Powerlifting Academy

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To gain broader perspective and see whether vegetarian protein can substitute protein derived from animal sources with the same efficiency when it comes to strength training in powerlifting or any other sport that requires strenuous physical activity let’s first define vegetarianism and its forms.

• Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat everything but animal flesh.
• Lacto vegetarians eat everything but animal flesh and eggs.
• Ovo vegetarians eat everything but animal flesh and dairy.
• Vegan vegetarians (vegans) eat everything but animal flesh, eggs and dairy. They also refrain from processed foods containing these or other animal-derived ingredients, for example, gelatin. Many vegans also do not eat honey.

Important Protein Facts

Intake of complete protein foods should be an imperative to anyone trying to build muscle seriously. Since complete proteins are mainly found in foods derived from animal sources, this is a problem for vegans and vegetarians who only eat plant foods like vegetables, fruits, seeds, grains or nuts which are mainly built from incomplete proteins. Initially, it was suggested that vegetarians should eat both plant foods that contain incomplete and complete proteins so that the proteins inside them would combine to a complete form. The same person that suggested this theory, Frances Moore Lappé, changed her opinion in the 1981 edition of Diet for a Small Planet, by stating the following:

“In 1971 I stressed protein complementarity because I assumed that the only way to get enough protein … was to create a protein as usable by the body as animal protein. In combating the myth that meat is the only way to get high-quality protein, I reinforced another myth. I gave the impression that in order to get enough protein without meat, considerable care was needed in choosing foods. Actually, it is much easier than I thought.

“With three important exceptions, there is little danger of protein deficiency in a plant food diet. The exceptions are diets very heavily dependent on [1] fruit or on [2] some tubers, such as sweet potatoes or cassava, or on [3] junk food (refined flours, sugars, and fat). Fortunately, relatively few people in the world try to survive on diets in which these foods are virtually the sole source of calories. In all other diets, if people are getting enough calories, they are virtually certain of getting enough protein.”

Side-Effects of Vegetarian Protein Diet

As you can see, vegetarian protein and vegan protein foods are beneficial for the body of an average active person but I’m not going to explain why, since the Internet is full of such information. But what I will do is tell you why I think such way of eating would not be good for people active in powerlifting and other strength sports. In my opinion drawbacks to such nutrition are many but two of them stand out as the most prominent.

• Fat Gain (Vegetarian protein foods are mainly high in carbohydrates. To ensure a sufficient intake of protein and achieve desired sport goals you need to handle a lot more carbohydrates than you normally would with eating animal-derived meals. Serious calorie management should be done on high protein vegetarian diet to avoid the accumulation of body fat. Also, learn how much protein per day you need to eat, depending on your activities).
• Low Testosterone (Testosterone is the hormone responsible for development of muscle mass and strength, regulating cholesterol, energy production and libido. Consuming animal products is the best way to increase its levels in the body. Depriving yourself from such diet can set you back and apart from other athletes that consume animal based foods and not to mention health issues this situation might cause).

Vegetarian Protein Sources

• Milk, whey, cheese, yogurt, eggs (Lacto-ovo vegetarians only).
• Milk, whey, cheese, yogurt (Lacto vegetarians only).
• Eggs (Ovo vegetarians only).
• Soy (Beans, tofu, cheese).
• Nuts (Walnuts, pistachio, cashew, almonds).
• Beans (Black, garbanzo, hummus, kidney, fava, winged, mungo, lima).
• Legumes (Lentils, peas, peanuts, peanut butter).
• Seeds (Sesame, flax, pumpkin, hemp, sunflower).
• Grains (whole) (Oats, brown rice, quinoa, granola, wheat, whole bread).
• Vegetables (Broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kale, collard greens).

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Before giving you a list of best sources of protein you need to understand that eating complete protein is far more important than eating incomplete protein. First of all, let me differentiate between the two. Previously, in how much protein per day article, I have explained what proteins are and how they are built from two types of amino acids: essential (can’t be produced by our own body and must be taken in through food and supplements) and non-essential (can be produced in the body). Complete proteins are built from both of those. Incomplete proteins on the other hand don’t have all the essential amino acids and are therefore considered to be of lower biological value which reflects poorly on muscle building.

