Plant-Based Proteins: Muscle Building for Vegetarians and Vegans

As an enthusiastic strength athlete, you know that long-term muscle building is only possible in conjunction with regular training and a balanced diet. By balanced diet, we naturally mean a healthy mix of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. We would like to take a closer look at proteins in this text. The misconception is still widespread that animal proteins are indispensable for muscle building and maintenance.

This prejudice urgently needs to be dispelled. It is true that plant-based proteins can keep up with animal proteins. What you need to pay attention to as a vegetarian or vegan is to provide your body with a sufficient amount of proteins – just as non-vegetarians and non-vegans must. As a strength athlete, you should consume about 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. These values are recommended by the German Nutrition Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung, DGE). (For comparison: 0.8 grams of protein per body weight is completely adequate for non-athletes.)

Amino acids: which ones are there, and why are they so important?

The human body requires 20 amino acids to ensure protein metabolism. Eight of these amino acids are so-called essential amino acids, which must be obtained through food, otherwise the human body cannot function properly. These include: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Semi-essential amino acids are those that become significant in certain life situations, such as during growth or severe illnesses.

These include arginine and histidine. The non-essential amino acids include: alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine. Important: all essential amino acids can be found in plants. For you as a vegetarian or vegan, this specifically means: with a balanced diet, you supply your body with all the important amino acids.

The most important plant-based protein sources

There are many recommendable plant-based protein sources. Soybeans and tofu are at the forefront, but also legumes (lentils, peas, and beans), potatoes, spelt, wild rice, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, seeds, and spirulina or other algae. To successfully build muscle mass as a vegetarian or vegan, you should always pay attention to the very good quality of the proteins ingested, to a good protein mixture, and to the required amount.

For example, legumes (e.g., peas) are rich in lysine and contain little methionine and cysteine (the so-called sulfur-containing amino acids). On the other hand, rice proteins are real wonders of methionine and cysteine. If you combine legumes with wild rice, you supply your body with all three amino acids. Did you know that a combination of legumes with corn has the same biological value as a chicken egg (*the biological value indicates how quickly a food protein can be utilized by the body; generally, the chicken egg with a value of 100 is taken as a benchmark)?

Furthermore, you can significantly improve the biological value of vegan proteins with proteins from hemp and lupins. Hemp proteins are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, and trace elements. In summary: To support your muscle-building training as a vegan or vegetarian through your diet, the right combination and a diverse selection of plant-based proteins are crucial!

Dietary supplements: plant-based protein powder

Do you swear by protein supplements in addition to purely natural protein sources to quickly supply your body with proteins after intense muscle-building training? Even as a vegan or vegetarian, you don't have to miss out on anything. There are now numerous purely vegan protein powders that are in no way inferior to the "animal" competition. Especially preparations made from soy, hemp, peas, lupins, and rice yield good results.

In conclusion

To be and remain a successful and powerful strength athlete, regular training and a balanced and healthy diet are crucial. Even as a vegan or vegetarian, you don't have to miss out on anything in your diet. You can rely on numerous plant-based foods that are rich in proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins at the same time. Alternatively, there are various protein powders available in stores for dietary supplementation. The crucial factor is the right mix of good plant-based protein and high-quality carbohydrates to advance your muscle building and maintenance.