Vegan Bodybuilding Diet: Guide + Meal Plan for Bulking & Cutting

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What does a bodybuilding diet look like? is vegan bodybuilding possible? what do vegan bodybuilders eat?

With the increasing interest in plant-based diets, new and experienced bodybuilders are turning to veganism for its health and performance benefits.

The days when bodybuilding was synonymous for having meat for every meal and chugging raw egg-whites for breakfast are —thankfully—being left behind.

Instead, science and practice are proving that building muscle and achieving your fitness goals on a plant-based diet is not only possible but more efficient.

If you’re looking to build a strong lean physique with a vegan bodybuilding diet, this article is everything you need to get started.

Is a Vegan Diet for Bodybuilding possible?

The short answer is yes! There is nothing about veganism that could stop or hinder your bodybuilding goals. On the contrary, a plant-based diet has proven to benefit vegan athletes by lowering inflammation and speed up recovery among many other health benefits.

While vegan athletes and bodybuilders are breaking stereotypes every day, the mainstream bodybuilding community still questions if it is possible to build and maintain a muscular body on a plant-based diet.

There is still a wide misconception on animal products being the only source of protein. Because of this, people often wonder if they’ll be able to get the necessary protein and amino acids to grow and sustain muscle mass from plant-based sources.

However, once you understand what protein is and where it comes from you’ll learn how vegan sources can give you not only all the protein, but also all the nutrients you need to optimize your bodybuilding goals.

How to create the perfect Vegan Bodybuilding Meal Plan?

Whether you are eating a vegan diet or not, bodybuilding requires you to plan ahead and create a meal plan that is tailored to your goals.

You can work super hard in your training sessions, but what you eat will make all the difference between getting the results you want or wasting your efforts.

If you are new to this it might seem a bit confusing but after you are done reading this guide, you will be an expert at creating and tweaking the ideal vegan bodybuilding plan to support your dreamed physique.

1. Determine your goal

Creating the strong, lean physique every bodybuilder aspires to have, requires two key elements to take place:
1. Muscle Growth (Bulking)
2. Fat Loss (Cutting)

These two processes require a different nutrition approach and put your body in different modes therefore, they can’t happen at the same time (unless you are a beginner and can benefit from what is known as ‘body recomposition’).

But for the most part, bodybuilders train in phases of 6-8 months where they devote all their efforts to one of these goals.

• In the bulking phase you aim to gain the most muscle possible while minimizing the amount of fat gained. In this phase you’ll be eating in a caloric surplus which is more than your daily caloric maintenance level.

• And during the cutting phase, you aim to lose the most fat possible while avoiding muscle loss. In this phase you’ll be beating in a caloric deficit which is less than your daily caloric maintenance level.

How to Know If You Should Cut or Bulk?

If you’re are wondering whether you should go for a bulk or a cut there are a few things to consider that can help you decide what will be best for your overall goals.

If you are currently unhappy with your body fat percentage, then you should probably go for a cut since you want to get lean before worrying about adding muscle.

When you bulk you are going to gain some unwanted fat which might not be very motivating especially if you are already feeling fluffier than you’d like.

The same applies if you are currently overweight. In this case, cutting is also the healthiest and smartest choice, even if your long-term goal involves putting on a fair amount of muscle.

If you’re in the somewhere in the middle, the decision on whether you should cut or bulk would be dictated by your body fat percentage.  

Specifically, you should cut if:

• You’re a man with more than 15% body fat.
• You’re a woman with more than 25% body fat.

On the other hand, you should bulk if:

• You’re a man at or below 10% body fat.
• You’re a woman at or below 20% body fat.

To sum it up:

2. Calculate your vegan calories and macros

After you have decided what your goals are, the next step is to calculate how many calories —and in what macronutrient split— you should be eating to support them.

If you are unfamiliar with macronutrients, do not worry, in this section, you’ll learn why they are important and how to calculate them in an easy and effective way.

2.1 Calories

Weight loss or gain is determined by the number of calories you consume. In fact, most fad diets ‘work’ because they limit your caloric intake whether it is by reducing a certain food group like fats or carbohydrates, or by reducing your eating window like intermittent fasting.

When it comes to weight management, your body only cares about calories in and calories out.

Here’s how it works:

• If you are looking to gain muscle mass you should be eating in a caloric surplus consistently (more calories than you use on a daily basis). With the proper training and time you will be able to use these excess calories to build muscle.
• if you are looking to lose fat you should be eating in a caloric deficit consistently (fewer calories than you use on a daily basis), and over time you will burn body fat to make up for this energy imbalance

2.2 Macronutrients

Besides calories, macronutrients are another key factor in your vegan bodybuilding diet.

