Jump to content
In Stores Everywhere! The Definitive Guide to Plant-based Athletics ×

John Berardi goes vegan-ish

xjohanx

By xjohanx,
in Bodybuilding/Strength Training

 Share

Recommended Posts

xjohanx Newbie

xjohanx

Posted
Posted

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/can_vegetarians_build_muscle

 

This will be interesting, he seems to have a chill mindset acctually. His previous comments about veganism was a lot more hostile.

 

His blog is here,he will apparently post updates every two weeks or so

 

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/category/blog/

 

Sorry if this is old news and I missed a post about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
joelk Newbie

joelk

Posted
Posted

Are they the actual lessons we can be taught by omnivores?

Number 1 is laughable.

I don't know if they can teach us about weight training, I mean there are a lot of omnivorous athletes who don't know much about correct weight lifting form and many vegans who train correctly.

I would have figured it would be vegans who could show omnivores more varieties of protein sources. I mean there are many other sources of protein than beef, chicken, tuna, eggs and whey powder.

I can see omnivores have a much larger variety of supplements at their disposal but whether they work is another matter, besides many are animal derived.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
joelk Newbie

joelk

Posted
Posted
I think his idea is that vegans need to learn to weight train from omnivores, not how to. Also, he seems concerned with vegans learning the correct amount of protein, not type.

 

I hear you, I didn't actually read that part (what vegans can learn) because it wouldn't open, I just started shooting my mouth off.

I really don't like this "flexitarian" **** but I hope he does discover that a plant based diet can build a lot of muscle, he does seem to have a reputation in the bodybuilding world and people listen when he speaks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
xjohanx Newbie

xjohanx

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I would really appreciate if someone could copy that whole part and paste it here. Or maybe he didn't write more than what FH wrote?

Humane meat my ass, sounds stupid as hell. This cow has a good life so we can kill it with good concious.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
robert Newbie

robert

Posted
Posted

I HATE the word, "Flexitarian" unless we're talking about a vegan bodybuilder....a vegetarian who flexes.....other than that, I think it is just stupid...it's actually no different than an omnivore or non-vegan...someone who eats vegan food occasionally but also eats meat is a non-vegan not a flexing vegetarian.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Fallen_Horse Newbie

Fallen_Horse

Posted
Posted
I would really appreciate if someone could copy that whole part and paste it here. Or maybe he didn't write more than what FH wrote?

Humane meat my ass, sounds stupid as hell. This cow has a good life so we can kill it with good concious.

Sorry 'bout that.

 

 

"Lessons Vegans Can Learn From Meat Eaters

 

Now, let’s not glamorize the vegan lifestyle too much. I think many vegans have a lot to learn from omnivores, especially the proper omnivores. Again, the ones that eat natural, whole foods. The ones that cover all of their nutritional bases. And the ones that stay healthy and lean. Not the ones eating fatty fast food meat with a side of processed carbs and gravy.

 

Here are a few of those lessons:

 

1) Humane Meat

Contrary to popular vegan belief, there are some meat-eaters out there that are concerned with the treatment of animals, with the environmental impact of our food choices, and with our own health and longevity. So it’s not an either-or thing. It’s not: eat meat OR care about the environment. It’s not: eat meat OR care about the animals. It’s not: eat meat OR care about your body.

 

Interestingly enough, by choosing locally raised, free-range, hormone and antibiotic free meat, not only are we doing the right thing for the environment and improving animal conditions, we’re actually doing our bodies good by providing all those things vegans risk deficiency in - protein, iron, B12, omega 3 fats, etc.

 

So this is a lesson both vegans and omnivores can share. By choosing certain types of meat we can be humane, environmentally conscious, healthy, and muscular.

 

 

2) Weight Lifting

Let’s face it, eating meat and weight lifting seem to go hand in hand. And if not, at least they’re well-correlated. It probably has something to do with our primitive past and the fact that we had to sprint and lift to get most of our food. Or maybe it’s a sociocultural thing.

