Found this interesting article with semi-vegetarian Kevin Eubanks in the USA Today. I´m saying "semi"-vegetarian because I didn´t know he ate fish and always thought he´s just ovo-lacto but anyway...
I´ve been working out for almost 14 years now, with a few interruptions, and I was also an ovo-lacto vegetarian for five years but switched back for various reasons but I´m thinking about doing it like Kevin.What are your opinions or better yet experiences on working out and protein intake and vegetarianism ? Any ex-vegetarian bodybuilders in here? And which protein supplement , if any, do you use ? I use a milkprotein-eggprotein-whey mix two hours before and right after my workout. I usually put low fat milk and two bananas and two heaped tablespoons of protein powder into the blender, often with frozen berries. Right after your workout this shake gives you exactly what your muscles need...glycogen and protein, preferrably with a high whey content...but that´s another thread.


Here´s the interview from the USA Today with Kevin Eubanks.




"You don't have to eat a lot of beef or chicken to keep your muscle mass up," says Eubanks, who has been featured in major muscle magazines such as Muscle & Fitness, Men's Fitness and Flex.

"You do need adequate amounts of protein to build muscle, though," notes Eubanks, who first came to national musical prominence 22 years ago in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and has led The Tonight Show ensemble since 1995. "But I can easily get what I need from vegetarian sources."

That runs counter to longstanding beliefs surrounding bodybuilding and strength training which correlate big amounts of beef with big biceps. "Some people equate muscle and meat," says Eubanks, "but that could be because they may think it's got to be meat because that's the protein source they're used to eating."

"You need more protein if you're engaged in lifting weights and want to build muscle mass," says Reed Mangels, researcher and nutritional advisor for the Baltimore-based Vegetarian Resource Group.

How much more?

According to Mangels, the amount of protein can range up to a gram of vegetarian protein a day per kilogram of lean body weight. That's 100 grams of protein for a 220-pound man, or 55 grams for a 110-pound woman. Some other researchers suggest even more.

Contrary to popular belief, this amount of daily protein is perfectly healthy – if the protein intake is well-matched to a person's need for it and they have healthy kidneys.

"You don't want a lot of excess protein," says Lester Lee, a Huntington Beach, California physician and former drug-testing consultant to the United States Olympic Committee. "But what's usually of more concern is that if you consume large amounts of animal fats, you could put yourself at increased risk for cardiovascular disease."

That's not a concern for Eubanks. Despite a grueling Tonight Show production schedule and extensive touring, he remains faithful to an aggressive workout schedule and a meatless health regimen. While Eubanks will not eat meat, he's not a vegan — he does consume some non-fat milk-based protein powder, egg whites and fish.

And Eubanks' commitment to this lifestyle isn't some Hollywood fad. He's been lifting weights and eating as a vegetarian since his college days at Boston's Berklee College of Music.

"I didn't start eating this way because of concern for animal rights or anything like that," says Eubanks. "I just couldn't stand the meat we were getting, and being a broke student, I just gravitated towards fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and some fish."

"My diet plan is pretty simple," says Eubanks, "even if the only place I can eat is the NBC commissary." Eubanks is 5'6" tall and weighs 192 pounds – "about 15 more than if I were to get lean enough to be pictured in a fitness magazine again," he laughs.

"I usually eat three meals a day," says Eubanks, "but right now I'm in the process of trying to shrink my stomach and lose about 10 pounds, so I'm growing into four smaller meals." More frequent and smaller meals tend to eliminate wild fluctuations in blood sugar and deter fat accumulation.

His basic eating plan includes:

* Breakfast – "After I train, I'll usually take in some fruit juice with some whey protein powder in it, although I may go for more of a soy product shake." Whey is a byproduct of cheese production.
* Lunch – "Three or four days a week I'll just eat some tuna and unsalted crackers, with maybe a little vegetarian mayonnaise. But even at the commissary here at work tuna is a good choice, because they use a great lean tuna and very little mayonnaise."
* Dinner — "It's usually fish with a spinach salad," says Eubanks. "I may switch by going for egg whites and fish."