While the saying ‘A calorie is a calorie’ may be true for mere weight gain and weight loss, calories break down into each of the macronutrients will dictate how well your body builds and repairs muscle tissue, as well as how much muscle you retain during weight loss. 

1500 calories of french fries a day will give you a completely different result than 1500 calories of whole foods.

As the name implies, macronutrients are the different types of ~nutrients~ we can get from food.

There are three types of macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. All foods are divided up into a combination of these macros, and that’s how the calorie content is made up.

Each type serves a different function in your body so eating the right percentage is key to achieving your bodybuilding goals. While the calories we consume have a profound effect on the way your body looks – the macronutrient split is perhaps equally as important.

While eating in a caloric surplus or deficit will determine whether you gain or lose weight, macronutrients are essential to make sure you actually gain muscle (and not fat) and lose fat (and mot muscle).

Let’s take a look at what they do and how much you need of each.

Protein

Protein is made by amino-acids which act like building-blocks for muscle and connective tissue. Hence why protein is essential for bodybuilding if you want to be able to grow and maintain lean muscle mass.

Protein and veganism have a controversial history. Pretty much every vegan on earth has been asked the dreaded question “where do you get your protein from?” at least once.

However, protein is widely available in plant-based sources. Without going into a debate, all animals get their protein from plants and stored them in their bodies that are later eaten by omnivores. So, technically, by eating your protein from plants you are just going straight to the source.

Protein provides 4 calories per gram and should 
make up 20% to 25% of your calories.

Fats

Fats have gotten a bad rep but they are essential for the body to function properly. Healthy fats help with vitamin absorption, supply the body with essential fatty acids, and allow for proper hormone function which is key for muscle building and maintenance.

That said, not all fats are equal. It’s best to replace saturated fats (margarine, oils) and trans fat (found in processed, pre-packaged foods and fast food) with healthier plant-based unsaturated fats (found in foods like nuts, avocados, olives, etc.).

Fats provide 9 calories per gram and should 
make up 15% to 20% of your calories.

Carbohydrates

Despite their poor reputation, healthy ‘carbs’ are the most efficient source of energy for your body and brain and are essential to keep them working at an optimal level.

Carbs provide the major source of energy to fuel everyday activities and make sure you make the most out of your workouts.

Carbohydrates provide 4 calories per grams and should 
make up 55% to 65% of your calories.

If you are thinking all this information is cool but how do you actually calculate your macros, we are getting there…

There are a couple of formulas and calculators you could use to calculate them. I personally like to use the one at Macros Inc

Once you visit the site, they’ll give you the option to choose if you want to lose fat, gain muscle or maintain. Luckily, we have gone through this choice before 😉

Then you just fill out the form with your current stats and activity level.

And choose if you rather have a macro split with higher carbs/lower fats or vice-versa. The higher carbs/lower fats option is ideal for a vegan diet since most plant-based protein sources have a significant percentage of carbohydrates.

After submitting your information, you will receive your calculated calories and macros to your email and they will look something like this (but tailored to your needs and goals of course).

And done! I bet that was a lot easier than you expected. Now that you have the macros for your vegan bodybuilding diet the most important part is done and we can take a look at your meal plan.

Recommended: How To Calculate Vegan Macros? Simple Guide To Hit Your Body Goals Faster

3. What to eat on your Vegan Bodybuilding Diet

By now, you have calculated your calories and macronutrients which is the biggest key to achieving your bodybuilding goals!

Now you are probably wondering what do eat to reach those goals so let’s start by looking at the vegan sources of these macronutrients.

3.1. What to eat for Protein?

To put it simple, you can hit all your protein need with plants (despite what mainstream media has made everyone believe).

Foods like lentils, beans, peas, tofu, and tempeh are packed with protein making them staples for vegan bodybuilders.

For example, a 100 calorie serving of tofu has 11 grams of protein. In comparison, 100 calories of ground beef provide only 8.9 grams of protein.

Veggies, and whole grains are also full with of protein, 400g of broccoli offer more than 10g of protein and a cup of oatmeal containing over 6g. 

For a detailed list of vegan protein sources and their protein content make sure to check out this article later.

If you’re struggling to meet your protein requirements or want an easy way to get some protein in after a workout you can always supplement with vegan protein powder.

>> See Our Recommended Vegan Protein Powders <<

3.1. What to eat for Fats?

The plant world is full of healthy fat sources that provide minerals, fiber, vitamin E, and essential fatty acids.

Foods like nuts, seeds, unrefined oils, coconut, and avocados give you plenty of options to choose from to include in your vegan bodybuilding diet.

