10 High Protein Vegan Friendly Foods For Gaining Muscle

Are you vegan or vegetarian and looking to pack on some muscle? Have you been told that it's next to impossible on that type of diet? If so, then keep reading as you are about to discover 10 high protein vegan foods that you can easily incorporate into your diet that will help in your quest to gain muscle.

1) Ezekiel cereal - This Almond flavoured cereal packs a lot of punch for a breakfast meal, coming in at 8 grams of protein per ½ cup of cereal. And we all know how easy it is to have more than a ½ cup. So rest assured that you are getting at least 8 grams of protein from the cereal alone.

2) Hemp Bliss - This drink might take some getting used to, but it goes well with the Ezekiel cereal and tops up your protein consumption with 5 grams/cup on its own. With the two combined you are looking at 13 grams of protein for one meal.

3) Nature's Path organic unsweetened oatmeal has a surprising 7 grams of protein per packet. Now, if you're looking to pack on muscle, then you are most likely consuming more than one of these packets at a time.

4) Nut Butters - Cashew butter, almond butter, macadamia butter, you name it - these nut butters are all excellent sources of protein. Mix in a tablespoon of one of these butters into your oatmeal and you're looking at a high protein snack right there. The cashew butter alone weighs in at 5 grams of protein per 30 gram serving.

5) Multigrain Bread - This goes nicely with the nut butters with each slice offering 3 grams of protein. And if you're looking to gain muscle, then 2 slices just won't be enough for you, so you could potentially be looking at 12 grams or protein just from the bread. Factor in the 10 grams from the nut butter and you've got yourself a healthy dose of protein.

6) Quinoa and Quinoa Flakes - Quinoa has a nutty flavour to it and is also very easy and super quick to make, making it an ideal side dish for many meals. Add in the fact that the flakes have a whopping 15 grams of protein per 100 gram serving and you're not only getting a delicious meal, but one with a lot of protein as well.

7) Pasta - if you're going to eat pasta, then look for Spelt or Kamut noodles in particular. Spelt clocks in around 11 grams per 85 gram serving. It's always difficult to tell just how much pasta is on your plate, so you can bet that you're eating more than that 85 gram serving.

8) Beans - beans, black beans and kidney beans especially, are probably one of the biggest protein sources of everything I've mentioned thus far. Men's Health recently declared black beans to be the cheapest protein source per 10 grams at 13 cents. So go ahead and make a bean salad, or stew up a pot of chilli full of kidney beans.

9) Nuts - Almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, and pistachios in their raw form, are all excellent high protein snacks.

10) Wild Rice - at 4 grams of protein per ½ cup of dry rice, wild rice isn't only just a very healthy side dish, but one full of protein as well.So there you have 10 delicious and vegan friendly foods that are sure to help pack on the muscle.

Get FREE instant access to more sample fat burning workouts at: http://www.TurbulenceTraining.comCraig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines and will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment.

Discover a vegetarian weight loss diet and lose fat without eating meat.

Almonds Vs Carbohydrates For Weight Loss

Did you know that almonds can help you lose weight? Did you know that even though they are high in fat, almonds are better than complex carbohydrates like oatmeal?

Recently someone asked over at Men's Health, "what are the worst forms of starchy carbohydrates?"

Well, starches are just plant stores of carbohydrates...ie) potatoes, yams, vegetables, etc.

Obviously, potatoes are more calorie dense than broccoli, so if you want to lose fat, it is better to fill up on the leafy greens than the mashed potatoes.

I've found that with myself and with clients, that when we eliminate bread, pasta, and rice, and limit carbohydrate intake to vegetables, fruits, and nuts, that we lose belly fat faster.

Combined with interval training, getting rid of bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes just helps us lose fat faster. Instead of eating those types of carbohydrates, we focus on fruits and vegetables, and nuts such as almonds and pecans.

It's that simple.

In fact, science even backs me up.

In a study published in 2003, researchers found that subjects lost more weight when consuming almonds compared to complex carbohydrates.

