Come costruire muscoli con una dieta vegana

Tre regole per costruire muscoli

Rachel Ball, registered British Dietetic Association (BDA) freelance dietitian, explains that the most important factor when trying to build muscle is progressive overload during your workouts.

"Each session, try for a heavier weight, more repetitions or better form," she says.

To support this progression in your workouts you need a diet that is high in protein and also rich in a range of nutrients and other food groups that can support strength training.

Una dieta vegana per costruire muscoli

Mentre il veganismo has its own dietary challenges for strength training, vegan muscle building is possible. Research shows that both strategic food management and food supplementation are effective in supporting athletes and others who engage in intense strength training and have a vegan diet.¹

Reema Pillai, dietitian at Dietitian Fit & Co, says: "For someone who follows a vegan diet, it can take careful planning to ensure your diet contains the required intake of protein, calories, and nutrients to optimise health and muscle growth. Eating well, combined with regular muscle-strengthening exercise, will help to build muscle over time."

Fonti proteiche vegane

È un malinteso comune che solo i prodotti di origine animale possano fornire le proteine necessarie per l'aumento muscolare. Le proteine contengono aminoacidi essenziali necessari per riparare e aumentare la massa muscolare - un processo chiamato sintesi proteica muscolare (MPS).

Patel advises that protein intake needs to be higher than average at around 1.6-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to help maximise muscle growth.

"Concentrating on consuming a variety of high protein plant foods is important, as some plant proteins do not contain all the essential amino acids and are not as well absorbed as animal proteins," she says. "Plant-based proteins that contain all the essential amino acids are sometimes called 'complete proteins'.

"These include tofu, tempeh, seitan, edamame or soya beans, quinoa, and chia seeds. Other plant foods such as beans, legumes, and grains also contain protein, though they will need to be eaten as a part of a varied diet to obtain all the essential amino acids the body cannot produce itself."

Vegan protein powder can also help you to reach your protein requirements. If you want to maximise muscle growth, you may want to consider i pro e i contro dell'integrazione proteica to support your vegan gains.

Fonti vegane di carboidrati

Carboidrati are a primary source of energy in your diet.² They are partially converted to glycogen, a form of energy that's stored in your muscles. According to Ball, this makes carbs really important, providing essential fuel for your workouts.

Simple carbs are great before a workout because they're digested quickly which makes them a fast-working source of energy. Before a workout, Ball recommends choosing easily digested carbohydrates such as fruit, smoothies, or cereal bars.

"Anything too ricca di fibre or fat before exercise might cause pain, poor performance, or diarrea," dice.

Experts also recommend consuming carbs straight after high-intensity exercise.³ This helps to replenish depleted glycogen stores needed for muscle repair and recovery. In addition, it helps prevent gluconeogenesis. This is the process by which the body turns to protein stores for energy that could otherwise be used in MPS to build muscle.

Not having enough carbs can also cause protein loss because carb restriction leads to an increase in the amount of nitrogen being excreted by the body. Nitrogen is a component of amino acids - the essential substances for MPS.

Fonti vegane di grassi alimentari

Grassi alimentari are your body's other main source of energy. Fats have a bad reputation when it comes to your health and body composition, but consuming unsaturated rather than saturated fats can not only help when vegan muscle building but can also aid vitamin absorption.

Both mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, known as the 'good' fats, aid muscle movement and growth. They increase levels of HDL, the 'good' colesterolo, che a sua volta può portare a una maggiore produzione di ormone della crescita e più amminoacidi per MPS.

Furthermore, while saturated fats may raise 'bad' cholesterol and increase your chance of heart issues such as heart disease, polyunsaturated fats are broken down into omega-3 fatty acids which can actually benefit heart health.

Buone fonti vegane di grassi insaturi

• Seeds - for example, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and brazil nuts.

• Nuts - such as almonds, peanuts, and walnuts.

• Oil - including rape seed oil, sunflower oil, and olive oil.

• Avocado.

Surplus calorico

Ball also recommends making sure that you are eating sufficient calories. If you intend to build a lot of muscle then creating a calorie surplus - consuming more than you burn - provides your body with the extra energy it needs for strength training.⁴

This particular method of muscle building is commonly referred to as bulking. You should be careful that you only increase your calorie intake enough to build muscle but not unnecessary body fat - this can be a fine balance.

Experts recommend consuming 10-20% above your daily weight maintenance calorie needs for an average weight gain of 0.25-0.5% of your body weight per week.⁴ You can use a calcolatore di calorie to estimate how many calories you need each day.

La costruzione muscolare vegana può richiedere un po' più di pianificazione quando si tratta di aumentare la massa, poiché gli alimenti a base vegetale sono tipicamente più bassi in calorie rispetto agli alimenti di origine animale. Detto ciò, ci sono comunque diversi alimenti vegani ad alto contenuto calorico.

Altri integratori alimentari

Vegan diets are lacking in both creatine and carnosine which also aid muscle growth.¹ As a result, you might want to consider taking supplements to support your vegan gains.

Creatine is made from amino acids, and it is used to make a molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This substance is your body's main source of energy for muscle contractions. Creatine also ti aiuta a costruire muscoli in altri modi.