Following a vegan diet can be tricky at times, especially a vegan bodybuilding diet. Trust me.
Luckily for you, we have all the information to make sure you have a solid basis for jumpstarting your vegan diet and working your way up through each level of veganism.
In this post, we’ve boiled this entire process down to three steps. Each step serves to help you reach the optimal macro nutritional targets. Thus,it brings you closer to your vegan bodybuilding goals. So, pull out your reading glasses and let's get cracking!
How to Create One in 3 Simple Steps
A meal plan is essential to building muscle, especially when bulking and cutting as a vegan bodybuilder. We talk more about this in this Vegan Bodybuilding guide.
Here's what you need to get right in order to design a highly effective vegan bodybuilding diet plan:
- Figure out your calories.
- Figure out your macros.
- Figure out what to eat.
This doesn't seem to be too hard if there are only three steps involved, right? Well, yes and no.
People usually fall prey to various vegan diet misconceptions, such as:
- Underestimating calorie intake needs
- You're eating way too little fat (which can be detrimental to your health)
- Not enough vegan protein sources to optimize muscle growth and repair
- Not nourishing their body with all the vital micronutrients, and so on.
Especially number three on the list above seem to trip people up, especially vegan diet beginners.
Without enough protein (which you would otherwise get from traditional bodybuilding staples such as chicken breast and ground beef), it can be a bit challenging to find adequate plant protein sources to balance your macronutrient and calorie intake.
Step 1. Figure Out Your Calories
Your body simply doesn't care what labels mainstream media or vegan diet 'gurus' have chosen to put on different foods.
Your body only cares about the amount of energy you consume, and the simple science behind weight gain and loss boils down to one thing:
Calories in and calories out. Here's how it works:
- Consistently over-eat calories - more than your body burns per day, and over time you will store this excess energy as body fat
- Consistently under-eat calories - fewer than your body burns per day, and over time you will burn body fat to make up for this energy imbalance
We know this to be true from countless case studies of people employing CICO to get in shape. Moreover, scientific consensus and the laws of thermodynamics also agree that the most effective way to lose those extra pounds is to eat fewer calories than you burn on a regular basis (1).
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Naturally, this will be the first thing to figure out for your vegan bodybuilding meal plan. In order to determine what your energy intake should be, use our total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) calculator below and input your own data.
For men - If your body fat is at ~15% or above you should start by cutting down (fat loss), until you're at ~10%. At this point begin a bulking phase (muscle building) until you hit a body fat of around ~15% again. Start over the process by cutting. Rinse and repeat.
For women - The same rules apply only with different numbers. From wherever you're starting, cut down (fat loss) until you're at about ~19% body fat. At this point begin bulking (muscle building) until you hit a body fat of approximately 27%. Rinse and repeat.
Now take your TDEE and increase or reduce this number depending on what your body composition goal is:
For muscle growth and gaining strength (bulking) increase your TDEE by 10%. For losing fat while keeping your muscle (cutting) reduce your TDEE by 20%.
Say for instance an 80 kg, or 176 pounds, vegan lifter plugs in his or her stats into the TDEE calculator which estimates the maintenance calories to be 2800 calories.
For bulking, the calories would be set at 2800 * 1.10 = 3080 kcal. For cutting, the calories would be set at 2800 * 0.80 = 2240 kcal.
Step 2. Figure Out Your Macros
The three macronutrients; proteins, fats and carbohydrates form the big nutrient groups that contribute to the calories we eat. While the calories we consume have a profound effect on the way your body looks, the macronutrient split is equally important in your vegan bodybuilding quest to create an attractive body.
'A calorie is a calorie' may be true for mere weight gain and weight loss. But the way these calories break down into each of the macronutrients will dictate how well your body builds and repairs muscle tissue, as well as how much muscle you retain during weight loss.
For anyone interested in more in-depth information about optimal vegan macros I urge you to check out this article later.
For now the short and sweet version will do. To maximize improvements in body composition here's the optimal vegan diet macro split:
- Consume a high-protein vegan diet: 1.6-2.2 g of protein per kg, or 0.73-1 g of protein per pound.