Given Eubank's physique and success with a meatless diet – and the success of four-time Mr. Universe and vegetarian Bill Pearl — why haven't more serious weight-trainers embraced this dietary lifestyle?

Vegetarian protein myths

Three myths surrounding vegetarians and protein continue to mislead lifters and deter them from giving non-meat diets a fighting chance:

* Lowered testosterone – The plant-based estrogens found in soy protein appear to have little or no effect on blood levels of this muscle-building hormone in humans. University of Minnesota researcher Mindy Kurzer's review of the topic last year found that modest consumption of these isoflavones "showed few effects on plasma hormones." Lee-Jane Lu of the University of Texas Medical Center found that when men drank 36 ounces of soymilk per day for a month, their testosterone levels were unaffected.
* Less muscle mass – Fat-heavy animal proteins, particularly beef, are thought to confer better muscle. "What really happens," says Susan Kleiner, a Seattle researcher and author of Power Eating, "is that the muscles get surrounded by fat and they appear larger. And so does your stomach."
* Incomplete vegetarian proteins – "I hear this a lot, but it's outdated," says Mangels, who authored Simply Vegan. Amino acids, the constituent parts of protein, vary in proportion from food to food. Early testing on lab rodents indicated that if certain amino acids the body is unable to produce from others – the so-called "essential" amino acids that make up complete proteins — were missing or in relatively short supply, building and replacing muscle would be difficult.

This belief led to "protein balancing" and "food combining" where foods with contrasting amino acid profiles – like peanut butter and whole wheat bread – were eaten at the same time.

"Now we know better," says Mangels. "The proportions of the amino acids may be different, but over the course of the day if you eat a variety of grains and seeds or other protein-rich foods your body will do all the combining, and also recycle from the body's amino acid pools."

There are some concerns for vegetarians who lift weights, particularly if the training is extensive. Adequate amounts of Vitamin B-12, iron and calcium may be missing, particularly in a strict vegan lifestyle where no animal-based products are consumed.

"Dark leafy greens like collard greens, kale and turnips can help with calcium," says Mangels. Fortified juices or soy "milk" with added calcium, iron and vitamins may also be a good option, as is tofu made with calcium sulfate.

Eubanks finds meeting his complete nutritional requirements "a snap."

"What I'm doing is working for me," says Eubanks. "As for my food, it's never created a problem with my strength, size or endurance."

Perhaps the only downside to his diet and exercise program?

It has given Leno a wealth of material for jokes during the monologue.

i go to the gym regularly and i've never had a negative issue with working out and my diet. i don't work out to gain mass, though. i work out partially to get leaner but mostly just to feel more alert and balanced and less like crap. i take a vegetarian supplement from GNC - not religiously, but fairly regularly - and i do just fine. i don't know what course i'd take if i wanted to put on muscle mass. i guess fortunately for me i'm not interested in that.

muscle mass is one thing but a high protein intake is also essential for a myriad of other things, for instance healthy hair, skin, your immune system, cell repair, growth, hormones etc.

GNC has a lot of good products. Which supplement for vegetarians do you take ?

KoolEaze said:

it's called "ultra mega dietary supplement: advanced vegetarian formula".

i went to GNC one day and told the counter person, "hi, i'm a vegetarian.." and before i could even end my sentence, she had put a bottle of these vitamins in my hand.

interesting article. I'm vegetarian too, but use purely calisthenic techniques as opposed to lifting weights. However, i was also concerned if my diet would effect my training results. i do use whey protein shakes which seems to help. What sort of seeds etc should i be getting me chops around? also, i just take a multi vitamin a day.. is there anything better?

3121 said:

See my aphrodisiacs thread for additional info on protein ( not necessarily from meat or chicken though) .
What´s for sure is that of course you can do your workout without all that protein especially if you don´t want to build up muscle mass but it is still recommended for other reasons. I can definitely feel and see the results of a good diet and I also feel the effect of short bad diet phases real quick.