Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

I'm a gym rat and a pretty active college graduate student. I am a meat-eating, milk-drinking carnivore. My fridge consists of about 10 pounds of frozen beef/turkey and I go through a few gallons of milk each week.

Because a site like this exists, I know it's possible... but truth be told, my attention span for learning the ways of the vegan force via internet osmosis is pretty low due to such information overload. I would be happy to simply go out, buy everything and begin a meal regimen of the vegan mind, if only someone could lay it out in a clear, simplified form.

If this is possible or anyone is willing to mold a (soon-to-be?) new vegan lifter, please let me know.

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I am trying to be a strict vegetarian (not a vegan). I love eating juicy steaks and the like, but I simply want to eat healthier.

Welcome!

I like the title of this intro!

I'm off to the gym now but can provide this info for you soon.

All the best! Welcome to the team!

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Check out my Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness Book on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Bodybuildin ... 497&sr=1-1

You can start by reading a copy of "The China Study" to get yourself firmly convinced of the benefits and reasons for doing this.

Then you can read this short description of where to get the best vegan nutrition information:
http://beforewisdom.com/blog/?page_id=462

The you can go to your campus library and take out some cookbooks for recipes.

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• Vegan Mock Meats At Subway? Make It Happen!
• Finding Reliable Vegan Nutrition Information

"The plural of anecdote is not data." (Roger Brinner)

Frozen mixed vegetables!

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Happiness is a personal choice!
I am the sole source of all my sadness and joy.

"The logic of worldly success rests on a
fallacy: the strange error that our perfection
depends on the thoughts and
opinions and applause of other men."
Source: Thomas Merton

REALLY basic shopping list!

A big bag of rice. (I hear white is digested quicker, but brown has more nutrients)
few cans of beans
couple tofu's
a variety of veggies (I always seem to have brocolli, cauliflower, onion, peppers, spinach, and mushrooms. more as i see fit. Lovin' brussell sprouts tossed with olive oil and sea salt and garlic and broiled for 20 minutes until crunchy on the outside. AMAZING!)
bread is easy.
peanut butter is easy.
Some noodles isn't hard. Hell, it's all easy.
A couple avocados
a whole bunch of oats, and raisins
a bunch of nuts (your choice, there are many options. I like almonds, personally)

A grocery list is useless if you don't know how to prepare, though.

I'm pretty much doing the same thing every day

I eat a huge bowl of oatmeal (handful of oats, raisins, craisins, a touch of vanilla extract, a little brown sugar, a little cinnamon, 1/2 apple-diced and cooked in- and cooked in 1/2 soymilk to 1/2 water) YES!

After the gym I'll drink a shake (soy protein powder until i finish it and get a pea protein- some oats, a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, a scoop pb, a small handful of spinach and top with chocolate soymilk. blend until smooth)

at work I'll eat about a cup of rice, a cup of beans, and 1/3 brick of tofu (same meal 2 times at work. just toss a tupperware in the microwave and eat. once at noon, and once at 2:45)

Veggie sandwiches
Nayonaise, bbq sauce, mushrooms, tofu, spinach, onion, pepper, sea salt and pepper. you pick the amounts. I eat one of these a day.

PB & J.
anytime, anywhere.

Dinner I eat a rice or noodle stir fry with tons of veggies, and more tofu.

That's about it.

Doing that and the occasional clif/builder bar added 14 lbs to my frame in 3 weeks. It must be working (I've never eaten anywhere near that much before)

hope that helps.

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"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad." - Brian O'Driscoll

beforewisdom,

I will check these recommendations out for reading information. Is there a more accurate term for the diet itself that doesn't include one's political stance toward animal exploitation? I am unsure just how heretical it is to say on a vegan forum, but I do love eating meat (and dairy for baking). I just believe the research I read on how healthful a vegan diet is and would like to give it a try.


Jason X,

I have eaten absolutely plain oatmeal for breakfast for months, just because it's a clean and efficient breakfast, but that oatmeal you prepare seems delicious. I will have to try that.

I actually have many of the items you listed on that shopping menu, so I suppose my next task is to learn to make it work.

What is nayonaise? And I have never purchased or shopped for tofu before. What do I look for? Aren't there many different types of tofu?


