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INTRO

Throughout my career as a Personal Trainer and Sport and Exercise Nutrition Specialist, I have worked with many vegetarians whose primary concerns include decreasing body fat and increasing lean muscle. Nutrition is responsible for well over 60% of exercise results. For many vegetarians, frequent exercise has too-often yielded no physical results due to a lack of information regarding proper nutrition, protein-combining to create digestable proteins, and protein synthesis. Regular nutrition consultations for vegetarians has proved to be a helpful solution for my vegetarian clients.

From my experience, I have found that vegetarians have more trouble losing weight and building muscle than non-vegetarians. Vegetarians need to learn how to consume complete proteins. Vegetarians also need to understand that they are at risk for potential carbohydrate-overload (and need to work around this risk) in order to successfully reach their fitness-related goals.

Here is everything a vegetarian needs to know in order to achieve body fat loss and lean muscle gains.

1) ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH PROTEIN?

A protein can only be digested or used for energy expenditure when it is COMPLETE. Proteins are made up of amino acids, essential (only found in food) and non-essential  (produced by the body). Animal proteins contain all essential amino acids and are therefore, considered COMPLETE.  Unfortunately, plant based proteins are considered INCOMPLETE proteins in less they are combined with the correct counterpart amino acids, and thus allowing them to digest properly or be used as an efficient fuel source… Otherwise, they can only be stored as part of the internal pool of amino acids waiting to become complete….and anything stored will inevitably result in weight gain. I will explain more about how to properly combine amino acids to create complete proteins later in this article.

Losing weight and building lean muscle with minimal access to complete (animal-based) proteins is a difficult task for many vegetarians, but it doesn’t have to be. Women who exercise regularly (a minimum of 5 hours/week: half cardio and half weight-lifting) should be consuming 20-30 grams of complete protein 3-5 times per day. Men who exercise regularly should be consuming 40-60 grams of protein 3-5 times per day.

2) ARE YOU A VEGETARIAN OR A PESCITARIAN?  

Many vegetarians eat seafood. This source of COMPLETE protein often makes it easier to accomplish physique-based goals. Based on the protein goals listed above, 4-6 oz of most seafood sources is equivalent to one serving of protein for women. Men should consume 6-8 oz. Food scales, which are now available on my online store, can help you to better understand what a proper serving size measures up to.

If you do not have access to a food scale, then use your hand as a measurement tool; typically, one serving of fish for women should be the same size as the palm of your hand (minus your fingers). For men, one serving of fish should equal two palms.

My only concern with a higher-than-normal seafood diet is an increased risk of heavy metal exposure. I recommend that pescitarians take advantage of this complete protein source up to 2 times per day, but should limit consumption to the following sources:

• Salmon: Alaska wild only. Others AND farmed may contain PCBs
• Sardines: Great choice. Pacific U.S. are the best.
• Halibut: Pacific U.S. is best, but even it is high in mercury. Avoid all other Halibut.
• Shrimp: Pink from Oregon is the best. U.S. and Canada is OK. Avoid all imported.
• Snapper: Avoid. Overfished.
• Scallops: Farmed are the best. Others are OK.
• Stay away from all Asian imported seafood.  

These sites will provide more information as to which forms of seafood are safest for consumption.

For more info go to <www.edf.org/seafoodhealth> and<www.nordicnaturals.com>

3) DO YOU EAT EGGS?

Some vegetarians eat eggs. Egg whites are a fantastic source of lean, COMPLETE protein and they are one of the easiest-digesting forms of complete protein for most people. Free-Range, organically farmed brands are preferred. According to the daily protein recommendations that I have listed above, one serving of egg whites for women is 4-6 whites and one serving for men is 6-8 whites.

• Fresher eggs are always the best option. Liquid egg whites are available at most grocery stores, but often contain preservatives.
  
• Egg white and veggie omelets make for a perfect meal.

4) BEWARE OF SOY

Many vegetarians seek soy as a protein source. I must warn that high levels of soy consumption are not the best option for those wishing to decrease body fat or increase lean muscle because soy intake can often lead to an adverse effect on the thyroid organ. The body usually responds to soy by increasing estrogen production, a hormone that is directly correlated with increased body fat and water retention (bloating).

5) DO YOU EAT DAIRY?

If you are not a Vegan and are not lactose-intolerant, than many dairy products can be a great source of lean, COMPLETE protein. My favorite options include:

• 1 cup of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt (double for men)
  
• 1 Cup of plain fat-free yogurt (double for men)
  
• 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese (double for men)

6) SUPPLEMENT ON WHEY, CASEIN, OR ISOLATE PROTEIN SHAKES  

Whey and casein proteins are made from dairy products, but many lactose-free whey proteins are available. Isolate proteins are dairy and lactose-free.

One serving typically contains 20-30 grams of protein, so one serving will fit the protein recommendations listed above for women to one and a half-two servings will be sufficient for men. I prefer chocolate or vanilla-flavors because they tend to taste more like the real thing. Be careful with flavors such as “cookies and cream.”  The sound of a fancy flavor is oftentimes misleading and can leave you disappointed with your flavor selection.

One great thing about protein powders is that they do not perish. I keep serving size zip-lock bags in my purse, backpack, and in my car and I carry a shaker bottle on me at all times. In times of hunger, when healthy food options are absent, I can always have a shake and know that I made a safe choice. I often have 2-3 shakes per day as snacks in between meals. Shakes make it easier to have 5 meals a day. Eating every 3 hours is always ideal because it speeds up metabolism and increases the ability to lose body fat and increase lean muscle.

Protein powders usually taste just fine when combined with 1 cup of water. Every once in a while, almond-butter OR fruit (not both) can be blended with a powder and water to create an even tastier treat. However, I do not recommend doing this with every shake because high levels of daily sugar or fat or intake will promote the development and storage of excess body fat. This leads us to my next point.  

