Vegetarianism does not have one definition with as many as five different types of eating habits which qualify as being a vegetarian. For most vegetarians, their diet is primarily made up of vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, fish, and dairy products. Some vegetarians will also consume eggs or even poultry. Vegan is the strictest form of vegetarianism, their diet not only excludes all meat products but dairy products are also restricted, so basically no animal products are consumed. Due to the more limited food choices vegetarians have, it means they are required to get more creative with food to ensure their diets include enough nutrients and calories to fuel muscle growth and stay healthy.
What you eat isn’t the only factor vegetarians can look at when it comes to gaining weight. Your metabolism ensures that the calories you consume are burned and that the nutrients are processed by your body. Having a high metabolism can affect your ability to gain weight. One consideration would be to trick the body into slowing down your metabolism so that you are not burning as many calories. This is particularly useful for people with a fast metabolism to begin with. The trick is to eat a heavy meal late in the day. Consuming a high calorie meal late at night will help make sure that your body won’t be able to burn the calories off so quickly.
Protein is an important part of any weight gain diet. This is no exception for a vegetarian wanting to gain weight. Vegetarians need to make sure they get enough protein by consuming legumes, nuts and seeds in combination with whole grain breads and cereals, as well as soy products. Getting enough protein is such a critical component in repairing and building lean muscle.
Nuts such as almonds are the most healthful. They have the most mono-saturated fat and the least saturated fat. An ounce or so can be a good source of protein and healthy fats. Fresh roasted almonds can be a great substitute for bacon. If you roast or bake an ounce or so to the point where they are quite brown, but not burned, in an oven of about 375 degrees or a bit more – and serve hot, they taste crispy and slightly smoky – just like perfectly done bacon; but almonds don’t have the saturated animal fats and preservatives that bacon has; and the almonds don’t taste greasy or make a greasy mess!
Legumes like lentils and black eyed peas are the best. They tend to produce the least gas, have the lowest glycemic index and have the most soluble fiber. Both can be use for soups and stews; and, lentils can be used to make a great vegetarian chili. Any of these dishes can be made nonfat or with just a bit of olive oil when appropriate. They can be a good cold weather addition to breakfast.
Some people consider themselves semi-vegetarians and eat fish. Fish can be good one to three times a week. Salmon has by far the most healthful oil and is quite satisfying. Halibut is one of the lowest fat fishes and is also good. Tuna is good. And, if you know and like other kinds by all means try them occasionally.
It would be a good idea buying a well written raw diet cook book which provides information on tasty foods and cooking methods to help you in your quest for size. One such book I would recommend is The Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shannon, which provides good nutrition information on how to gain weight for the natural bodybuilder. It teaches you about what foods to eat, protein and carb content, tips in combining raw food dishes, facts to support raw food benefits, and how the body functions in conjunction with switching to this type of diet.
The weight lifting principles for gaining significant weight and muscle are no different for a vegetarian, so I won’t touch this topic in this post. I would advise you to check out the training articles elsewhere on this site for information regarding the training aspect of weight gain.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I think this is a great way to build muscle mass. You can get a lot of protein in fish and vegetables. I think you will start seeing more people trying to gain mass this way because it’s healthier and easier on your liver.
Its such a great article…giving me information on vegies that I eat can help me gain weight. Now i’ll eat more vegetables than meat, meaning gaining weight through vegetables is healthier rather than cholesterol weight gain through meats.
:o) sorry to bang on about it but I really do find this website helpful!! It’s really made me sit up and take notice of my nutrition intake – I didn’t reallise how important B12 was for example, and I’d been veggie for 14 years!! When I turned vegan last year I did a bit of research and was really glad of this resource.
Here is the ‘nutrition in a nutshell’ guide. Down the bottom of the page is a chart with loads of ways to make sure your body gets everything it needs to gain weight healthily.
http://www.vegetarian.org.uk/guides/nutritioninanutshell.htm
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“Eggs, dairy products, and meat are all excluded from a vegetarian’s diet” — since when has vegetarianism meant no diary products? Also, not every vegetarian excludes eggs. Otherwise, this is a pretty good article. Just get the facts straight!
Hi Julie,
Thanks for pointing out that factual error in the article. I have updated the blog post to reflect this.
Cheers,
David
I’m an engineering student can you help me on suggesting a vegetarian diet that would help me gain weight as soon as possible my weight is 45kgs please reply soon
Hi David,
Thanks for fixing that up. I’m sorry for being a bit snappy there…
Take care,
Julie
P.S. Jay, I strongly suggest to take three good meals (breakfast is the most important) which consist of things like pasta, rice, potatoes (mashed or not), lentils, eggs (if you include them in your diet), vegetarian steaks, etc. Think quality AND quantity. Exercise well and good luck!
Hi Jay
As a rule of thumb for veggie athletes – particularly good sources of protein in vegetarian diets include soya products (like tofu (soya bean curd), veggie burgers and soya milk), beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and cereals (eg wholegrain bread, pasta and rice). Although athletes need some extra protein this is normally covered by the increased food intake, not by increasing protein foods specifically. By eating more calories – mainly carbohydrates – and keeping dietary protein near 15% of your total energy intake any extra protein needed will be supplied by this increase in amount of food eaten. I guess the main thing is to use your muscles – I think this is the most important thing to build them bigger and stronger?
:o)
Wow, thank you! I have been veg for 5 years due to health issues but now feel that my weight is too low. I want to put on about 10 pounds and get back into weight training again. This assures me I am on the right track.
Also, I really appreciate the non-judgmental tone of the article. Thanks for this info!!
Hi David, I’m 24 years old 5′9″ male my weight is 75 kg. I go to gym and like to heavy workout. I am pure vegetarian but i am not satisfied with my weight. I want to gain about 10 kg more weight. Please reply me and give me tips to gain weight.
Vegetarians do not eat fish or poultry. Such people may call themselves by this label but vegetarianism by definition precludes the consumption of animal flesh. A person who eats fish and birds but no other animals is an omnivore, albeit a more selective one.