Do bodybuilders eat vegetables?
This question has some solid foundation as many prominent bodybuilders tend to rely on protein-rich animal byproducts to fuel their muscles.
In fact, when we talk about a bodybuilder’s meal plan, what mostly comes to mind are eggs and chicken. So, where are the veggies and fruits, and why do bodybuilders don’t eat vegetables?
I bet you never thought about this!
Not most of us give a damn about including enough veggies when non-vegetarian sources are already assisting in achieving physique goals.
To be honest, vegetables are mostly underrated in the world of fitness and bodybuilding. However, contrary to most beliefs, there are vegetables for bodybuilding goals too.
You might find it laughable at first, but there are vegetables that assist equally well in the bodybuilding process as meats.
Isn’t it intriguing? Well, if you find this interesting, you better stay till the end.
Do Bodybuilders Eat Vegetables?
Absolutely, Yes! And this is not to make you eat your greens.
Bodybuilders do eat vegetables; however, their way of including them in the diet may vary.
For instance, some like to eat a bowl of boiled veggies, while others are interested in making a green smoothie.
Moreover, some bodybuilders include all sorts of veggies alongside their non-vegetarian diet, and some like to completely rely on it as well.
Think about the vegan and vegetarian bodybuilders who are ruling the world without eating flesh.
There are green vegetables that are highly rich in certain nutrients and minerals that you may not find anywhere else. And mind you it is not just for body detoxification.
Are Vegetables Necessary for Bodybuilding?
I mean come on, we have some of the leading vegetarian and vegan bodybuilders who have carved a muscular physique only through vegetables, seeds, and nuts. (more about it later)
But yes, for building muscles on a vegetarian diet, you need to stick to a vegetarian meal plan for bodybuilders to attain maximum results faster.
In fact, there’s research that proves a vegan diet for bodybuilding is beneficial.
As per the reports published in the journal Nutrients, a study measures the impact of a diet enriched in fruits and vegetables on exercise endurance in the mouse model.
For this, they divided the mice into 3 groups. Group 1 received standard mouse chow for 20 weeks, group 2 received a modified version of chow along with a 2% powdered blend of fruits and vegetables, and group 3 received the same chow with a 3% powdered blend of fruits and vegetables.
Reports of the study suggest long-term feeding of these diets for 20 weeks amplified the skeletal muscle mitochondria and mitochondria function. This, as a result, enhanced the exercise endurance.
Notably, the mouse that consumed the powdered fruits and vegetables had 1.4 and 1.45 times larger muscles as compared to those in the control group.
Also, when forced to run to exhaustion, the mouse fed on fruits and vegetable powder ran for 1.7 and 1.8 times longer.
Clearly, vegetables are good for the muscle-building process. Apart from this, there are plenty of reasons for bodybuilders to eat vegetables.
Why Do Bodybuilders Eat Vegetables?
Notably, vegetables can be your trustworthy friend in the bodybuilding journey.
These low-calorie and high in antioxidants food choices can benefit your bodybuilding goals in multiple ways.
But if meats, eggs, and fish can assist in attaining the desired physique, then why do bodybuilders eat vegetables and fruits?
Here are 5 reasons that answer why are vegetables necessary for bodybuilding:
- Increase in athletic performance
- Fast cutting results
- Better digestion
- Additional nutrients and anti-estrogen effects
- Better BP control and heart health for those who lift weights
Here’s how all these benefits can be achievable with a balanced meal plan that also includes veggies.
#1. To Increase Athletic Performance
Vegetables rich in micro-nutrients can greatly affect athletic performance by providing essential vitamins and nutrients.
Eating the right vegetable alkalizes your body, reduces inflammation, improves endurance, beats fatigue, and stimulates recovery, resulting in better athletic ability.
For instance, eating sprouts like radish, broccoli, and alfalfa creates a more alkaline environment by neutralizing the free radicals. This results in improving the proper functioning of cells.
As per the reports of the study published in the Journal Nutrients, in comparison to omnivores’ counterparts, vegetarian endurance athlete’s cardiorespiratory was higher.
Adding to it, vegetarians in the study had higher VO2MAX as compared to their omnivore counterparts.
Therefore, bodybuilders eat vegetables to increase their athletic ability and endurance.
#2. To Enhance Cutting Results
Including vegetables helps bodybuilders in their cutting phase a lot.
Since cutting requires bodybuilders to restrict calorie consumption, there’s nothing better than including vegetables to do so.