With 9 calories per gram, fats are more calorie-dense than proteins and carbohydrates. No matter what your goals are, make sure to pay attention to serving sizes since a handful of nuts can contain hundreds of calories.

Healthy vegan fats can come from many places, including the following:

• Flax seeds
• Hemp seeds (great protein ratio too)
• Chia seeds
• Cashew nuts
• Brazil nuts
• Almonds
• Peanuts
• Avocado
• Coconut
• Macadamia nuts
• Walnuts
• Tahini (sesame seed paste)

3.2. What to eat for Carbohydrates?

I think it’d be fair to say no one has ever struggled to find a carbohydrate source in a vegan diet. When it comes to meeting your vegan carbs needs, you are in for a treat!

You can find them in the form of complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and tubers e.g. rice, quinoa, potatoes, or simple carbohydrates like pasta, bread, and flour-based foods.

Complex carbs are always a great choice because they are high in starch and both soluble and insoluble fiber, which means they help with satiety and digest slowly without causing any blood sugar spikes.

On the other hand, simple or refined carbs have undergone some processing so it is better to consume them in moderate amounts.

Here’s a list of healthy complex carbs that are awesome:

• Sweet potatoes and yams
• White potatoes
• Brown rice
• Legumes i.e lentils and beans
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Oatmeal
• Whole-wheat pasta

4. Tips for creating your Vegan Bodybuilding Meal Plan

While each person has specific needs for calories, macros and also a different lifestyle and taste, meal plans can vary a lot from person to person.

However, there are some major keys you should consider when creating your perfect vegan bodybuilding diet.

4.1. Prioritize Whole Foods

Calculating your macros means you have some space for freedom and you could technically ‘hit them’ by including junk food in your diet.

While this a benefit you want to take advantage of occasionally, you want to stick to whole plant foods for the most part.

Whole foods in their more natural state such as starches, root vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds offer a greater amount of nutrients per calorie vs processed food.

For example an apple has as many calories as 4 french friend but the apple has way more nutrients.

If you eat more of these foods in your vegan bodybuilding diet, you will increase its total nutritional density which in the long run will protect you from nutrient deficiencies, contribute to your overall health, and improve your performance, and recovery.

4.2. The 80%-20% Rule

The 80-20 rule means you should aim for a minimum of 80% whole plant foods in your vegan diet, leaving room for the remaining 20% to come from less nutrient-dense and refined/processed foods.

A well-rounded diet should have space for some treats from time to time. There are dozens of delicious vegan treats being launched constantly so you could treat yourself to some vegan ice cream, pizza, or cookies from time to time.

If you make sure to stay within your calories and macros, eating junk food once in a while will not make not ruin progress, and it can actually encourage you and keep your sanity intact. 

On the other hand, you will notice how great your body feels when you feed it mostly whole foods so if you want to stick to 100% unprocessed plant foods by all means go for it.

4.3 Eat a Variety of Plant Foods

If you are new to a plant-based diet you might not have yet come to realize the huge variety of options available to you.

While it is ok to stick to some familiar foods at the beginning to not get overwhelmed, as you continue on your vegan bodybuilding path, make sure to incorporate more and more new foods in your diet.  Not only is it healthier, but it’ll make it less boring too.

You could technically hit your macro goals with a diet consisting of nothing but lentils, oatmeal, and peanuts, but you’ll be missing out on many of the vital nutrients your body needs in order to thrive.

To make sure your body gets the variety of nutrients it need, aim to include an assortment of different whole plant foods in your diet.

4.4 Keep an eye on your micronutrients

Optimizing your macros to create a better body composition and sculpt your ideal physique is a very powerful tool at your disposal.

However, it is not the only and last thing to consider for overall health. While keeping track of your macros is important – you should not forget about your micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)  such as zinc, iron, vitamin B12, omega-3s, iodine, calcium, fiber, antioxidants, etc.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by all the new names and things you’d need to consider, do not worry too much about it, you can now keep track of your macros and micros with many of the phone apps available.

As a matter of fact, these apps will not only help you keep track of your nutrients but will tell you exactly how much you need of each. Hang int here, you will see how easy it is in the next section.

4.5 Get your fruits and veggies in

When thinking of macros and optimizing your meals around them, do not make the mistake of leaving out essential foods like fruits and vegetables.

On the superficial level, they can look like mostly some fiber, water, and sugar, but in reality fruits and vegetables are the key to getting a variety of vitamins and minerals from our food.

Without getting into too much details, eating a lot of veggies and fruits gives you many benefits such as reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality (5).