- Consume a low to moderate-fat diet: 15-30% calories from fat.
- Eat the rest of your calories in the form of carbs.
Step 3. Figure Out What To Eat
Managing this part of the equation is possibly what many struggle with the most. And I won't lie, and say this is the easiest thing in the world, especially if you're a beginner in the vegan bodybuilding diet.
For instance, one aspect where difficulties may arise is that plant foods typically are lower in protein. This can make it really difficult to balance your macros and reach adequate amounts of protein in the range of 1.6-2.2 g protein per kg.
Furthermore, It's absolutely crucial that your plant-based diet also delivers all the essential micronutrients:
Hitting Both Your Macros & Micros
Here is where I see many proclaimed 'fitness gurus' make a fatal mistake. Fitting your macros day after day is not the be-all and end-all solution for overall health.
Yes, eating at McDonald's and maintaining a caloric deficit can induce weight loss and even improve markers of health. But if we look past the caloric deficit, is it a healthy way of eating? The answer is hell no (2).
While keeping track of your macros is important - you should also stay on top of your micros too: Zinc, iron, vitamin B12, omega-3, iodine, calcium, fiber, phytonutrients, antioxidants, carotenoids, anthocyaninsphenol. Also, you will likely have to supplement yourself with Vitamin B12 since a vegan diet has very few sources.
To help you track your macros without the hassle, I recommend using a macro tracking app on your phone. While the food databases on these apps aren’t as complete and accurate to a T, they’re still very useful for documenting your meal plans and vegan bodybuilding journey.
Eat Mostly (80%) Nutrient-Dense, Whole Plant Foods
The nutrient density refers to the amount of nutrients it contains per calorie of energy.
For instance, if a banana has 50 nutrients per calorie and a french fry has 3 nutrients per calorie, we can obviously say that the banana is more nutrient-dense.
Let's look at an example of how not to do things: the standard American diet.
Highly processed and refined foods such as ice cream, candy, cakes, cookies, pizza, burgers and junk food provide tons of energy throughout the day, yet have poor nutritional density.
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On the opposite side of the spectrum we're looking at whole and unprocessed plant foods:
Starches, root vegetables, whole grains, legumes i.e beans and lentils, soy protein, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds - all the plant foods as close to 'as grown in nature'.
Dr. Greger’s daily dozen is a brilliant way to visualize the food you should be trying to eat as part of a healthy meat-free diet.
My recommendation is to include a minimum of 80% whole plant foods in your vegan diet, allowing the remaining 20% to come in the form of less nutrient-dense and refined/processed foods - they may not be the healthiest foods, but we all need a little treat sometimes.
Of course, if you so desire it's perfectly fine to stick to 100% unprocessed plant foods. This is what I personally tend to lean towards as I feel fantastic when fueling myself with whole plant foods.
Eat a Variety of Vegan Foods
If you eat a diet consisting of nothing but lentils, oatmeal, and peanuts, you may indeed hit all of your macro goals - there's a good amount of high-quality vegan protein sources from lentils, complex carbs in the oatmeal and healthy fats from the peanuts.
The solution is to make sure you're eating an assortment of many different whole plant foods - this'll ensure that your body is getting the entire spectrum of nutrients, aka 'eating the rainbow.'
We can break down a plant-based diet into 4 major food groups, each contributing in a unique way towards your macro and nutrient goals (with some overlap):
- Legumes for your protein
- Whole grains & tubers for your carbohydrate
- Nuts & seeds for your fats
- Fruits & vegetables for a ton of micronutrients
You should ideally try to consume vegan foods from each and every one of these categories. And why not start with addressing the question that has haunted every vegan since the dawn of mankind:
Vegan Diet Hint: Getting Your Proteins
Plants traditionally viewed as 'sources of carbohydrate' actually tend to have quite enough protein within them, which is terrific for a vegan bodybuilding diet.
