Raw Vegan Bodybuilding: Here’s How!

The popularity of the raw food lifestyle has absolutely exploded in recent years. It’s perhaps the most radical diet fad we’ve ever seen (if we can call it a fad, that is – I personally think it’s something much, much bigger and longer lasting than a mere “fad”), but not only does it seem to make sense – at least from a health point of view – it also seems to work darn well. Hordes of converts are expressing its virtues online and elsewhere, and after having experimented with this form of eating off and on myself I’ve definitely had to throw most of my own skepticism away. I used to be a rather harsh critic of vegans and their way of looking at nutrition, but after having experimented the amazing benefits myself (and, most importantly, read the research), I’ve given in. The vegan lifestyle – especially the raw vegan lifestyle – may be the healthiest way of eating there is.

Health matters aside, though: is raw food the ideal bodybuilding diet? Maybe, maybe not. I think it’s way too early to tell. I’ve personally seen an increase in both muscle mass and athletic performance when “going raw,” my energy levels have gone through the roof, and I know that’s the case with others as well. However, there are certain challenges that come with a raw vegan bodybuilding diet that many may find difficult to overcome. We’ll adress the main ones here. Not every bodybuilder who has tried to eat this way has been successful, but then there are those who’ve built very impressive physiques because of – not in spite of - their vegan diets.

No matter what: Whether the raw food diet is the ultimate bodybuilding diet or not, more and more bodybuilders seem to be switching to it. They may have several reasons for eating this way, and place greater importance on their health than their muscle growth – or, in fact, feel that muscle growth is comes easier when shunning meat and all other animal products along with cooked plant foods. While we know of no professional bodybuilders who are raw vegan, Swede Andreas Cahling became one of the top bodybuilders on the planet during the latter part of “The Golden Era of Bodybuilding” in the eighties.

If you happen to be interested in giving raw food and bodybuilding a chance yourself, we decided to put together something we though would be a useful guide for you. While Viking Bodybuilding is not purely a Raw Vegan Bodybuilding site (most of our readers are probably heavy meat eaters), we acknowledge the fact that raw vegan diets can lead to amazing health, and that a raw vegan diet may be a highly suitable diet for all kinds of athletes – even bodybuilders, with their specific nutritional needs. In the future, bodybuilding on a raw vegan diet may be a lot more common than it is today.

The main nutritional challenge on a raw vegan bodybuilding diet

Contrary to popular belief, the real challenge when on a raw food diet is not getting enough protein. Anyone who tells you that plant foods don’t contain useful amounts of protein just doesn’t know the very basics of nutrition. For instance, calorie per calorie, a tomato contains about the same amount of protein as  ham, and broccoli contains almost twice as much protein as sirloin steak. Broccoli, in other words, is a much purer source of protein than steak – with its high fat content – can ever be.

So the challenge is not getting enough protein. It’s getting enough calories that can be difficult. Why do you think weight loss is super easy when you start replacing crap foods with vegetables? Because vegetables are so low in energy (at least, this is the primary reasons – there are also more complex mechanisms at work here, but that’s something we’ll discuss later).

How to get enough calories on a raw vegan diet

Do what bodybuilders bulking up have been doing for decades: train yourself to eat more. Yes, it really does take practice. And make sure you eat more meals per day – not just bigger ones. Contrary to popular opinion (now refuted by science), eating five-six-seven meals per day will not make you lose weight or speed up your metabolism by itself. It will instead help you consume more food, which is crucial if you’re going to build muscle on a raw vegan diet. Now, a persons metabolism does speed up somewhat when more food is consumed, but increase is obviously not that substantial.

Also, eat less low calorie foods and focus more on high calorie foods. Raw vegan high calorie foods include nuts and seeds, avocado, coconut and even some fruits like bananas, which are relatively high in calories (although I wouldn’t go as far as some low carb enthusists seem to do and label them as “fattening” – in my experience, fruit is never fattening for healthy people). Don’t avoid the typical dieters food like spinach leaves and lettuce just because they’re low in calories, though. These foods contain nutrients that are highly important in terms of both health and muscle building.

Juicing fruit is a great way to help you get more calories on a raw vegan diet. All the otherwise beneficial fruit fiber gets left in the juicer, making it easier for you to ingest large amounts of calories (and this is one reason I’d never advise anyone looking to lose weight to consume fruit juice). Don’t juice all your fruit, though.

Lastly, using oils is an incredibly effective way to boost your calorie intake. A good dash of flaxseed oil with your SunPower Protein-enriched green smoothie will dramatically increase the calories of that meal, as will using oils in juices and salads. I also love the taste of extra virgin coconut oil, which often finds its way into my green smoothies and fruit shakes. Olive oil can also be used, and I’d definitely recommend you check out the ever popular oil supplement product Udo’s Choice if you haven’t already.

