Vegan Diet plan for bodybuilders – The proper nutrition is an important factor in any workout routine and your sports lifestyle also. It doesn’t matter whether you are an athlete or weight lifter, a vegan diet plan is perfect for you as it will help you to get the desired result and also improve the recovery post workout.
Introduction of a healthy diet plan for bodybuilders.
If you really want to feel better, lose fat and build muscle, you may want to try eating a vegan diet. In this article, I will show you how to plan for that.
Vegan Diet Plan For Bodybuilding
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The vegan diet has risen in popularity in recent years as an increasing number of people adopt this way of eating for its purported health benefits and ethics surrounding animal treatment.
It has not only attracted the interest of the general population but also that of athletes — including bodybuilders.
This article reviews the vegan diet for bodybuilding, lists foods to include and avoid, and provides a sample 5-day meal plan.
What is a vegan bodybuilding diet?
Bodybuilders strive to develop their musculature through intensive resistance training for aesthetic purposes.
Nutrition plays a key role in the process of muscular development. It’s generally accepted that for optimal muscle growth to occur, protein intake should be rather high at around 0.7–1.0 grams per pound (1.6–2.2 grams per kg) of body weight per day (1Trusted Source).
A calorie surplus of 10–20% is also beneficial for gaining muscle mass, especially for those who are not brand new to training (1Trusted Source).
Traditional bodybuilding diets include a lot of animal source foods due to their high protein and calorie content.
The vegan bodybuilding diet is devoid of all animal products and higher in protein than traditional vegan diets (2Trusted Source).
This presents a challenge for bodybuilders following a vegan diet, as plant-based proteins tend to be of lower quality than their animal-based counterparts, which can affect muscle gain (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
Therefore, it takes careful planning to ensure sufficient intake of protein, calories, and several micronutrients that a vegan diet may lack.
The vegan bodybuilding diet also changes during different stages of a bodybuilder’s life, such as whether they’re in their off-season or undergoing contest preparation, when fat loss is common.
SUMMARY
The vegan bodybuilding diet is high in fruits, vegetables, and plant-based protein. It excludes all animal-based products and is usually higher in protein than a traditional vegan diet.
How to implement the diet
While implementing a vegan diet may seem quite simple, it takes a good deal of planning to ensure you’re eating complete meals.
The vegan bodybuilding diet includes several staple foods on which many of the meals are based.
To start the vegan bodybuilding diet, it’s beneficial to plan out 5–7 days of meals to ensure you have all of the ingredients, as many vegan recipes require several items.
If you’re transitioning from a traditional diet, it may help to slowly incorporate more vegan foods into your regular diet before fully switching over.
Fill up on high protein plant foods
When following a vegan bodybuilding diet, it’s important to get enough protein to aid your muscle-building goals.
Considering that many vegan protein sources usually do not contain all of the essential amino acids, higher amounts and a wider variety of these foods need to be eaten to regularly meet your needs.
Filling up on high protein vegan foods, such as seitan, tofu, legumes, and quinoa, can help you meet your protein needs to maximize muscle gain.
Vegan protein powders can also help you meet your protein needs by providing concentrated sources of protein surrounding workouts and throughout the day.
Make sure to eat enough fat
By consuming sufficient amounts of fat, you obtain the calories needed to promote muscle gain, as fat provides twice the number of calories as carbs and protein per gram.
The general recommendation for fat intake for off-season bodybuilders is 0.5 grams per pound (1 gram per kg) of body weight daily (1Trusted Source).
This equates to around 80 grams of fat per day for a male bodybuilder weighing 175 pounds (80 kg).
When embarking on a vegan bodybuilding diet, it may help to track your intake of macronutrients — protein, carbs, and fat — for the first few weeks to ensure you’re meeting your needs.
Drink plenty of fluids
Given that a vegan bodybuilding diet tends to be high in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, fiber intake can become quite high.
When you significantly increase your fiber intake, certain side effects can arise, such as bloating, excessive flatulence, and abdominal pain (5).
Drinking enough water is one way to help prevent complications from a high fiber vegan diet. A minimum of 1 ml of fluid per calorie is a good place to start (6Trusted Source).
For example, if you’re eating a 2,000-calorie diet, aim for 2,000 ml (68 ounces) of fluids. Still, keep in mind that your water needs may vary, especially when you’re exercising.
Educate yourself
Education plays an important role in following a vegan diet and can set apart a successful diet from an unsuccessful one.
Given that the vegan diet prohibits the intake of several food groups, it puts followers at risk of certain nutrient deficiencies.
To prevent these, it’s crucial to know which foods provide the key nutrients the diet may otherwise lack.
Fortunately, with the rise in popularity of the vegan diet, educational resources have been created that can lead you in the right direction.
