant foods and dairy products only. Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets consist of plant foods, dairy products and eggs only. A semi-vegetarian diet eliminates red meat but might include chicken or fish.

Important Nutrients

Vegetarians should consume adequate amount of nutrients that could be lacking in a vegetarian diet, which might mean taking vitamin supplements or choosing foods that are fortified with vitamins and minerals. According to the American Dietetic Association, important nutrients for vegetarians to consume include protein, iron, vitamin B12, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids because these nutrients are found in animal food sources.

Protein

Protein requirements are slightly higher for athletes, but they can be met by following a vegetarian diet. Vegetarian sources of complete proteins— or proteins that contain all essential amino acids—include milk, eggs and soy, according to Medline Plus. Other sources of plant proteins include legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Incomplete proteins can be paired with other incomplete or complete proteins to obtain all essential amino acids. Examples include bread and peanut butter, cereal and milk, or rice and beans. Bodybuilders who do not consume animal protein should increase their protein by 10 percent, according to Christine Rosenbloom in her book "Sports Nutrition."

Training Phases

There are four training phases in bodybuilding, according to Rosenbloom: maintenance, muscle-building, tapering and cutting. The maintenance phase is typically practiced during the offseason, and the goal is to maintain body composition. During the muscle-building phase, the goal is to build lean muscle while minimizing fat gain. Twelve weeks out from competition, the tapering phase begins with a goal of slightly building muscle mass and burning fat by increasing cardiovascular exercise and cutting calories. During the cutting phase, the bodybuilder attempts to burn any excess fat by cutting calories further and continuing intense training.

Calorie Requirements

In Rosenbloom’s book, she lists calorie requirements for male and female bodybuilders. During the maintenance phase of training, men require approximately 20 calories per pound of body weight per day, and women require about 18 calories per pound. The muscle-building phase requires approximately 23 to 27 calories per pound for men and 20 calories per pound for women. Calorie requirements are significantly reduced for tapering and cutting phases.

Macronutrient Requirements

Protein, carbohydrate and fat requirements for bodybuilders will vary depending on the phase they are in. According to Rosenbloom, macronutrient requirements during the muscle-building phase are approximately 0.64 g of protein per pound of body weight, 4.1 g carbohydrate per pound and the remaining daily calories from fat. Protein requirements increase during the tapering and cutting phases while carbohydrate requirements decrease.