Reference: Wien MA, Sabaté JM, Iklé DN, Cole SE, Kandeel FR. Almonds vs complex carbohydrates in a weight reduction program. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Nov;27(11):1365-72

Since then, I've been recommending raw almonds to all of my clients and millions of people that read my articles on the Internet and in Men's Health magazine.

But some folks still have a hard time eating almonds. Too boring, they say.

So here are 4 ways to add extra enjoyment to your almonds. Of course, make sure your almond intake fits into your daily calorie needs.

a) Snack on dry roasted, unsalted almonds. Roasted are always tastier, but be careful and only use the dry-roasted variety, not almonds roasted in oil. You can even roast your own at home, by simply putting almonds on a baking sheet in your oven at 350 for about 10 minutes.

(By the way, there are 22 almonds in a one ounce serving.)

b) Add raw cocoa nibs. There's nothing like the combination of chocolate and nuts. Now, I'll admit, this combo doesn't beat a peanut butter cup, but it's still a great way to get more antioxidants (from the cocoa) and adds an interesting taste to your almonds.

c) Add Goji berries. This is an acquired taste, but these dried berries from Asia are full of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. A tasty zing to add to your almonds.

d) Mix blueberries with your almonds. Perfect for this time of year. (And if you've got a few calories to spare, pour a little organic whipping cream over top of the mixture. Now that's a great post-workout snack!)

Personally, I'll be packing a bag of dry roasted almonds on Thursday as I take off for a couple of days to Bethesda, Maryland for a meeting. Perfect for the airport, the airplane, and even at breakfast in the hotel. Almonds beat carbohydrates for fat burning, and make for good snacking!

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training for Fat Loss have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Turbulence Training for Fat Loss workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all. 

Quick Nutrition Tip For You

Who else is busting their butt in the gym and not getting the fat loss results they deserve?

Almost everyone, I know, I know.

Listen, you have to fix your nutrition. No more foods from a bag or a box. Switch over to more fruits and vegetables.

Now I know you're not just going to wake up and eat 10 servings of vegetables tomorrow. Besides, your stomach and co-workers wouldn't appreciate it.

But you have to make little changes every day, week, month & year for fat loss. We can always get better. So this weekend, start with one new item from the produce aisle to help control your appetite, regulate your blood sugar, and burn belly fat.

If you want to lose fat, live longer & healthier, and have more mental and physical energy to get through your day, you need to put premium fuel in your body's engine.

Not grease. Not sugar. Not quick fixes. You have to plan ahead. But don't worry, it doesn't take much time.

Start by eating several small meals each day, focusing on protein and fiber-rich foods.

Combine that with the short, convenient strength and interval training workouts and you'll feel like a million bucks.

We are all a work in progress, so never give up on your ability to change your body at any age.

Nutrition & exercise are as powerful as the drugs your doctors are handing out.

So fight back against aging and body fat naturally.

Here's a diet I've used in the past to get super lean.

If you avoid the Western Lifestyle eating habits that tempt you on a daily basis, and live according to the strength and intervals Lifestyle, you can lose fat and gain muscle.

I'm going to tell you the best way to eat for fat loss and muscle gain on a 2100 calorie per day diet.

You might say that you can't eat like this, but the truth is even if you start making only one change per day you will start to see improvements.

Make this a goal that you will start today: to choose one healthier food option per day that will get you one step closer to your lean body. Here are the guidelines.

- 6 meals per day. If you can't do that, combine a couple of meals to get down to 4 meals per day. Even most busy people can do 4 meals/snacks per day.

- Remove all sugar from diet.

- Have at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight (to a maximum of 250g per day)

- Have 3 servings of fruit per day (sticking to high-fiber fruits such as apples or grapefruit and high-antioxidant fruits such as berries)

- Drink at least 4 cups of Green Tea

- Follow Dr. John Berardi's 90% rule - if you eat according to the guidelines 90% of the time, you can cheat 10% of the time and still make incredible body changes.