Adding vegetables to the bodybuilding meal plan not only restricts calorie consumption but also increases satiety.
This way bodybuilders consume fewer calories but do not feel hungry more often. Moreover, vegetables have very little fat, which makes it easier to achieve a lean physique.
Adding to it, if you are consuming raw vegetables, it also assists in keeping the body hydrated during extreme workouts.
#3. To Improve Digestion
This is one of the major benefits of why bodybuilders like to eat vegetables. Most vegetables are rich in fiber, but sadly most bodybuilders take no notice of this nutrient.
Notably, fibers are indigestible carbohydrates with no calories. So, fibers in vegetables do assist in bulking by providing slow carbohydrates.
Moreover, there are two major benefits of adding fiber to the bodybuilding diet.
- Firstly, it allows for better absorption of amino acids by keeping the intestine clean. That is to say, it improves bowel movements and enhances the process of protein absorption.
- Secondly, slow release of carbohydrates maintains the blood sugar spike. This, as a result, prevents catabolism that affects muscle growth and muscle recovery.
Additionally, there are also some vegetarian options that are great sources of quick-release energy like dry fruits. Many vegan bodybuilders use dry fruits for muscle building as it serves as a good post-workout meal.
Furthermore, they also contain polyphenol antioxidants, which are known for improving the digestive system.
#4. To Get Additional Nutrients
Eating chicken, steak, and bison is all good, but do these non-vegetarian sources provide all the nutrients a bodybuilder needs?
Not really!
Vegetables are an extremely rich source of antioxidants and phytochemicals that boost the anti-estrogen effect of the body.
Plus, some vegetables are particularly high in polyphenols that help prevent muscle atrophy and maintain muscle build.
Adding to it, veggies have compound nutrients that assist in improving the absorption of vitamins and nutrients.
Many vegetables are delicious as well as full of lycopene, antioxidants, carotenoids, and sulfur that support metabolic activities and also improve immunity.
So, bodybuilders who additionally take numerous vitamin and mineral pills benefit more by simply adding vegetables to their diet.
#5. To Manage Blood Pressure
A lot of athletes have issues with high blood pressure, which has a damaging effect on heart health. This ends up being an impending danger for bodybuilders who lift heavy weights as they cannot afford to be careless with their heart health.
Bodybuilders who do eat vegetables have controlled blood pressure. The reason behind it is the high potassium content that keeps the blood pressure under control.
As per the reports of a study, consuming fruits and vegetables more than 400g per day protects against systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
On the contrary, as per a study published in the Journal of Hypertension, people with a larger intake of red meats were 29% and 39% more at risk of high blood pressure.
So, if you’ve been only relying on red meats for protein, remember that this study showed a positive link between red and processed meats and an increased risk of hypertension.
High blood pressure negatively affects cardiovascular health. Bodybuilders lifting weights and doing intense workouts can’t risk their heart health.
Therefore, bodybuilders include vegetables in their diet.
These are just some of the reasons why do bodybuilders eat vegetables. Nonetheless, most of the time bodybuilders only focus on one or two vegetables.
Although it is better than consuming nothing at all, there are vegetables for every bodybuilding goal.
What are the Best Vegetables for Bodybuilders? – 6 Veggies
Most bodybuilders focus on a high-protein diet, and therefore they prioritize non-vegetarian foods. However, bodybuilding is not only about bulking, there’s more to it.
A vegetarian diet provides the additional support that a bodybuilder’s body requires in the process of bodybuilding.
From muscle recovery to boosting muscle protein synthesis to improving bone health, there are different vegetables to target every aspect of the muscle-building process.
#1. Spinach for Nitrate
Remember how Popeye the sailor man used to get his muscles popped with an instant energy boost by consuming a can of spinach.
Well, that’s not only a cartoon thing, you know! Spinach works no less than magic for bodybuilders. It is rich in iron and calcium.
Additionally, spinach is also a rich source of arginine that stimulates the pituitary gland and encourages the secretion of Human Growth Hormone that improves the metabolism.
Moreover, spinach also contains a plant steroid called ecdysterone that helps with muscle and strength development.
Spinach is also loaded with nitrates, which eventually get converted into nitric oxide by the body. It is known for improving cardiac health and erectile dysfunction. But does nitric oxide build muscle?
Notably, higher nitrate levels in the body assist in calcium release which ultimately helps with muscle strength.
