There have long been negative and misleading perceptions about the compatibility of the raw food diet with weightlifting and building muscles: the idea of the skinny, haggard vegans who’ve disbarred themselves from adequate sources of protein. This is a myth, and one that is fortunately being debunked over time by the rising emergence of weightlifters in the bodybuilding community who are advocating the vegan diet, with many of them showing that a ripped, muscular torso and clean eating aren’t mutually exclusive. Here are some tips to make it easier to get the body you want without having to sacrifice the health benefits of your raw food diet.
Go for the Greens
Leafy green vegetables are mostly known for their high nutritional concentration of vitamins and minerals, but they are also rich sources of healthy proteins that will contribute to the development of muscle mass. Kale, broccoli, spinach, and alfalfa are all incredibly good for you and packed with a lot more protein than you’d imagine. In addition to their protein content, they are, of course, packed to the gills with all the vitamins, folic acid, and nutrients they’re already famous for. Eat these in quantity every day to count towards your increased protein intake.
Beans Are Your Friend
Beans and legumes are true super-foods and terrific sources of complex carbohydrates, fibre and protein, as well as numerous nutrients. They have extremely low GI ratings as well, so they will take a long time to digest, keeping you feeling energized and fuller for longer. Garbanzo and mung beans are both excellent examples that you can start with, and from there, try experimenting with other varieties to keep your diet varied and ensure you don’t get bored of any one particular type.
Increase Your Nut and Seed Intake
These are the secret weapon in the raw food muscle building diet. Nuts and seeds are crammed full of healthy fat strings and carry a high protein content. They’re good for you on almost every level and can be easily added to a variety of dishes. The same can be said for seeds, such as flax, chia, and hemp that are all bursting with nutrients and are high in protein. Ordinarily, if you were aiming to work out for a cut, then we’d recommend you exercise strict portion control. However, if you’re looking to simply gain muscle mass, then nuts could make your life a lot easier and are incredibly flexible to cook with.
Eat Your Heart Out
If you’re really looking to gain muscle, you’ll have to eat the aforementioned foods in high quantities, well above your daily calorie maintenance levels. If you’ve been following the raw food diet for any length of time, then you already know that you need to eat raw foods in greater quantities to make up for the processed carbohydrates other diets draw their energy from. However, seeing as you’ll be needing to increase both your protein and carbohydrate intake to build muscle mass, you can eat most of the aforementioned foods as much as you like. Two things to bear in mind. Firstly, eat a large meal around 45 minutes after the conclusion of your workout: this is when your body needs fuel the most, and also when it will have the most benefit to your physical development. Secondly, the only foods you might need to be a little careful about eating are nuts, simply because they have the most fats out of any element of a raw food diet. They’re great as a part rather than the whole of your workout diet plan, but it can be tempting to sit with the spoon in the jar of your favourite peanut or almond butter past the point of indulgence. Consider saving nuts for between meal snacks to ensure that they don’t overwhelm the rest of your food intake.
Stay Hydrated
This is an often overlooked aspect of bodybuilding for both raw food enthusiasts and others. Water is an essential part of an active diet, and its importance grows exponentially when you’re pursuing a regular workout schedule. Water is especially important when weightlifting: you need your muscles to be well hydrated to develop mass and be able to lift at your maximum potential. The popular workout supplement creatine keeps more water in your muscles increasing the amount you can lift. We wouldn’t recommend that on a raw food diet plan, but it is illustrative of just what a key role water plays in your workout regimen.
I`m Eva Henderson, writer, traveler and content coordinator at oddsdigger.com . I enjoy outdoor activities, yoga and mythology. Hope you will enjoy my articles! If you want to learn more about me and my hobby feel free to visit my Facebook and Twitter accounts.
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