This is the exact meal plan & training plan I follow to get ultra-lean.

I'd probably only need 3 weeks before I would be ripped - this approach is super fast and effective. Plus, I'm already very lean because I avoid the Western Lifestyle and live the strength and interval Lifestyle everyday.

Meal 1:
3 Omega-3 eggs
1oz cheese
1 cup raw broccoli
6g fish oil
2 cups Green Tea

Meal 2:
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup blueberries
1 apple
1 cup Green Tea

Meal 3:
1 chicken breast
2 cups mixed green salad or spinach
1 cup raw peppers & broccoli
2 cups Green Tea

Meal 4:
Post-workout chocolate milk (2 cups)

Meal 5:
2 oz almonds
1 apple
1 cup Green Tea

Meal 6:
6oz steak
1/2 avocado
1 cup asparagus
1 cup swiss chard
1/2 cup strawberries

Bonus snack late:
1 apple
1 tbsn peanut butter

Turbulence Training is the fat loss program that gives REAL RESULTS for REAL PEOPLE. Ask your workout questions on the Turbulence Training Fat loss Forum.

Airplane & Hotel Fat Loss

Last year I flew over 20,000 miles and over 2 dozen airports, visiting New Zealand, Australia, LA, Florida, Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Allentown, Detroit, and many other cities, all to learn how to help you lose more fat.

In addition, I also learned - the hard way - about how difficult it is to eat on the road, and when stuck in airports for hours and hours at a time (as I was in Washington one night for 7 extra hours).

If your diet sucks, you are going to get fat.

And that's where people fail big-time when traveling. After all, there isn't too much good food to eat in airports, however, its easy to find nutritious food if you know where to look (you can get apples and almonds, and often bananas and even grilled chicken in most airports).

After nutrition, simple laziness is the next big hurdle we have to overcome while traveling. It's easy to skip a workout because you can say, "the hotel gym doesn't have the equipment I'm used to"...but if you have a bodyweight training resource, you know there are dozens of great exercises you can do without the need for fancy machines.

Here are 7 tips to help you stay fit and not fat while traveling.

1. It's up to you to pack good nutrition options for the road since it's almost impossible to eat appropriately when you are stuck in airports or on the road. Some healthy, road-worthy snacks and fluids include water, Green Tea, nuts, apples, and jerky.

2. Plan your business travel meals as much as possible so that you can stick to the options provided in the nutrition section. Sneak on snacks, and pass on the airline food. Ask and you will receive.

3. Make the necessary accommodations so that there is an adequate hotel gym or nearby fitness establishment so that you can continue with the regularly scheduled routine.

4. It is best to purchase a day-pass and go to a local gym to work with a certified personal trainer. You don't need machines to burn fat.

5. Schedule your workouts with as much dedication as you schedule your business meetings. Take advantage of whatever time slot is available during your travels for exercise. Training is another appointment that can also be used as an excuse to skip the unnecessary post-meeting cocktails and calories.

6. Travel with a "maintenance mindset". Stick to your plan and you'll return home without gaining any fat or losing any fitness. Minimize the nutrition dangers of food, booze, and inactivity with a positive mindset.

7. Spend waiting time walking. If you are enduring a layover in an airport, walk around the airport for a mini-workout if your schedule and surroundings permit.

Bonus Tip: Alternatively when on business travel, consider using this time as a recovery week from training if you have been training consistently. Stay active, but allow yourself some mental recovery from a strict training schedule.

So stay strong and stay fit when you are on the road. More travel for me coming up, and for you too I bet. So stay strong. I'll be using these tips to burn fat on the road.

Craig Ballantyne gives you these fat burning workouts to lose inches without long, slow cardio.

How Much Protein Can You Absorb At One Time?

The biggest protein myth is that you can only digest 30 grams of protein at one time. Find out what's wrong with this belief and just how much protein you need. This is a common question. I also get variations such as, how much protein can you digest at one time?

There are two ways to answer this, because there really two questions being asked.

1) How much protein can the digestive system physically absorb into the bloodstream from a meal?