For instance, veggies and whole grains are chock-full of protein, with 400g of broccoli having more than 10g of protein and a 100g serving of oatmeal containing over 17g of the stuff - not bad!
Nonetheless, the most protein-packed plant foods by far are legumes: lentils, beans, and peas, as well as more usual suspects like tofu, tempeh, and more.
Such food is absolutely bursting with vegan protein (lentils contain ~25% protein), and does wonders when building muscle!
Furthermore, they’re teeming with precious BCAA (branch-chained amino acids) which may significantly help build muscle and improve recovery (3). Vegan diet or not, we need amino acids so our bodies can create proteins.
Here’s a bunch of my personal favorite high-protein legumes which you should eat at large amounts whenever possible:
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If you're struggling to meet your protein requirements, you can supplement with vegan protein powders to make yourself a nice protein shake. If you vegan bodybuilding diet needs a leg up, a protein powder can be quite a convenient alternative source of high-quality vegan protein.
Vegan Diet Hint: Getting Your Carbohydrates
A good base for your carbohydrate intake is complex carbohydrates and starches such as whole grains and tubers e.g. rice, quinoa, potatoes.
These are such a great choice because they are high in starch and both soluble and insoluble fiber, which means they help with satiety and digest slowly without causing any blood sugar spikes.
Here's a list of healthy complex carbs that are awesome:
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Vegan Diet Hint: Getting Your Healthy Fats
Packed full of healthy protein, minerals, fiber, vitamin E and essential fatty acids, nuts and seeds are just absolute champions of the nutrient world.
If you’re unfortunate enough to have a nut allergy, then you’re missing out! Eating a lot of nuts is now correlated with a reduced risk of heart disease, all-cause mortality, and cancer (4).
Now it's important to be aware that these foods are also quite high in calories. You will find there are 9 calories per gram of fat compared to a gram of carbohydrate or protein having 4 calories.
That means that nuts and seeds are great for putting on body weight.
But on the contrary, they can be a detriment to weight loss too, as even an innocent large handful of nuts can contain hundreds of calories. One food I suggest everyone should include in their vegan diet is the almighty flax seed.
These are so nutrient-dense that it hurts: one tablespoon provides a vegan with 1.6 grams of omega-3, in addition to lignans which are known for their anti-cancer properties. Healthy vegan fats can come from many places, though, including the following (5):
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Read my full guide on fat sources on the vegan diet and everything you need to know.
Vegan Bodybuilding Bulking & Cutting Diet Plan
Bulking on a vegan diet is pretty easy. With many calories to play with, getting in the right amount of protein is a breeze, and you don't have to carefully consider food choices.
Cutting, however, that's an entirely different dragon to slay (shoutout to Jordan!). During a weight loss phase where calories creep down lower and lower, you need to make sure that these few calories are used efficiently to hit your protein and micronutrient needs. We go more in-depth on this in our 7-Day Vegan Diet Plan For Weight Loss.
For this reason, when cutting, you often have to devote most of your calories to high-protein foods such as lentils, tofu, chia seeds, and vegan protein powders.
If you're looking to pack on a few pounds of solid muscle and increase your body weight, you might also like Organic Protein & Greens from Vega.
Also, it's certainly not a bad idea to throw in some high-protein vegan salads with dark leafy greens to get your vitamin K, vitamin A, calcium and so on.
Pro Tip: Struggling to get enough calories into your vegan diet? You can supplement with vegan mass gainers.
Or if you are looking for more meal plans and ideas, check out this video by Brian Turner:
How Many Times to Eat Per Day?
Turns out, it doesn’t matter how frequently you eat, whether it’s 1 meal a day or 7 - the difference is negligible. As a result, you should eat at a frequency that suits you and your habits.
Can’t get enough calories in when you’re bulking up?
Consider starting the day with a large breakfast and then eating 4 or 5 smaller meals throughout the day. Or, incorporate vegan mass gainers into your diet.
Can’t keep the calories down when you’re shredding?
Perhaps try out intermittent fasting - this is when you eat solely during a 6-8 hour window, leaving you with about 2 or 3 meals each day if you plan carefully.