Most of the foods that contain complete protein structures are derived from animal sources. Therefore if you were wondering how to build muscle, eating a lot of animal proteins is the way to go, which includes: meat (chicken, turkey, beef, pork, and lamb), fish, dairy products, eggs, etc. This can be a problem for vegetarians and vegans since they don’t eat animal foods. But there are vegetarian protein sources that can be used as an adequate substitute.

Best Sources of Protein

• Poultry (Chicken, turkey).
• Fish (Fresh tuna or canned in olive oil or water, salmon, mackerel).
• Meat (Beef, veal, pork, lamb).
• Dairy (Low fat milk, whey powder, cottage cheese, low fat yogurt).
• Eggs (Egg white boiled or powder, yolk 1/day at most).

It would be best to vary sources from which you are getting your proteins. Besides ensuring intake of all crucial amino acids this is also important for getting necessary range of vitamins and minerals, which are especially present in plant foods. While rich in protein you should also select foods that are low in fat.

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Proteins are fundamental building units of the human body. They are made up from smaller building blocks called amino acids. Protein takes up about 16 percent of our total body weight as the second most plentiful substance after water. Almost 2/3 of all proteins are located in the skeletal muscles. The rest is distributed amongst internal organs, blood, skin, hair, nails, etc.

Amino Acids and Protein Synthesis

To synthesize (build) proteins in these structures, the body requires 20 amino acids. Only 12 of them are produced in the body: Alanine, Aspartate, Cysteine, Glutamate, Glutamine, Glycine, Proline, Serine, Asparagine, Arginine, Histidine, and Tyrosine. The remaining 8 can’t be manufactured by our own body so they must be a mandatory part of our diet (food and/or supplements). For that reason they are called essential amino acids: Valine, Leucine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Phenylalanine, Methionine, Threonine, and Tryptophan. We need both essential and non-essential to synthesize proteins, or in other words, to build muscle. To ensure intake of all necessary amino acids you need to know what foods are the best sources of protein. This is especially important if you are a vegetarian solely relying on vegetarian protein sources.

How Much Protein per Day?

• The RDA or Recommended Dietary Allowance (average daily dietary protein intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of an average adult person) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight or approximately 0.36 grams per pound of body weight.
• NSCA or National Strength and Conditioning Association advises 0.88 to 1.32 grams per kg (0.4 to 0.6 grams per lb) of bodyweight for physically active people and up to 1.76 grams per kg (0.8 grams per lb) of bodyweight for serious athletes.
• In professional bodybuilding recommended protein intake numbers go even higher, as much as up to 4 g/kg, depending on the specific training cycle.

So, as you can see, there are various schools of thought, respectable or not, and each of them has its own opinion on this matter. You are probably wondering which to believe. Unfortunately there is no straightforward answer because it all depends on your level of preparedness, intake of other nutrients, and training intensity and volume (endurance, speed, strength…). Essentially, the more and harder you exercise, the greater daily protein intake you will require. However, high protein diet (taking too much protein) will not help you build muscle additionally.

Conclusion and Recommendations

I have experimented with various protein intakes and my answer to the question of how much protein per day is needed is as follows.

• 0.8 – 1.5 g/kg (Inactive people are well settled with the RDA standard).
• 1.8 – 2.2 g/kg (Active people engaged in either endurance or strength training, like powerlifting, to build and recuperate muscle, require around 2 g/kg of bodyweight per day. I want to stress this out one more time for those who don’t believe that such small protein intake can produce the best results. This amount is more than enough, although it needs to be accompanied by proper carbohydrate intake to prevent the protein being used for energy).
• 2.2 – 2.5 g/kg (Active people who are looking to maintain or gain muscle while losing fat at the same time, may require up to 2.5 g/kg of bodyweight per day, but no more than that)!

Besides figuring out how much protein per day do you need, an important thing is to maximize the utilization of it by choosing proper foods and knowing when to take protein.

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