SUMMARY
Implementing the vegan bodybuilding diet requires a good deal of planning and education. Ensuring adequate protein and calorie intake, including plenty of fat, and drinking enough water are three major aspects that should not be overlooked.
Potential benefits of the vegan bodybuilding diet
The vegan diet has been associated with several potential health benefits.
Reduces heart disease risk
People following vegan diets seem to be at a significantly lower risk of developing heart disease (7Trusted Source).
This may be partly attributed to a reduced intake of saturated fats and cholesterol and a higher intake of fiber and various plant compounds.
Traditionally, vegans tend to have lower blood pressure and levels of total and LDL (bad) cholesterol than the general population (7Trusted Source).
Moreover, the vegan bodybuilding diet is high in fruits and vegetables, which contain a good amount of dietary fiber. High fiber intake has been associated with a lower incidence of stroke and heart disease (8Trusted Source).
Can promote a healthy body weight
Those following a vegan diet typically have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those following a traditional Western diet, which reduces the risk of several disease factors (7Trusted Source).
One 16–week study looked at the effects of the vegan diet on 75 people with excess weight. It found the vegan diet to be more effective at improving body weight, fat mass, and insulin resistance markers than a control diet (9Trusted Source).
Therefore, if you’re starting out on your bodybuilding journey with a bit of weight to lose, the vegan diet may be beneficial in that regard.
May protect against certain cancers
Following a vegan diet has been associated with a reduced risk of various types of cancer, compared with a traditional Western diet (10Trusted Source).
This effect is likely due to the increased legume, fruit, and vegetable intakes associated with the vegan diet, which lead to higher fiber, micronutrient, and phytonutrient intakes (11Trusted Source).
The vegan diet has also been linked to a reduction in BMI. A high BMI is another risk factor for certain types of cancer (12Trusted Source).
What’s more, eating more soy, which is typical of those following a vegan diet, has been associated with a reduction in breast cancer risk in women (13Trusted Source).
Lastly, various levels of processed red meat intake have been linked to a higher risk of colorectal cancer. This increased risk does not apply to those following a vegan diet (14Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
The vegan bodybuilding diet is rich in fruits and vegetables and can provide several health benefits, such as lowering your risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as promoting a healthy body weight.
Some downsides of the vegan bodybuilding diet
While the vegan bodybuilding diet appears to have numerous potential benefits, it comes with some downsides to consider.
Can increase your risk of nutrient deficiencies
The main downside of the vegan bodybuilding diet is an increased risk of several nutrient deficiencies.
By excluding animal products from your diet, your intake of various essential nutrients is reduced — primarily calcium, omega-3s, iron, zinc, and vitamins B12 and D (7Trusted Source).
You may need to take a vegan multivitamin to ensure proper intake of the above nutrients. Vegan omega-3 supplements are also available, which are usually made from algae.
While these nutrients can be obtained from fortified vegan foods, nutrition education plays an important role when starting a vegan diet.
Higher fiber intake
Another potential downside of the vegan bodybuilding diet is its excessively high fiber intake.
While a high fiber intake is generally considered healthy, consuming too much fiber can cause digestive issues, such as bloating, excessive flatulence, and abdominal pain (5).
The recommended dietary fiber intake is 14 grams per 1,000 calories, which is around 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. This amount is easily exceeded on a vegan diet (15Trusted Source).
Excessive fiber intake can also lead to a feeling of fullness and reduced appetite. While this may be beneficial for some populations, it could limit bodybuilding progress if sufficient calories are not consumed (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).
Can be tough to meet protein and calorie needs
Given that a vegan bodybuilding diet mainly consists of nutrient-dense, high fiber foods, it may be difficult to meet protein and calorie needs without proper planning.
Vegan diets tend to be lower in calories than traditional diets, due to the exclusion of many higher calorie, animal-based food items.
Thus, following a vegan bodybuilding diet may make it challenging to eat more calories than your body burns to support your bodybuilding goals.
This can be counteracted by increasing portion sizes, adding healthy fats to your meals, and eating cooked vegetables as opposed to raw ones to reduce their volume, which allows you to eat more of them.
May be overly restrictive for some people
By eliminating all animal-derived products, the vegan bodybuilding diet can be too limiting for some people.
Though the selection and availability of vegan food has grown rapidly in recent years, the diet can be seen as slightly monotonous, compared with the traditional Western diet.
Fortunately, the number of creative vegan recipes that can add life to the diet and keep it interesting is limitless.
SUMMARY
The vegan bodybuilding diet comes with some possible downsides, such as an increased risk of nutrient deficiencies, excessive fiber intake, and difficulty meeting protein and calorie needs. These should be considered before starting a vegan diet.
Foods to eat
The vegan bodybuilding diet usually includes many of the following foods:
Beans and legumes. These provide a good source of protein and fiber.