And the MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION...

2) How much protein can you body actually utilize?

The answers...

1) About 95% and higher, unless you have some type of digestive system malfunction.

So if you get convinced by supplement companies to drink a 42g protein shake in 5 minutes, you'll still probably absorb at 38 or more grams of that protein.

Your muscle growth is not limited by the amount of protein you can DIGEST or ABSORB.

Your muscle growth IS LIMITED by the amount of protein that your body can utilize for protein synthesis.

So the answer to #2...

2) A lot less than you think.

You really don't need 40, or 30, or probably even 20g of protein per meal to keep your protein synthesis humming along. See Nutrition Help Expert Brad Pilon's post on "How Much Protein Do We Really Need"

Any protein that your body can't use for growth will be shuttled into a process where it is broken down (de-aminated: meaning the nitrogen is removed from the molecule and it becomes a carbon skeleton) to be used in energy pathways.

Now, there are benefits for eating extra protein (in my opinion) when dieting, mainly that it helps to suppress appetite.

But the bottom line to the question I am asked almost everyday is...

a) Your body can digest and absorb almost all of the protein you eat without problem.

b) Your muscles can only do so much with protein...the muscle growth process is RARELY, if ever limited by the amount of protein we consume. Almost all of us can easily get enough protein for maximum muscle growth without the need for eating 50g of protein 6 times per day. Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, and Gunter Schlerkcamp excluded, of course.

Overall, I'd think twice about the need to slam down a 40-50g protein shake...just think of the children and puppies you'll save by not gassing them out with protein farts.

Real food should cover all your protein needs.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training for Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. More nutrition help and fat loss workouts show you how to burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's bodyweight for abs exercises help you lose fat without any equipment at all. 

Nutrition Lies You Tell Yourself

I spent a lot of time this week designing personal nutrition programs and meeting with new clients. And every time I do that, I have clients fill out an extensive feedback form, which includes a 3 day diet record.

Now one of the questions on the feedback form is, "Do you eat lots of fruits and vegetables?"

The most common reply: yes. And it's always a lie.

But the truth comes out pretty quickly.

When I take a look at their daily diet record, many of these clients aren't eating any vegetables at all. Not a single vegetable all day.

Listen, I guarantee you that not eating fibrous vegetables means that you are not going to reach your fat loss goals.

If you want to be lean, but don't think you need any vegetables at all to accomplish this goal, then I'd like to know what color the broccoli is in your world, because getting lean just isn't going to happen for you.

I'm serious.

You can bump up the lean protein and knock down your sugar intake, but if you aren't pumping up the greens in your diet, you're going to be frustrated with your fat loss.

Find out more about proper eating from female health and fitness expert, Rachel Cosgrove.

Craig Ballantyne: Do you have any super foods that you think absolutely must be in everyone's diet for health and wellness purposes?

Rachel Cosgrove:

Green vegetables are a super food. I usually try to get my clients to have some kind of vegetable at breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. They can throw some spinach in their eggs, have a salad at lunch and broccoli at dinner for example.

The other super food besides green vegetables is essential fats, whether it is from foods or in supplement form everyone should be getting their Omega 3 fats. Over and over again in the research Omega 3 fats prevent all types of diseases and are truly a super food. So eat fish and green vegetables!

CB: Where should someone start if they want to take their healthy eating to the next level? (i.e. beyond just eating regular supermarket chicken and vegetables). What are some tips to eating as healthy as possible?

RC:

Get out of your rut. Too many people get stuck in a rut of eating the same thing every day. You should rotate your foods. If you eat a food today, you shouldn't eat it again for four days. This is called a rotation diet and works great for your health and for decreasing inflammation. Basically if you have chicken today, don't eat it again for four days.

This is really hard to do and I dont usually give a true rotation diet to too many people but I do emphasis variety and trying to eat different foods throughout the week.

Basically each time you go to the grocery store try to buy something different, try buffalo or ostrich meat or a different type of fish. Grab a new vegetable you have never tried.