Any tips on a loaded veggie stir fry? I don't want to under-cook some and overcook others, but seem to be missing something in the art.



Thank you both for the responses and great information!

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I am trying to be a strict vegetarian (not a vegan). I love eating juicy steaks and the like, but I simply want to eat healthier.

What is nayonaise?

my 2 cents: Nayonaise is a vegan mayonnaise. I used to use it, but then Vegenaise came along. My husband and I think it is superior... Most vegans I know like it the best... I even got my omni mom to try and it and she now uses it along with Earth Balance, a non dairy butter. No harmful hydrogenated oils either.

I find them both in the refrigerated section of health food stores and supermarkets w/a health food section.

(no I don't work for them!)

I like Vegannaise way better too. I was a huge mayonnaise fan..I mean HUGE, and I still instantly fell in love with Vegannaise. If you ask me, Nayonaise tastes more like Miracle Whip and Vegannaise tastes like Mayonnaise.

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vegan for the win!

There isn't. The best you can do is to say you "eat a vegan diet" as opposed to saying "I am a vegan". No worries. Nutrition and health books keep it all separate.
You *migh* offend some more sensitive people on vegan forums as most people who eat a vegan diet do it out of compassion for animals. However, if you are on the internet sooner or later you will offend someone .

The reading materials I quoted are the best readings you can get on health issues related to eating a vegan diet. Once you read them you will be good to coast on your own.

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• Vegan Mock Meats At Subway? Make It Happen!
• Finding Reliable Vegan Nutrition Information

"The plural of anecdote is not data." (Roger Brinner)

I don't know about everyone else on here, but I always buy extra firm tofu, and i usually buy whatever's cheapest. Which usually means the water packed tofu, although the plastic wrapped stuff is better (because it isn't so soggy)

Just wrap it in paper towel (if that's how you roll) or a lint free napkin and squeeze as much water out as possible. Or you can freeze it and let it thaw before you use it. It makes the texture a bit more chewy.

Feel free to sub seitan (wheat gluten) or tempeh (still soy) for tofu.

use eggplant as a heartier portion of the meal.

AND lastly, if you've got specific questions, ask. No one learned all this stuff alone.

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"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad." - Brian O'Driscoll

How much does tofu cost relative to anything else? Do I consider it a meat substitute? Which tofu should I buy and in which section of the grocery store would I find it?

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I am trying to be a strict vegetarian (not a vegan). I love eating juicy steaks and the like, but I simply want to eat healthier.

tofu is usually around $2 for just under a pound. 14 oz or something like that. It's kind of a meat sub, I guess, but way more versatile. I don't know what you think of when you think about food, but you're going to need to not about "a vegetable, a slab of meat, and a side". Vegan meals don't get split up like that. You won't ever be satisfied if you're looking for a meat sub ala "a steak", or a chicken wing or breast, or a porkchop, etc. It just doesn't work like that.

I usually just cut it into cubes and toss it into a pan for a stir fry (I usually let that cook in some oil (pan fry) for a few minutes before adding the veggies in order to firm it up a bit more). For my rice/bean/tofu thing I just cube it and don't do anything else to it. Straight from the package.

One of my favorite things about veganism is that I'm not going to die if I don't cook some of my ingredients. That's awesome. Little to no danger of catching a bug from raw vegan food.

AND, if there is a "natural" section in your supermarket, try there, otherwise it'll be in the produce section usually by the organic stuff. (is there a consensus with that, or is that just in Minnesota?)

Oh, and which tofu to buy? To me, it's all the same. Others might disagree, and that's fine. Whole foods brand tofu, if you've got one of those, is cheap and great. I usually just get whatever they have at my local Cub foods, unless I find myself at one of the few food co-ops in town.

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"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad." - Brian O'Driscoll

Here the tofu is usually in the produce section. Next to all of the fake meats.

If you are looking for specific tofu recipes, there are a LOT on http://www.vegweb.com. Some are quite healthy, some are not (a lot of frying), but it's a good place to get ideas.

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vegan for the win!

"Strict vegetarian" should do it. You're right that "vegan" has an ethical meaning attached to it.

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Honestly the china study isn't very good. I would just read a proper book on vegan nutrition to cover the basics of the diet.

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