Vegan muscle

[etcarl]

I thought I heard that LL Cool J was vegan, and has been for a long time. But he used to be puny and is very big now. Does anyone know the story there? Did he build all that muscle as a vegan?

I'm sure it's possible. There's protien in lots of things other than meat. But it's a little amazing (assuming it's true, I may be wrong). I've heard some athletes say that they went Vegetarian or Vegan but went back to meat becasue they needed it. So I don't know what to think. Those athletes may have been suffering from psychosomatic delusions put in place by the old 1920's slaughterhouses of Chicago, but............ Dang; reading Upton Sinclair books messes with your head, I should shut up now, LOL!

Anyhow; you think it's true? About LL I mean. Somebody fill me in.

[evnp85]

I did a google search and found an entire forum dedicated to vegan body building. Check out this thread:

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/php...hp?f=46&t=8087

[Lunar Effect]

I have been vegan in the past, but I am only vegetarian now. I have never encountered problems adding muscle mass.

[bass slayer]

im not vegan but i am vegetarian also. it would be hard to gain muscle if you were a strict vegan i always thought.

[rbtrout]

I think it would be more difficult, but that's my opinion.
Doesn't vegan = vegetarian or do the vegans take it further?

Vegetables are what food eats, right?

[starfox]

Vegans don't eat anything that comes from animals, like milk, cheese, etc.

[Lunar Effect]

Yes, vegans avoid all dairy in addition to meats and fish. I am actually "pescatarian" because I do eat fish, but not meat.

I did always hear that vegans are unlikely to develop very much muscle mass because it is assumed that they don't ingest enough protein. Pretty much all of their protein comes from nuts, beans, rice, and what trace amounts are available in vegetables. It is easy to get a large amount of soy protein, however there are studies that suggest that large amounts of unfermented soy inhibit protein synthesis. I was a vegan for about a year and never really noticed any change in strength or energy level.

I guess what it comes down to is what you believe in terms of how much daily protein you need. If it's more about total caloric in-take, then you should be fine. If you truly need 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight in order to add muscle mass, then vegans are not likely to be successful. I have never been able to find any concrete answers on how much protein you actually need day in and day out....

[evnp85]

Apparently this guy is a vegan body builder, one of the biggest (although kind of looks small). At least this proves that you can gain some decent muscle even if you are a vegan. I'm sure his diet must get extremely repetitive.


http://www.vegetarianteen.com/articl...eprotein.shtml

Take from the same site:

FOOD AMOUNT PROTEIN PROTEIN (gm) (gm/100 cal)

Tempeh 1 cup 31 9.5
Seitan 4 ounces 15-31 21.4-22.1
Soybeans, cooked 1 cup 29 9.6
Veggie dog 1 link 8-26 13.3-20
Veggie burger 1 patty 5-24 3.8-21.8
Lentils, cooked 1 cup 18 7.8
Tofu, firm 4 ounces 8-15 10-12.2
Kidney beans, cooked 1 cup 15 6.8
Lima beans, cooked 1 cup 15 6.8
Black beans, cooked 1 cup 15 6.3
Chickpeas, cooked 1 cup 15 5.4
Pinto beans, cooked 1 cup 14 6.0
Black-eyed peas, cooked 1 cup 13 6.7
Vegetarian baked beans 1 cup 12 5.2
Quinoa, cooked 1 cup 11 3.5
Soymilk, commercial, plain 1 cup 3-10 3-12
Tofu, regular 4 ounces 2-10 2.3-10.7
Bagel 1 medium(3 oz) 9 3.7
Peas, cooked 1 cup 9 3.4
Textured Vegetable Protein
(TVP), cooked 1/2 cup 8 8.4
Peanut butter 2 Tbsp. 8 4.1
Spaghetti, cooked 1 cup 7 3.4
Spinach, cooked 1 cup 6 11.0
Soy yogurt, plain 6 ounces 6 6
Bulgur, cooked 1 cup 6 3.7
Sunflower seeds 1/4 cup 6 3.3
Almonds 1/4 cup 6 2.8
Broccoli, cooked 1 cup 5 10.5
Whole wheat bread 2 slices 5 3.9
Cashews 1/4 cup 5 2.7
Almond butter 2 Tbsp 5 2.4
Brown rice, cooked 1 cup 5 2.1
Potato 1 medium(6 oz) 4 2.6

[Lunar Effect]

Veganism is dumb, animals kill each other all the time, and humans are no exception. It's how things have always been and how things always will be.

Yes, some carnivorous animals kill other animals (such as lions and wolves) which is why they are designed by nature to chase down prey, tear it apart with their razor-sharp teeth and claws, and then proceed eat the meat raw. Humans however share more than 98% the same DNA as animals such as chimps, who are overwhelingly vegetarian.

Now I'm not going to turn this into an animal rights thread because I avoid meat for health reasons, but the sweeping statement "Veganism is dumb" shows very little intellect, much less any tolerance to others choices and beliefs. Veganism is a nothing more than a dietary lifestyle that someone has made (and a very healthy one at that), and unless someone was raised/indoctrinated that way, I doubt that anyone would chose veganism without seriously thinking it through.

As far as how it relates to building muscle mass, the jury is still out. I know that most opinions you read will say that it isn't likely to be sucessful, but those opinions typically come from people who have never attempted it or known anyone who has.

[king olof]

Veganism is dumb

As a vegetarian, for my own reasons, one of my biggest hates is these vegetarians telling people that they shouldn't eat animals and annoying people with their activist hippie bull ****. One thing worse than that is people coming and slating other peoples' lifestyle for no other reason except that they fail to understand that people may have a wide variety of motivations for the life they lead.
OGROK what gives you the right to judge any one else on their beliefs and lifestyle?

