Vegans & Vegetarians

My nutrition program, The Lean Body Diet, comes free with your purchase of the Max Workouts 90-Day Program.  Protein is so important for your body -- and your results! (You'll discover why in the program). Therefore, many of my recipes include meat and fish to help you reach your daily protein needs more easily. However, it can be followed loosely if you are a vegetarian or vegan, and many do it with great success. Here are some tips to help you modify recipes where needed:

Recipes

Several egg dishes are included in the recipes, so if you are a vegetarian (not vegan) and eat eggs, you have more options.

For dishes with meat, you can substitute with tempeh. Tempeh is great because it's soy that's  fermented. Non-fermented soy products are not recommended because they are high in estrogen.

Many dishes will be great with legumes as well.

If it turns out that the meals provided aren’t your thing, and you prefer to do your own meals, just be sure to stick to the daily calories (there is a calculator available to you) and the recommended macros. Try to eat whole, nutrient-dense foods (i.e. avoid junk), and you'll do great!

Supplementation

Protein

The biggest challenge will be meeting the recommended protein content while keeping your carb intake low. In order to do that, you will likely need to supplement protein.  I recommend finding a plant-based protein powder (look for brown rice, hemp, or pea protein). You can also use whey protein if you eat dairy  (this is the one I use).

Vitamin B12

I recommend you supplement with vitamin B12 since active forms of vitamin B12 only come from animal sources.

Carb Intake

Since vegetarian and vegan diets tend to be carbohydrate-heavy, you may need to lower your usual carbohydrate intake, so be mindful of that.

Grains

If you're going to include grains, gluten-free grains like wild rice, buckwheat, and quinoa are recommended. Legumes are also recommended since they are a great source of plant-based protein.