 

Regardless, you don’t see a ton of weight lifting vegans. And it’s a shame. Weight lifting has been proven in the research to not only improve lean mass and functional independence into age, it also speeds the metabolism, reduces disease risk, and offers heart protection.

 

Most proper omnivores, at least those who read this site, are all about the weights. And I wish more vegans would be too. It would do a long way toward helping them maximize their health while preventing the lean losses that occur with age - the same losses that occur when dropping meat from the diet.

 

That’s right, some of you vegans are just too scrawny. But there’s something you can do about it.

 

 

3) Protein

Proper omnivores are often, admittedly, a little protein obsessed. But that may be a good thing given the list of benefits associated with eating a diet high in lean, complete proteins. Faster metabolism, more lean mass, and better muscle preservation. Who wouldn’t want those benefits.

 

Sometimes vegans miss the boat here, being content with way too little complete protein. And this mistake means sub-optimal health, performance, and body composition.

 

However, with today’s food knowledge, food access, and supplement options, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t achieve a protein intake of 1g/lb - whether the protein comes from an animal source or a vegan one.

 

Indeed, pages 6 and 7 of the PN Diet Guide and pages 5 and 6 of the PN Plant-Based Diet Guide provide comprehensive lists of protein-rich foods.

 

 

4) Supplements

It seems like proper omnivores who also weight train tend to be down with the supplements too while vegans are a little more reluctant in this area. Again, that’s a shame since the exclusion of meat and fish probably predisposes vegans to a few dietary deficiencies.

 

On pages 10 and 11 of the PN Plant-Based Diet Guide we discuss how vegans can incorporate supplements to help prevent deficiencies in protein (as mentioned above), omega 3 fats, vitamin D, B12, calcium, and iron."

Link to comment
Share on other sites
robert Newbie

robert

Posted
Posted

I haven't read the article...I have experienced more gas on a vegan diet...but it doesn't mean I care about animals less. So it doesn't impact my choices regarding veganism.

 

I've also been using aloe juice recently and that helped reduce bloating.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
xjohanx Newbie

xjohanx

Posted
  • Author
Posted
In his T-Nation article he said that his abdomen becomes bloated with gas in the evenings after a day of eating the vegetarian way - ten inches more than in the mornings. Well, I never experienced any bloating when I went veggie nor when I went vegan. Perhaps his digestive abilities are inadequate.

 

You eat 4000 calories a day?

My stomach is fine when I eat normal, but when I bulk it's crappy as hell. Eating that much food isn't really good for someone but that's the life of an ectomorph.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MartinVegartin Newbie

MartinVegartin

Posted
Posted

If he was being truthful and his belly was ten inches bigger than normal - even just once - I would have advised him to seek medical attention in case he burst and made a terrible mess all over the place. He might be gluten intolerant or have some other severe digestive problem. He did mention some improvement when he took digestive enzymes.

 

He would have looked as if he was 7 months pregnant. I have never experienced any bloating and I find it hard to believe he was bloated to that extent. His waist will have been bigger than his chest. We'll have to wait for his progress reports.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

I thought Berardi would be the last person on Earth who would consider veganism.

 

And, all in all, his response was pretty positive, if you'd ask me!

 

In the end, I must say that I’m really happy I did this experiment. I got the chance to be exposed to a new way of eating and a new group of people. I got a chance to help educate the public about what good nutrition means, whether or not it includes meat. And, as you’ll see below, I even built a little muscle for my trouble.

 

All in all, I’d say a pretty successful month.

 

It appears that even without eating meat or many animal products, my training regime (which I didn’t change) and my diet regime (which was based on the principles shared in the Precision Nutrition Plant-Based Diet Guide and included a surplus of calories) allowed me to gain 7lbs with a 2.5:1 ratio of lean mass to fat mass.

 

Cool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


×
×
  • Create New...