As per the reports of Sports Medicine, dietary nitrate supplementation can increase exercise tolerance and performance by converting the nitrate into nitric oxide.
These benefits make spinach one of the best vegetables for bodybuilding.
#2. Broccoli for Antioxidants
This green cruciferous vegetable is a common part of most vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian bodybuilder’s plates.
But why do bodybuilders eat broccoli?
Notably, broccoli is a rich source of antioxidants, and fiber, and is low in carbs. This assists in maintaining the proper absorption of amino acids by cleaning the intestine walls.
Its high antioxidant properties decrease inflammation.
It is shown in the study published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition that consuming 250g of broccoli per day can reduce inflammation in the body.
Additionally, broccoli is rich in vitamin C which improves immunity. Not only this, this green vegetable also includes active ingredients like quercetin that reduce inflammation and improve exercise performance.
Another active ingredient called Sulforaphane lowers the myostatin level which limits muscle growth.
#3. Sprouts for Protein
Another vegetable that you can find in most of the bodybuilder’s plate is sprouts. It’s one of the best high protein vegetables for bodybuilding without a doubt.
Sprouts are germinated seeds that have been soaked for hours and become small pants.
Notably, sprouts belong to the legume family and are among the leading sources of plant protein. A cup of sprouts contains 14 grams of protein and 7.6 grams of fiber per serving.
As per the reports published in the journal Critical Reviews Food Sciences and Nutrition, germination enhances nutrient quality and bioactive compounds thereby increasing the contents of protein, amino acids, and vitamins.
No wonder sprouts easily make it to the list of best vegetables for muscle growth.
While this is the major benefit of sprouts, those bodybuilders who do eat vegetables also include them to improve digestion and boost metabolism.
#4. Sweet Potato for Carbohydrates
Sweet potatoes also feature in many bodybuilder’s diets. It is a top source of carbohydrates and bodybuilders include it for increasing energy once they start hitting the gym.
Sweet potatoes are the best vegetables for bodybuilding cutting phase. It is low in calories, notably, one average-size sweet potato contains 112 calories only.
Therefore, bodybuilders in their cutting phase looking to include carbs in their diet consider sweet potatoes.
Also, sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index which helps sustain energy levels and also digest slowly. This makes it the part of pre-workout meal of the bodybuilders.
Sweet potatoes also contain potassium which has a major role to play in maintaining muscle recovery. Potassium is also important for electrolyte balance and nerve function.
An average adult needs 4700 milligrams of potassium daily and one large sweet potato serves around 654 milligrams of potassium.
#5. Seaweed for Omega 3
Seaweeds have recently gained popularity but they still don’t have an impactful impression yet in parts of the world other than Japan, China, and Korea.
But one can’t ignore the fact that seaweeds are the nutritional powerhouse. It includes fucoxanthin, and hesperetin, and is also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Including seaweeds will reduce delayed onset muscle soreness, improve performance because of DHA & EPA, and also prevent muscle loss due to aging.
Most importantly, it is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids for vegetarians and vegans.
Therefore, those bodybuilders who do eat vegetables and include seaweed don’t need to take fish oil supplements.
Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid that helps in burning fat, hesperetin is a flavonoid that builds muscles and improves bone health.
Seaweeds like Spirulina and Chrolrella are now gaining popularity and have become part of many health supplements. Spirullina contains a high source of amino acids which makes it a sensible source of a high protein diet for athletes.
Chlorella on the other hand induces Chlorella Growth Factor that cannot be found in any other dietary sources.
According to a study published in Nutrients, this seaweed supplementation is reported to exhibit antioxidant, antihypertensive, and immunomodulatory activities.
#6. Kale for Copper
Kale is also packed with nutrients and vitamins that are needed by bodybuilders. It contains fiber and copper and is also a rich source of vitamins A, C, K, potassium, and other phytochemicals.
Interestingly, kale has more protein per calorie as compared to beef cuffs. Therefore you can build and repair your muscles without risking the fat gain by including kale.
It also serves as one of the best post-workout recovery vegetables. Taking tips from most vegetarian bodybuilders, you can replace the tortilla chips with kale chips.
If you want to get nutritional bang for your buck, go for dark green kale. You can use it in the smoothie or simply add it to your burger.
It contains carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin that has anti-inflammatory properties and also boost the immune system.
Considering how rich these vegetables are, there is no questioning why do bodybuilders eat vegetables.