[-JM-]

As a vegetarian, for my own reasons, one of my biggest hates is these vegetarians telling people that they shouldn't eat animals and annoying people with their activist hippie bull ****. One thing worse than that is people coming and slating other peoples' lifestyle for no other reason except that they fail to understand that people may have a wide variety of motivations for the life they lead.
OGROK what gives you the right to judge any one else on their beliefs and lifestyle?

Youre biting.

[king olof]

Youre biting

meaning? If you are going to say something be direct about it!

[joelhall]

good points on both sides, though there are some arguements which are biased and not quite true.

yes, it is harder to build muscle on a vegan diet, however by combining the right foods it ist all the amino acids required by the human diet. the actual amount of protein is besides the point, unless it contains the correct amounts of essential amino acids (those not produced in the body): isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan & valine.

it is true we share a high proportion of dna with apes. however the human body is not designed to live solely on vegetation. dna is not the only factor involved in body chemistry, but controls certain events. to carry out these events certain chemicals from food must be present, which increases the need for vegetarians or vegans to use vitamin & mineral supplements, or adding fats to their food.

the need for meat really comes about from our state of evolution. it is suggested that meat eating is actually what caused us to evolve into humans in the first place, due to the scarcity of vegetation millions of years ago, and actually caused us to become more resilient, due to the better supplies of amino acids, such as methionine, the sulphur in which helps it to neutralise toxic compounds produced from certain foods, ensuring our survival.

it is however to be remembered that vegetarian diets can be perfectly adequate for health.

i do personally, however, cringe a little at parents who force their young children to be vegetarian. human breast milk obviously does not fit into vegan diets, and at such an early stage the amino acids (the essentials, plus arginine, cysteine, histidine, & tyrosine) found in meat are essential for normal development. it is also a personal lifestyle choice and noone should be pressured to be vegetarian, vegan, or even carnivorous for that matter, but enjoy a balanced diet.

[-JM-]

meaning? If you are going to say something be direct about it!

OGROK made a statement to get a rise. He got it.

[king olof]

OGROK made a statement to get a rise. He got it.

Absolutely. But if someone told you that eating meat was stupid/abhorrent/immoral would you not in some way respond to them telling them what you thought of them?

[smokinHawk]

if we weren't suppose to eat meat, then why did God make animals so tasty?

[-JM-]

Umm, pretty sure I wouldnt let it bother me.

His was such an obviously antagonistic post, that it didnt even warrant a response. On the other hand, if it is in fact the way he truly feels, then it is a sad reflection on him. No need to get in a flap. JMO

[drmobley]

I was trying to think of the bodybuilder's name back in the 80's that was a vegetarian and pretty good sized. I would think being vegan that one would have to supplement quite a bit to give the body the nutrients it needs to grow. Also, I wonder where some of the ingredients in those products come from. If anyone thinks of that bodybuilder before I do, post it because I'll be thinking about it all day.

[-JM-]

Kenneth G Williams?

First hit in google under 'famous vegan bodybuilder'

[Lunar Effect]

I was trying to think of the bodybuilder's name back in the 80's that was a vegetarian and pretty good sized. I would think being vegan that one would have to supplement quite a bit to give the body the nutrients it needs to grow. Also, I wonder where some of the ingredients in those products come from. If anyone thinks of that bodybuilder before I do, post it because I'll be thinking about it all day.

I think you are referring to Bill Pearl.

[Lunar Effect]

if we weren't suppose to eat meat, then why did God make animals so tasty?

I'm sure when Jeffery Dahmer went to trial he must have asked the same thing about human beings.

[Lunar Effect]

i do personally, however, cringe a little at parents who force their young children to be vegetarian. human breast milk obviously does not fit into vegan diets, and at such an early stage the amino acids (the essentials, plus arginine, cysteine, histidine, & tyrosine) found in meat are essential for normal development. it is also a personal lifestyle choice and noone should be pressured to be vegetarian, vegan, or even carnivorous for that matter, but enjoy a balanced diet.

I have 3 kids, none of which eat meat. I consider it raising my family as healthy as possible. Fish provides everything that they need, minus all of the carcinogens, bad cholesterol, and saturated fats carried in red and white meats.

And why would human breast milk not fit into a vegan diet? It's not milk that vegans avoid, but any by-prodcus of animals. Human breast milk would be a no-brainer. Cow milk would be avoided.

[Songsangnim]

Yes, some carnivorous animals kill other animals (such as lions and wolves) which is why they are designed by nature to chase down prey, tear it apart with their razor-sharp teeth and claws, and then proceed eat the meat raw. Humans however share more than 98% the same DNA as animals such as chimps, who are overwhelingly vegetarian.

Now I'm not going to turn this into an animal rights thread because I avoid meat for health reasons, but the sweeping statement "Veganism is dumb" shows very little intellect, much less any tolerance to others choices and beliefs. Veganism is a nothing more than a dietary lifestyle that someone has made (and a very healthy one at that), and unless someone was raised/indoctrinated that way, I doubt that anyone would chose veganism without seriously thinking it through.

As far as how it relates to building muscle mass, the jury is still out. I know that most opinions you read will say that it isn't likely to be sucessful, but those opinions typically come from people who have never attempted it or known anyone who has.

Stuart McRobert (author of several bodybuilding books including Brawn and Beyond Brawn) tried a vegan diet for four years according to him. He said he never got anywhere...nor did he see much change in the physiques of his friends who were vegans as well.

[bass slayer]

i have no regret that my parents raised me to be vegetarian and i will be that for the rest of my life. ive always been healthy and i see no need to eat meat, especially when some meat is known to carry bad bacterias that are harmful.

[etcarl]

Animals aren't tasty. Spices are. Spices on animals make animals tasty.

Regardless; hilarious comment. Thanks for making it.