Common nutritional deficiencies on vegan and vegetarian diets

Unfortunately, while a properly planned vegan or vegetarian diet is nutritionally adequate for a healthy person (and usually an unhealthy person too), many people do develop deficiencies from time to time when eating this way. Here are some of the more common ones:

• Iron deficiencies. Iron is most easily absorbed from animal products, which contain heme iron as opposed to the non-heme iron found in plants. Not eating any cooked foods can make it even more difficult to get enough iron, as some of the plant foods that countain larger amounts of iron need to be cooked. To ensure you get enough iron on a raw vegan diet make sure you consume ample quantities of spinach, broccoli, figs, prunes, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and other iron rich plant foods that you can eat raw.
• Zinc deficiencies. Many people today are zinc deficient, due in part to the fact that we eat vast quantities of processed, nutrient void foods, but also because crops in many places are actually deficient in zinc as well as other minerals. Eating plenty of nuts will probably be the best way to guard yourself against a zinc deficiency as a raw vegan, unless you choose to use a zinc supplement, which may actually be a very good idea.
• Vitamin B12. This is then one that tends to come to mind first, of course. As stated below, we recommend that you have a doctor look at your B12 status. Any B12 deficiency should be dealt with swiftly.

Recommended supplements for raw vegan bodybuilders

You’re not likely to run into more nutritional deficiencies on a proper vegan diet than on the Standard American Diet, but some supplements may help you stay healthy and reach your bodybuilding goals faster (and easier):

• If you want to increase your protein intake (something that has been seen to be clearly beneficial to a lot of bodybuilders and other athletes) use a raw vegan protein supplement like SunWarrior Protein. SunWarrior protein is a high quality protein made from rice, and a product we happily recommend to all bodybuilders, not just the vegan lot. If you’re not a 100% raw vegan, even the ubiquitous whey protein powder – the most commonly used bodybuilding supplement around – may be something for you. These products represent an easy and inexpensive way to increase your protein intake (but are of course not raw vegan). Many raw vegan athletes seem to do very well on lower protein diets, though, so do not automatically assume that you have to use a protein supplement on a diet like this.
• Zinc supplementation may be beneficial if you’re on a vegan or vegetarian diets. Zinc is an extremely important mineral to consume adequate amounts of both for athletes and inactive people.  Vegan bodybuilders may find that taking a zinc supplement helps them increase testosterone and perhaps even improve immunity. For “regular people” I’m a huge fan of ZMA supplements, but vegans on a properly constructed diet tend to easily get enough magnesium and vitamin B6 without supplementation, so a straight up quality zinc supplement without these added nutrients really should do the trick.
• As previously mentioned, B12 deficiency – for various reasons – is a danger for both vegans and meat eaters alike. Have your B12 levels checked regularly, and use a supplement if they’re low. If supplements aren’t working for you (a lot of people have problems with B12 uptake – read up on intrinsic factor) talk to your doctor about having B12 shots administered. B12 shots seems to be a good idea for many people – meat eaters included.
• Iron supplemens may be a good idea for all vegans, and particularly those who eat no cooked food.
• Vitamin D supplements. Taking a Vitamin D3 supplement (the only form of the mineral that is going to do something for you, so take note of that and avoid being scammed by buying a different form of this hormone-like vitamin) is a great idea for most people in my opionion. Why? Because we stay indoors too much, and just don’t get enough. Food has never been a good source of vitamin D, and if you’re a vegan you’re going to get even less vitamin D(not that the difference is great). Get some sunshine (but avoid getting sunburned – skin cancer is a very real and very dangerous threat to sun worshippers) and take supplements as well if you have any reason to think you might not be getting enough.

Should you train less on a vegan or vegetarian diet?

Some people seem to think that a vegan won’t be able to tolerate the training loads or training intensity of a typical non-vegan. In our experience, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many people who switch to vegan and vegetarian diets find that they in fact recover faster from training than they used to, even if they’re consuming less protein. But then, protein isn’t everything, contrary to what a lot of bodybuilders seem to think.

Beginning Bodybuilding on a Raw Vegan Diet

If you’re already a raw vegan and want to begin bodybuilding, understand that you have a lot to learn. Successful bodybuilders are invariably rather knowledgeable about what is needed with regards to training, diet and lifestyle to get great results. We obviously suggest that you continue to visit Viking Bodybuilding (well, of course! ), and find other sources to learn from as well (some of them you will find recommendations for on this site). To begin with, you can check out our popular article on bodybuilding tips for beginners, and then just take it from there.

Good luck! As a raw foodist you’re probably doing not just yourself, but the planet that we’re living on, a whole lot of good! And there’s no reason you can’t be a successful bodybuilder on this diet – provided you do it right! We hope these few words on the subject have been helpful.

Big thanks to Lisa Clarke for the photo used in this article!

Tagged as: Healthy Bodybuilding, Raw Food and athletic performance, Raw Food and Bodybuilding, Raw vegan bodybuilding, Vegetarian Andreas Cahling, Vegetarian Bodybuilding