But remember that eating vegan food does mean you can hop on veg burgers and deep-fried snacks as they are not nutritious at all and also come under the category of foods to avoid when building muscle.
One can build and even maintain an impressive physique just by relying on a healthy home-cooked vegetarian diet.
In fact, some vegetarian bodybuilders have achieved the same muscular body as those on the omnivore diet.
We have listed some of the vegan and vegetarian bodybuilders to show you how it’s done.
Bodybuilders Who Rely on Vegetables
Veganism is not a new trend. People also have chosen a vegetarian diet and this includes even bodybuilders.
Despite having numerous benefits of a vegetarian diet, people still doubt its impact on athleticism and muscle building.
On the contrary, some bodybuilders which include both males and females have set records by staying vegetarian.
#1. Roy Hilligenn (1922-2008): Born in California and grew up in a South African orphanage, Hilligenn has been a vegetarian all his life. He has been Mr. South Africa 3 times and also won Mr. America in 2015. He again won Mr. South Africa for the fourth time in 1976 at 53.
#2. Julia Hubbard: She was a vegetarian since the age of 15 and later adopted veganism at the age of 39. Julia took up bodybuilding and sprinting in her 30s. She has competed in more than 60 figure and bikini contests, mostly in drug-free federations, and won 19 pro titles, four world titles, and 6 British titles.
#3. Dalip Singh: The 7-foot and 3-inch tall wrestler who weighs 435 pounds is a vegetarian. Popularly known as Great Khali, Dalip is a professional wrestler, powerlifter, and actor. Interestingly, though being a vegetarian is not uncommon in India, it is quite hard to believe that someone with such body dimensions can maintain it on a vegetarian diet.
These were just a few names of some of the famous bodybuilders who relied on vegetables and still achieved a lot in their lives.
Including vegetables has more than just acting as a detoxifying agent and we just witnessed it through this blog.
Eat Your Greens
If your bodybuilding journey isn’t delivering the expected results, try modifying your diet by adding some greens which are considered as muscle growth superfoods.
While a lot of bodybuilders do eat vegetables, some still don’t consider it a valuable addition to their bodybuilding diet.
However, this doesn’t alter the benefits people derive from a green diet. From proteins to carbs to potassium, green vegetables provide enough of every vitamin and mineral that a bodybuilder needs.
In fact, some of the active ingredients are only present in vegetables and that is why some bodybuilders always include at least 1-2 servings of veggies in their diet.
So, it’s time to incorporate more greens into your diet.
Moving on, let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions related to vegetables and bodybuilding.
FAQs
The following queries are most common among bodybuilders who heavily rely on aminal products to build muscle and would like to cut back on their consumption.
Moreover, the latest research into veggies and their nutritional power has encouraged many bodybuilders to investigate if they might really be eating more chicken and beef than required.
#1. Can I build muscle only with vegetables?
Though you can build muscles with vegetables, retaining them for longer can be a tough task only on a vegetarian diet.
If you are focusing on building a muscular body, your body will need animal protein to recover well.
#2. Why do bodybuilders don’t eat vegetables?
Some pro-bodybuilders don’t eat vegetables because it doesn’t have enough calories and does not add much to the bulking process.
Adding to it, some vegetables might cause bloating and allergies. Therefore, some of the bodybuilders avoid eating vegetables.
#3. Which vegetable has more protein than meat?
Lentils and soybeans have more protein than meat. You can also include broccoli which has more protein than steak.
#4. Can you get enough protein from vegetables?
Yes, one can get enough protein from vegetables. However, they need to choose the right veggies like edamame, chickpeas, soybeans, and spinach.
#5. What cooked vegetable has the most protein?
Cooked lentils and edamame have the most proteins. One cup of cooked lentils contains 17 grams of protein whereas, edamame contains 18.46 grams per cup.
#6. Is It good to Take vegetables before bed for bodybuilding?
Yes, you can eat some of the bodybuilding vegetables like sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, and broccoli before bed. These foods will improve muscle recovery and growth and the fiber in it will keep you full for longer.
Bodybuilding goals can be achieved if you want to stay vegetarian! However, it makes little sense to completely cut non-veg foods from your diet and go cold turkey.
Instead, what you can do is start including more veggies into your diet each day and try balancing the intake with your usual meals.
So, what vegetables are you going to cook for your bodybuilding meal plan? We say start with spinach, broccoli, or sprouts, and add in some mushrooms for an added burst of flavor.