They are also rich in fiber which is essential for gut health, and proven to be related to overall mental health and well being. Fiber also helps you feel fuller for longer so, especially if you are looking to lose weight, focusing on fruits and veggies will help you reach your goals.

There are too many vegetables to mention, but here are some of the key ones:

Vegetables

• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Bell peppers of all colors
• Red cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Green peas
• Kale, spinach and dark leafy greens
• Tomatoes
• All kinds of mushrooms

Fruits

• Bananas
• Apples
• Strawberries
• Mangos
• Pineapple
• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Kiwis

5. Vegan Bodybuilding Meal Plan example

As you can imagine, since your calories and macros are different from everyone else’s,  it is impossible to provide a vegan bodybuilding meal plan that fits everybody.

However, we have created a bulking plan and a cutting plan that you can use as a reference and base to modify and create your own.

5.1. Vegan Bodybuilding Bulking Meal Plan

For the Vegan Bodybuiling BulkignDiet, we will use the example of a 80 kg athlete looking to increase their muscle mass.

We will use the following calories and macros as our goal:

• Calories = 3080 kcal
• Protein =128-176 grams
• Fats = 51-103 grams
• Carbohydrates =390-490 grams

Breakfast:
Tofu Scramble with Sourdough Toast

Lunch:
Lentils and Quinoa Salada

Post Workout:
Protein Shake

Dinner:
Tempeh Salad

Daily Total

According to the data, we are hitting the targets for both macros and calories

5.2. Vegan Bodybuilding Cutting Meal Plan

For the Vegan Bodybuilding Cutting, we will use the example of a 60 kg athlete looking to lose body fat.

We will use the following calories and macros as our goal:

• Calories = 1970 kcal
• Protein =120- 130- grams
• Fats = 50-60 grams
• Carbohydrates =235-245 grams

Breakfast:
Protein Blueberry Oatmeal

Post Workout:
Protein Shake

Lunch:
Tofu Stir Fry

Dinner:
Lentils with Sweet Potatoe

Daily Total

According to the data, we are hitting the targets for both macros and calories

5.3 Other ideas for your Meal Plan

Breakfast for your vegan bodybuilding diet

• Chocolate Breakfast Smoothie
• Vegan Protein Pancakes
• Vegan Tofu Scramble

Lunch for your vegan bodybuilding diet

• Tofu stir-fry, vegan pasta, beans, red lentils, celery, onion, and spinach
• Vegan burrito bowl made with rice, beans, and homemade mock taco meat
• Lentil loaf made with lentils, kidney beans, veggies, and nutritional yeast

Dinner for your vegan bodybuilding diet

• Teriyaki tempeh with broccoli and quinoa
• Black-bean veggie burger with sweet potato fries
• Vegan chili with tofu mince, kidney beans, tomatoes, and red lentils

Snack for your vegan bodybuilding diet

• Green smoothie bowl
• Tempeh sandwich
• Chocolate-peanut-butter protein shake

Luckily, creating a meal plan that adheres to your calories and macros has never been easier. There are now dozens of apps available where you can simply add your meals and tweak them to ‘hit’ your perfect macronutrients and also micronutrients.

>>Recommend: 28-Day Healthy Vegan Meal Plan & Recipes (Beginners Guide) <<

Here is an example of a vegan bodybuilder tracking his diet through the Chronometer app so you can understand better how ir works and how easy it is.

6. Meal Prep

A lot of bodybuilders tend to meal-prep for the week and eat basically the same for every meal for as long as that batch lasts.

While apps and websites make the whole process of calculating your macros and meal easier, it definitely takes some time and dedication so you can imagine why meal prepping makes things easier.

By cooking and measuring all your meals for the week in one seating, you avoid having to worry about it every day and also make sure to not end up eating something else out of hunger and time restrictions.

I personally like to meal prep my lunch and dinner for the week and don’t mind making my breakfast and snack in the same day since I usually have a shake for each which is quick and easy to make. (Plus they don’t hold well after a while).

But you can experiment and see what works better for your lifestyle and goals. If you are new to this try to make things easier by basing your meals on familiar dishes and just tweaking the rest of your macros around them.

7. Vegan Bodybuilding Supplements

Besides the already mentioned nutrients, there is really nothing else you can’t get from a whole-foods plant-based diet. However, there are some supplements that can help you hit your macros and goals in an easier way depending on your lifestyle:

Vegan Protein Powder

Vegan Protein Powder can help you hit your protein macros easier or have a quick dose of protein handy after a training session.

We have already established that you can get all your protein from your diet alone but the truth is most bodybuilders, vegan or not, use protein powder to supplement their diets for practical reasons so there is really no shame in using them.

