Muscle building is an important topic for many people. Over the last few years, a healthy lifestyle in combination with sports has become more and more central to the lives of many people. For many, sports are a way to balance out their work or school, but for others, sports are more than just a way to balance out their lives and serve, for example, to build muscle.
When it comes to building muscle, nutrition is one of the most important factors alongside strength training. For people on a vegetarian diet, it is often difficult to find the right sources of protein. In today's blog post, we explain how you can start paying attention to good nutrition and protein intake at breakfast time and show you the best way to build muscle with a vegetarian diet.
Discover the Verival Sport breakfast here
How to build muscle
There are white and red muscle fibres in the body. The white muscle fibres, which are mainly found in the legs and chest, contract quickly, generate a lot of power but also tire slowly. The red fibres are mainly found in the abdominal and neck muscles, contract more slowly but are just as enduring.
There are a few basic rules when it comes to building muscle. Muscle building happens when you push your muscles beyond the limit of your performance level during training. The goal is to tire the muscle and give it new stimuli. During the regeneration period, the muscles then adapt to the new level. At least in theory.
But it's not that simple. Because only with strength training alone you quickly reach the limit in muscle building. Because: strength training is a very important asset in the whole process of building muscle, but without the right nutrition, your muscle will eventually ‘stop’ and will no longer get bigger.
That's how important proteins are for building muscle.
Proteins are made of amino acids. The term proton is derived from the Greek and stands for ‘the first, the most important’ and from this the term protein has been derived. Our body has no protein storage and therefore it is extremely important that we regularly supply it with proteins. Proteins provide building blocks for muscles, organs, blood but also enzymes and hormones.
Proteins are the building blocks of every muscle. Without proteins, there is no muscle building. Thus, the higher your training intensity, the greater your body's protein requirement. So it can quickly happen that you not only need to consume one gram per kilogram of your body, but 1.5 grams, for example.
Nutrition is a central component of every training plan. So when building muscle, you should definitely pay attention to it. Our recommendation is to find out the right option for you with a specialist so that you don't make any mistakes. With a balanced nutrition plan, you can more easily avoid any mistakes.
Tip 1: Meeting your calorie needs is very important for building muscle.
That is precisely why it is important to eat the right foods. Because without the right nutrients, even the best strength training will achieve nothing. So you should always make sure you meet your calorie needs or achieve a surplus.
To do this, you should use our Verival calorie calculator. This can help you to calculate your calorie requirements. Based on this data, you can then determine how many calories you need to consume.
Calculate your calorie requirement here
Tip 2: A sufficient protein intake helps you to build muscle
The right proteins are essential for successful muscle building. You should consume about 1 gram of protein per kilogram of your body weight. So the right foods with a high protein content are just as important in your diet if you want to build muscle.
Tip 3: Start the day with the right proteins at breakfast
To get the right proteins at the start of the day, it is important to eat a healthy and substantial breakfast. Oats, porridge, muesli and crunchy bars are often very high in protein. With our Verival breakfast products, especially our sports products, you have the right shot of proteins for the day ready in the morning.
Tip 4: With your own body weight, you can train anywhere
Often people fail in their training because of the most minimal things. For example, the way to the gym is often one of the biggest obstacles! But you don't always have to go to the gym to train. It is often enough to do workouts at home with your own body weight. Having small weights around the house will certainly make it easier for you to start your workout on some days.
Tip 5: The right nutrition for the best muscle-building results
If you want to build muscle, it's not just important to do a lot of strength training. Far more important, and more difficult, is the right nutrition. Because not all calories are the same.
For people who want to constantly work on their muscles, it is essential to pay attention to their diet. Good fats, nutritious products, vitamins, minerals – all these things are important for building muscle. That's why we recommend talking to a professional about the right diet for you.
These are the best sources of protein in a vegetarian diet
The misconception that vegetarians or vegans can consume too little protein without meat is still widespread. However, this is absolutely not true. Even with a meat-free diet, there are plenty of alternatives for getting protein.
With eggs, various dairy products, legumes, but also cereals such as oats or nuts, you have more than enough protein sources to choose from. It is not always meat that provides the really large amount of protein.
250 grams of yoghurt, for example, often provides up to 30 grams of protein! That is just as much as in a hand-sized chicken breast fillet.
Beans are also an incredible source of protein. The soybean is the champion among beans. With 33 grams of protein per 100 grams, it is unbeatable, closely followed by lentils and peas, each with 23 grams of protein per 100 grams.
So if you want to eat a protein-rich diet, you don't necessarily have to eat meat. The environment will thank us all in any case.
The 3 best plant-based protein sources for muscle building
For many people, a vegetarian lifestyle is no longer enough. More and more people are going completely without animal products and eating a vegan diet. But what about a protein-rich lifestyle? Is it even possible? Of course it is – and it's easier than you might think.
There are plenty of vegetable sources of protein. As already mentioned, pulses such as beans are probably the clear winner among vegetable sources of protein. But nuts should not be left unmentioned either.
Oats as a source of protein
Nuts and seeds
With their many fats, nuts should only be eaten in moderation, but they still contain a lot of protein. Peanuts are the clear winners in this category. With 26 grams per 100 grams, they are at the top. Almonds are just as healthy and rich in protein, with 19 grams of protein per 100 grams. Walnuts come in at 14 grams.
Vegetables
In general, vegetables are also a perfect source of protein! Broccoli and spinach are the frontrunners here. Don't be fooled by the fact that 3.3 grams and 2.2 grams of protein per 100 grams don't sound like much! That's because 100 grams of broccoli only has 17 calories – which means that more than half of it is protein.
Oats
Oat flakes are also a perfect source of protein. It is important to have the ideal start to the day, especially at breakfast time. This is just as important for competitive athletes as it is for people who only do sport as a hobby! Proteins are the be-all and end-all when it comes to making muscle building easier for you. With oats, you not only start the day healthy, but also with a lot of protein. Oats provide 13 grams of protein per 100 grams.
If you want to learn more about our breakfast products with protein, you should visit our shop directly. We are sure to have the right product for your diet! Here is a little recipe to inspire you for a high-protein breakfast.
Basic recipe: oatmeal
Ingredients
- 250 ml milk or a plant-based alternative for vegans (oat milk, almond milk, soy milk,...)
- 50 g oatmeal (grams of oatmeal)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 tsp agave syrup optional
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon of your choice
Preparation
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Boil the oatmeal with the pinch of salt and the sweetener of your choice in the milk or plant-based alternative (preferably with constant stirring). Cooking the cereal flakes with only hot water is also a possible variant.
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Let the porridge steep for 3 minutes.
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Pour the porridge into a bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon.
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Enjoy!