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I Have No Idea How to Cook Tasty and Nutritious Vegan Food
Becoming the Gordon Ramsay of plant-based foods and vegan bodybuilding cuisine isn't something that happens overnight.
It takes a bit of time and practice to get the hang of it, but after a while, you should have built up your own repertoire of delicious, high-protein and macro-friendly go-to meals.
One piece of advice for beginners that are getting started is to “veganize” your previous omnivorous meals:
- Swap out the ground beef in spaghetti bolognese with red lentils or texturized soy protein.
- Make your chili con carne a chili sin carne, putting emphasis on the beans instead.
- Lentil meatballs, burgers, falafels, etc.
- Create scrambled eggs using tofu.
If you really want to avoid cooking, check out Fresh n' Lean where they deliver fresh, ready-to-eat organic meals straight to your door.
Here's another idea, come up with any iteration of the legume with a starchy carb and a vegetable combination. Just take any favorites from each vegan diet category and combine them into a meal:
- Tofu with brown rice and veggies.
- Black beans with sweet potato and broccoli.
- Chickpea salad with quinoa and red cabbage.
- Vegan protein powders with oatmeal and berries.
Try this: Go to your fridge and cupboards and take stock of what ingredients are there. Then take those exact ingredients and put them in google or youtube together with 'vegan recipe.'
The search query might end up looking like 'Sweet potatoes and chickpea brown rice pepper vegan recipe' and then you pick the result that seems the most appetizing.
What If I Really Don't Want to Cook?
Look, if you really can't be bothered cooking, you can always jump on a vegan meal delivery service or a vegan subscription box.
But, if you're in a rush, then check out Trifecta Nutrition, our #1 recommended plant-based meal delivery service.
What else can I do to help maximize my gains?
Our suggestion is to learn more about the essential vegan bodybuilding supplements, which will support your muscle mass gains, performance in the gym, and most importantly, your health.
Found this easy to understand, very helpful and fun to read. Thanks for sharing!
vegan bodybuilding meal plan is very amazing and I really appreciate your article.
Quality post! Most useful advice I’ve found on this topic for a while.
Would be interesting to hear you recommendations on strength/hypertrophy training to complement each diet plan.
Cheers
Fabulous article Jason!! Thank you! This was the information I have been looking for. Thank you for putting your energy into this writing! You’re the best!
This is so concise and incredible information. Thank you!
These tips are awesome, I was looking for something like that. Thanks!
Hi Jason
I’m an American currently serving on a boat project in Dominica West Indies. I currently eat fish chicken rarely do I eat beef and no pork. After experiencing a bad mv accident and failed spine surgery I have decided to start to eat vegan for the first time in my 42 years of life mainly because I am starting to believe the protein from animal fats are causing inflammation in my joint and body..I’m 5’9 145lb woman with athletic build. As a former police woman I used to have muscular lower body glutes and no after failed accident I have muscle wasting on the lower half of my body I have lost my his and glutes which I find very unattractive lol. Your article is by far the best break down that a beginner like me can understand thanks so much! I worried about switching to vegan and losing more weight I’m not trying to lose more I would like to gain muscle in my lower body and eliminate animals fats with this article it’s a start! Thanks so much!!!
Thank you for sharing such a important article on diet plan. As it is very important to follow diet plan for bodybuilding.keep up the good work and keep on writing such article.
This is extremely helpful! So much hard work must have gone into putting this in place. I really appreciate it! I shall put it into practice and update you on the progress. (I am sadly surprised that there are no comments though..)
Thanks so much for taking the time to put together such a thorough and legit article. It’s rare to find so much solid information without someone trying to sell me anything!
Yes this is true, a vegan meal is the road to most body builders desired muscle mass.
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Hey Jason, thanks so much for this article … it’s a life saver! I’ve been struggling to find a sensible balance since a cancer diagnosis and going vegan as well as transitioning off of Keto. So grateful for your research and compiling this into something easy to read and implement!