Even more, with the increasing demand and options for vegan protein powders, you can get high-quality ones with nothing but great ingredients and added benefits.

Vegan Mass Gainer

If you are looking to gain muscle and are having a hard time eating enough calories then you could benefit from a adding mass gainer to your vegan bodybuilding diet.

This is only advisable if you have tried creating a surplus with your diet alone and are not being successful at putting on any weight and muscle.

Again, look out for vegan mass gainer with no additives and preferably organic ingredients.

>> See our recommended Vegan Mass Gainers <<

8. Vegan Nutrient Supplements

While a well-planned vegan diet can fulfill all your nutritional needs certain vitamins or minerals may be difficult to achieve through diet alone.

This is especially true for vitamin B12, vitamin D, and long-chain omega-3s.

8.1 Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the most common ones, not only in vegans but in omnivores too, so it is definitely one to look out for.

B12 is essential for many bodily processes and plays a crucial role in nervous system health. Too little vitamin B12 can lead to anemia and nervous system damage, as well as infertility and bone and heart disease (1, 2, 3).

The only real proven way for vegans to get enough B12 is through fortified foods like plant milks, soy products, breakfast cereals, and nutritional yeast or by taking a vitamin B12 supplement providing a daily dose of 25–100 mcg of cyanocobalamin or a weekly dosage of 2,000 mcg.

If you are unsure about taking supplements you might find it reassuring to get your blood levels of vitamin B12 checked before taking any.

8.2. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is responsible for enhancing the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from your gut (4). It also influences many other bodily processes like immune function, mood, memory, and muscle recovery (5, 6, 7).

Unfortunately, very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, so vitamin D deficiency is a common problem among vegans and omnivores alike.

Aside from the small amount you get from your diet, vitamin D can be made from sun exposure by spending 15 minutes in the midday sun when the sun is strong.

However, vegans who are unable to get enough from fortified foods and sunshine should consider taking a daily vitamin D3 supplement.

8.3. Long-chain omega-3s

Omega-3 fatty acids can be split into two categories:

• Essential omega-3 fatty acids like Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which you can only get it from your diet.
• Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which are not considered essential because your body can make them from ALA.

Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids play a structural role in your brain, eyes and reduce the risk of inflammation, depression, and breast cancer (8, 9, 10)

In theory, you could get enough ALA from flax foods like flax seeds and chia seeds which should maintain adequate EPA and DHA levels. However, research shows that the conversion of ALA to EPA may be as low as 5–10%, and around 2-5% when it comes to DHA (11, 12).

Vegans especially tend to have lower blood and tissue levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. For this reason, most health professionals recommend supplementing with 200–300 mg of EPA and DHA per day.

If you are looking for a vegan supplement that includes the three nutrients, I recommend checking out Vedge Nutrition, it makes things way simple and has all the required amounts for each vitamin in one pill.

9. Track and Adjust

After following your Vegan Bodybuilding Diet for one or two weeks, you want to make sure the calories and macros you are using are helping you get closer to your goals by keeping track of your weight and/or measurements.

While we are using universal formulas that should give you a pretty accurate result, there are many factors involved that could have caused an incorrect calculation. E.g. You could have thought your lifestyle was sedentary when it was actually active, or you could have ended up working out 3 days a week instead of 5.

The truth is, you will only know for sure how this diet is working for you after trying it and tracking your results. This is going to help you achieve your goals long term and not have to change your strategy too late.

Let’s say you are bulking and can feel yourself getting stronger so you assume your macros are good. However, if you don’t keep track of your weight you might end up putting on more fat than needed making you want to stop your bulk before time.

As a frame of reference, consider that the average man can expect to build between 0.25 and 0.5 pounds of muscle per week (or about one to two pounds per month), and the average woman can expect to build between 0.12 – 0.25 pounds of muscle per week (or about 0.5-1 pound of muscle gained per month).

If you are gaining much more than this per week you are probably doing it in the form of fat and will want to reduce your calories and macros.

On the other hand, a good rule of thumb when cutting is is to aim to lose 1–2 pounds per week or 4–8 pounds per month to make sure you are not losing your hard-earned muscle.

Takeaway

Creating and following a Vegan Bodybuilding Diet that helps you achieve your fitness goals is completely possible and healthy.

As any bodybuilding diet, it requires some planning, preparation, and dedication. Luckily, once you get into the bodybuilding work and especially the vegan one you will enjoy not only the results but also the process and how your body will feel.

You will have more energy, recover faster and achieve your goals while taking care of your health.

What do you think? Is there something else you would like to know about a Vegan Bodybuilding Diet? Let us know in the comments!

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