Can Vegans be Bodybuilders?

As with most disciplines, bodybuilding has developed certain ideas which are considered critical for success. How to train in the gym, what supplements to take, and what food to eat - all of these probably have specific guidelines that are considered mandatory by most bodybuilders. However, you may be surprised to learn that there are other methods of accomplishing your goals, methods you may not have thought were compatible with bodybuilding. While you certainly don't need to change a routine that is working for you just for the sake of change, it does help to keep an open mind. For instance, you probably have been told that meat and dairy products are essential components of any weight gain diet. This brings us to the new breed of bodybuilder - namely the Vegan bodybuilder.

Vegan diets exclude all animal products including meat, milk, and dairy derivatives. This kind of diet may be followed for ethical, religious or health reasons (or all the above). The assumption by many meat eaters has been that a vegetarian diet is inferior, especially when it comes to building muscle. In contrast, Mr. Cheeke of Veganbodybuilding.Com states that the right combination of vegetarian foods can give us all the necessary amino acids for building protein. Consuming various plants is important because individual plants only contain incomplete proteins. With a wide variety available, choosing complementary sources of protein is probably easier than you think.

This is not to say that vegetarian diets are without controversy for muscle building. For example, soy protein has become a staple food for many vegetarians, since it is considered a complete protein and also contains nutrients which may be beneficial for heart health. Some critics believe that soy may have long-term negative effects. Anyone considering a vegetarian or Vegan diet should do some research and come to a personal decision. The idea of the vegetarian bodybuilder may dispel many old stereotypes about bodybuilding and diet. It certainly makes non-vegetarians think twice about the stereotype of the scrawny, weak vegetarian.

Here are two important quotes from this rare breed of bodybuilder.com. They are simple concepts that are often overlooked, and it is these concepts that can make a difference between mediocrity and greatness, both in bodybuilding and life in general.

"We learn something every day, but there is so much that we don't apply," Cheeke said. "If you don't apply what you know then it is wasted. We have the ability to change as long as we take action, otherwise the wheels just spin and we go nowhere."

"I think 99 percent of people don't have passion for something," Cheeke said. "That's fine, but having a passion for something makes life so much better and eventually it comes down to the application of that passion."