@MrsSlimOnPlants

6 months ago

Before you come at me for saying Beans and lentils are an excellent source of plant based protein.

Hear me out...

Ofcourse beans and lentils are awesome! Plus They are amazing for our health. They have plentiful source of fiber, folic acid, iron and potassium. I grew up eating tons of beans/lentils as a vegetarian. However....

If body recomposition is your goal (Reduce overall fat + gain muscle to get toned), then primarly relying on beans/lentils
is not a smart choice and here is why.

Beans/lentils have lot more carbohydrate and calories compare to primary plant based protein sources such as:
tofu, tempeh, seitan, TVP, edamame, protein powder etc.

1 cup of cooked lentils has:
323 calories, 16.4g of protein and 36.7g of carbs

1 cup of cooked chickpeas has:
269 calories, 14.5g of protein and 45g carbs

1 cup of cooked blackbeanshas:
241 calories, 14.2g of protein and 45g carbs

VS.
150g extra firm tofu has:
265 calories, Protein: 26.5g, carbs: 0g

100g of seitan has:
212 calories, Protein: 34.7g, Carbs: 14.2g

100g of Tempeh has:
195 calories, Protein: 20g, Carbs: 7.6g

In order to change body composition (reduce body fat), we need to ensure we're consuming less calories (calorie deficit) while keep our protein intake high (to maintain muscle mass or potentially gain lean muscle mass).

So if you're primarlily relying on beans/lentils as your main source of protein, You'll have hard time reaching your protein targets and you'll have to consume lot more calories to get that protein (which means you'll end up eating in a calorie surplus).

That's the mistake most Vegans make and that's the exact same mistake I made on my fitness journey.I wasn't improving on gaining strength or lean muscle mass when i primarily relied on beans/lentils. It's only when I increased my protein intake from primary vegan plant based sources is when I started to see strength gains and increase in muscle mass.

If your goal is to increase muscle mass (Which it should be as we all lose muscle through the aging process!!):

1. Add primary plant based protein sources to your diet
2. Treat lentils/beans as a carb source (with added protein) to boost up your overall protein intake.

This way you'll meet your protein targets without overconsuming calories. I hope this makes sense.

#veganfitness #fatlosstips #weightlosstips #fitover40

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