7) DECREASE YOUR SUGAR-INTAKE

The typical American consumes 34 teaspoons (136g) of sugar per day. However, the USDA recommends no more than 10 teaspoons (40g) of sugar per day. Consuming more sugar than the body can convert into usable energy will lead to the storage of body fat. This being said, it is no wonder that Type 2 Diabetes and obesity are increasingly becoming an epidemic in this country.

So, let’s examine what 40 grams of sugar looks like when it comes to consumption:

Fructose-Based Foods                                      Sugar Content

• 1 medium-sized banana                      4 tablespoons (15 grams)
• 1 cup strawberries                                2 tablespoons (7 grams)
• 1 cup grapes                                           5 tablespoons (20 grams)
• 1 cup cantelope (cubed)                       3 tablespoons (13 grams)
• 1 navel orange                                        6 tablespoons (23 grams)
• 1 large apple                                           6 tablespoons (23 grams)
• 1 large peach                                          3.5 tablespoons (15 grams)
• 1 cup watermelon (cubed)                   4.25 tablespoons (18 grams)
• 1 cup pineapple (cubed)                       2.25 tablespoons (9 grams)

Non Fructose-Based Foods                            Sugar Content

• 2 slices white bread                             3 teaspoons
• 1 bowl cereal                                         4-5 teaspoons
• 1 bagel                                                    4-5 teaspoons
• ½ cup dried fruit                                 4 teaspoons
• ½ cup fruit juice                                  3-4 teaspoons
• 1 can soda                                              9 teaspoons
• 1 cup chocolate milk                            6 teaspoons
• 1 bowl ice cream                                   23 teaspoons

As you can see, 10 teaspoons of sugar adds up quickly.

8) DECREASE YOUR INTAKE OF “STARCHY” CARBOHYDRATES

I had an idea why my vegetarian clients had more trouble losing weight than my non-vegetarian clients, so I made them all fill out 3-day long food journals. After examining these journals, I learned that my hypothesis was indeed correct; my vegetarian clients were eating far too many processed and starchy foods.

Examples of starches include: potatoes (and potato products), sweet potatoes, rice (and rice products), quinoa, beans, legumes (such as lentils), corn (and corn products), oats, granola, wheat/flour/bread-based products, and pastas.

The purpose of starch is to provide high levels of energy for the body. However, like sugar, any of this energy that is not used as fuel for exercise, will inevitably be stored as fat. This is the main reason why having starch at night is a very bad idea. Chances are that you will not be running a marathon after dinner, so there is simply no need to consume starch at night. On that note, there is no reason to consume starch on days when you do not exercise (since your body does not need additional fuel for exercise). 

According to the “Eat right for your body type” philosophy, aging promotes a forever decreasing ability for the body to digest starch….and once again, when a food can not be digested, it is STORED (typically as body fat). In less you are under 25 years old or genetically blessed with the body of a long-distance runner, chances are that your metabolism has a low tolerance for digesting starch.

Starch consumption also leads to excess water retention. 1 oz of starch results in retention of 4 oz of water. What happens when you soak noodles or a piece of bread in fluid? Generally speaking, it expands in size. It does the same thing in your stomach and often leads to bloating as a result.

Did I mention that gluten (wheat-based products including: flour/oats/barley) are among the top 4 most common food intoleraces within the adult population? The other 3 include dairy products, nuts, and shellfish. You may never know you have a food intolerance without performing blood-work with your doctor, but you should understand that your risk for having such an intolerance is high, that it only increases with age, and that your small intestine (which absorbs nutrients from the foods you eat) could be deteriorating as a result of high gluten-consumption.

SUMMARY

 For vegetarians wishing to lose body fat or increase lean muscle, you should begin your process by following these basic rules:

• Eat 5 servings of complete protein per day.
  • Each serving should contain 20-30 grams of protein (women) and 40-50 grams (men). Complete protein sources include seafood, egg whites, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and protein powders (see exact measurements listed above).
• Decrease or avoid soy intake
• Limit sugar consumption to 40 grams (10 teaspoons) of sugar per day.
  • Check food labels whenever possible to find out how much sugar is in the foods you eat. If there is no label is provided, then Google it.
• Try to limit starch consumption to natural foods. These starches should only include: beans, lentils, brown rice, and sweet potatoes (not yams).
• Avoid starchy carbohydrates at night and during days without exercise
• If you must have starch at all, then try to limit consumption to 1 serving/day for breakfast OR lunch time on days when you do exercise for at least 1 hour.
• 1 serving of starch for women is 30 grams of carbohydrates. Men are allowed 1.5-2 servings at 45-60 grams of carbohydrates.

Example of 1 Serving of Complete protein for Pescitarian/Vegetarian Diet

• 4-6 egg whites (women)/ 6-8 egg whites (men)
• 4-6 oz seafood (women)/ 6-8 oz seafood (men)
• 1 cup soft tofu (women)/ 1.5-2 cups soft tofu (men)
• 1 cup tempeh (women)/ 1.5-2 cups soft tempeh (men)
• 1 serving whey or isolate protein powder in water/ 1.5-2 servings (men)
• 1 can (2 servings) tuna (packed in water)/ 1.5-2 cans (men)
• 1 cup low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese (women)/ 1.5-2 cups low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese (men)
• 1 cup fat-free or low-fat PLAIN yogurt or Greek Yogurt (women)/ 1.5-2 fat-free or low-fat PLAIN yogurt or Greek Yogurt (men)

Example of 1 Serving of Complete protein for 100% Vegetarian/Vegan diet (1/5-2x serving sizes for men)