“…there are many different and more specific kinds of vegetarianism.”
Some of us choose alternative diets, like veganism. Many different motives, from allergies to ethics, drive these decisions but no one should be deterred from building muscle because of them. There are people out there who hate on veganism and spread misinformation. Often, this misinformation includes the inability to build any muscle, which is not true at all. Can you gain weight as a vegetarian? Yes, you can.
What kind of vegetarian are you?
Today we refer to people who choose not to eat animal products as Vegans, and people who choose not to eat meat as vegetarians. But there are many different and more specific kinds of vegetarianism.
Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian
“Lacto” means dairy and “Ovo” means eggs, a lacto-ovo vegetarian avoids all meat, but still eats dairy products and eggs.
Lacto-Vegetarian
This describes someone who avoids all meat but will consume dairy products.
Ovo-Vegetarian
This describes someone who avoids all meat but will consume eggs.
Pescatarian
A pescatarian will eat dairy and eggs, but also fish. They however do not eat other meat such as beef and poultry.
Vegan-Vegetarian
A vegan-vegetarian or just “vegan” will eliminate all animal products. Vegans often eliminate animal products outside of their diet as well, such as leather and fur.
Flexitarian
This describes someone who is mostly vegetarian but allows flexibility. They may still eat animal products when they are craving them.
The fundamentals of energy balance still apply
It doesn’t matter what kind of diet you choose, the fundamentals of energy balance still apply to you, as it does to every organism on the planet.
There is a stigma around vegans and vegetarians where people seem to picture frail, weak, withering humans. Whether you’re a vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, or a meat-eating purist, you still have to consume more calories than you burn to gain weight. No matter what kind of dietary variation you choose, you can still gain weight if you desire to do so.
First, you need to find your maintenance calories, this is the number of calories you require to maintain your current weight. To do this, track your calories for a week and find an average.
To gain weight, you just need to eat above this maintenance.
Protein intake
The main argument that is made against vegans and vegetarians trying to gain muscle is that they cannot acquire the amount of protein they need. This is false on many levels. While it is true that protein is abundant in meat and animal products, and also true that complete proteins are mostly found in animal products such as eggs, there is nothing stopping a vegan from building huge amounts of muscle.
It will be more difficult, though. Trying to hit 0.8-1.0g of protein per pound of body weight can be difficult even before you factor in the loss of animal products. A vegan will have to focus on eating lots of high-protein foods like beans, nuts, and grains.
There are also many vegan protein power supplements to choose from. If you are falling short of your protein goal by 20-50g on a daily basis, these shakes can help.
Checking with a professional
If you have yet to speak with a registered dietitian or a nutritionist about your interest in vegetarianism, please do so. Eliminating meat or animal products from your diet can eventually lead to a deficiency in certain vitamins and minerals such as B-12, calcium, vitamin D, iodine, omega-3, zinc, and iron.
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