CB: What ratio of carbohydrates, fat and protein is best for fat loss or is this something that must be approached individually?

RC:

This is individual, depending on metabolism and activity level.

Following a Low Junk Diet cuts your carbohydrates back pretty low though so I suppose if I were to recommend anything, it would be lower carbohydrate where all the carbs are from fruits and vegetables.

I would never say no carbohydrates though. You have to be careful because if you cut back too much you'll be too tired to move and then you'll burn less calories and it'll back fire on you. I also like to cycle in a higher carbohydrate day once or twice a week.

CB: What are some common Western-diet foods that cause problems such as fat gain, inflammation, food allergies, etc.?

RC:

Fast food, processed junk, sodas- again, stick to whole, natural foods. Remember "Green Faces."

(The majority of people would do well sticking to whole, natural foods. We have a nutrition plan we start people on at our gym to eliminate the junk from their diets called "Green Faces" and it consists of eating foods that are green or that had a face. That's it, nothing else.)

Allergies are usually from bombarding your body with the same foods over and over again. Most common allergies are wheat, dairy and sugar. If you are having symptoms of allergies such as post nasal drip, fatigue, bloat, gas, excess mucus, etc. try eliminating wheat, dairy and sugar and see if your symptoms disappear. It is most likely one of these foods.

CB: What are the benefits of eating organic food? How does a customer know if the food is organic?

RC:

For myself and my clients I recommend eating organic when possible.

Organic food will have lower amounts of pesticide residue. Don't let this scare you though, eat more fruits and vegetables, organic or conventional, and you'll be healthier. Just be sure to wash your produce well before eating.

I have started to see more and more organic foods in the regular grocery store which makes it easier to get. It will say "Certified Organic" on it, meaning it was grown on an organic farm. I also love to visit the local Farmers Market every week, this is a great way to get a variety of really fresh vegetables, some organic.

CB: What are the best teas for us to be drinking? Where should we buy them (commercial grocery store, real Chinese health food stores, etc.)?

RC:

Green Tea has thermogenic, anti cancer and cardio-protective properties. What better way to start off your day! Skip the coffee and have green tea. You can find organic green tea at your regular grocery store.

CB: Thanks Rachel. It's easy to eat well for fat loss and health, you just have to plan ahead. So plan, shop, and prepare on the weekends so that you have great meals and snacks all week long.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men's Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines and all over the Internet, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Doctor's Diet Weight Loss Nutrition Secrets

Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition.

No program is so good that it can ignore the 3 factors above. Today, we're going to get the doctor's secret advice on how to eat for fat loss.

First up, Dr. Dave...

For his diet secret, he recommends eating the 4 to 5 broccoli florets, 4 to 6 fish oil, a handful of berries and 10 to 16 ounces of water before each meal.

Yes, that sounds weird. But there are reasons to do this.

The fiber from the broccoli will help fill you up and control your blood sugar. And the water adds to stomach volume, helping to fill you up and control your appetite even more. The fish oils and berries are in there for health promoting reasons.

And not only will the fiber and water help you control your appetite at this meal, but at following meals as well. That's why I urge you to start the day off with a fiber-rich, protein-rich breakfast. It will set the dietary tone for the day and help you prevent constant hunger between mini-meals.

So fiber-rich vegetables and calorie free liquids are a great "pre-feast" strategy to use over the holidays to control your appetite.

(And if CB could make that pre-meal snack any better, what would I add? Green Tea, of course.)

Heck, that pre-meal snack would be healthier than most people's entire daily nutrition.

Next up, advice from Dr. Phil (yes, that Dr. Phil). His secret advice is that all of your food choices should contain a large nutrient-to-calorie ratio - something he calls, "High Response, High Yield Nutrition".

Examples of this include eating a whole piece of fruit instead of drinking juice, eating green leafy vegetables as a side dish rather than mounds of potatoes, and snacking on healthy-fat rich almonds rather than killer-fat containing potato chips.

Give your body fat the old heave-ho...

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com.