Hemp, flax, sunflower, and chia seeds. They contain a good amount of protein and omega-3s.
Quinoa and amaranth. These two pseudograins provide complete sources of protein.
Meat substitutes. Made to look and feel like meat, these products are usually made with soy or pea protein.
Soy products. Examples include tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy milk, and soy protein powder.
Calcium-fortified plant milks and yogurts. These fortified products can help vegans meet their daily requirements for calcium and vitamin D.
Spirulina. This blue-green algae packs a lot of protein, as well as several vitamins and minerals.
Vegan protein powders. The best varieties are usually made from a combination of protein sources, such as peas, hemp, and brown rice.
Nutritional yeast. Used in vegan cooking for its savory flavor, nutritional yeast is commonly fortified with vitamin B12.
Sprouted grain breads. These provide a good source of protein and complex carbs.
Oats. Oatmeal and oats provide a good amount of protein per serving, as well as some beneficial fiber.
Fruit and vegetables. These are an important part of any vegan diet.
Whole grains and cereals. These can provide a good source of protein, B vitamins, and fiber.
Nuts and nut butters. They can provide a good source of protein when combined with other complementary proteins. Plus, they’re a good source of healthy fats.
Tahini. This paste made from sesame seeds provides a good amount of fat and a bit of protein per serving.
Healthy oils. Oils, such as olive, avocado, and hempseed, provide a good source of healthy fats and some essential omega-3s.
Vegan dark chocolate. High in antioxidants, vegan dark chocolate contains some essential vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B, and E.
Dietary supplements
Considering that the vegan bodybuilding diet may lack certain nutrients, it’s recommended that followers take advantage of certain dietary supplements.
With the rise in popularity of the vegan diet in recent years, nutrition supplements geared toward those following it have greatly improved in quality and taste.
One of the main supplements to consider is a vegan protein powder, which allows you to reach the protein intake levels recommended for bodybuilding while staying within a certain calorie range.
There are numerous vegan protein powders available, such as soy isolate, pea, hemp, and brown rice. It’s best to find a powder with several sources to ensure you’re getting all of the essential amino acids.
Another potentially beneficial supplement is a vegan multivitamin that includes sufficient quantities of the nutrients that the vegan diet typically lacks, such as calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamins B12 and D.
Some other supplements to consider are creatine and beta-alanine. These two well-studied compounds are naturally found in meat products and available in vegan-friendly varieties. They can play a role in energy metabolism and muscle gain.
While supplementing is not entirely necessary on the vegan diet, it can reduce the chances of nutrient deficiency and optimize the diet for your bodybuilding purposes.
SUMMARY
The vegan bodybuilding diet is based on several nutritious whole foods. Dietary supplements may also play a crucial role in making up for nutrients the diet may lack.
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Foods to avoid
The vegan bodybuilding diet tends to avoid or limit the following foods:
Animal foods. Meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, and bee products are entirely off-limits on a vegan diet. Certain animal additives found in several foods fall into this category as well.
Foods that might not be vegan-friendly. Some breads, deep-fried foods, candy, potato chips, dark chocolate, and other products may harbor animal-derived ingredients.
Vegan junk food. Candy, ice cream, and some vegan protein bars should be restricted, as they tend to be high in refined sugar and calories.
Mock meats and cheeses. These tend to be processed and may contain additives. They also tend to provide fewer nutrients than whole foods. Therefore, these products should be limited.
SUMMARY
While vegan diets are typically based on non-animal whole foods, there are some foods you should watch out for when starting the diet. Some may contain traces of animal-derived ingredients, whereas others may lack a sound nutritional profile.
5-day meal plan
While calorie and macronutrient intakes vary greatly by individual and specific goals, here is a sample 5-day vegan bodybuilding diet meal plan.
Day 1
Breakfast: protein oatmeal made with oats, vegan protein powder, soy milk, banana, and nut butter
Lunch: tofu stir-fry made with extra firm tofu, vegan pasta, beans, red lentils, celery, onion, and spinach
Dinner: teriyaki tempeh with broccoli and quinoa
Snack: strawberry-banana protein shake
Day 2
Breakfast: breakfast burritos made with tofu scramble and vegetables on vegan tortillas
Lunch: lentil loaf made with lentils, kidney beans, veggies, and nutritional yeast
Dinner: black-bean veggie burger with sweet potato fries
Snack: peanut butter and oatmeal snack bars
Day 3
Breakfast: hummus toast made with sprouted grain bread, hummus, hemp seeds, and sunflower seeds
Lunch: vegan burrito bowl made with rice, beans, and homemade mock taco meat
Dinner: sweet-and-sour stir-fry made with tofu, rice noodles, and vegetables
Snack: mock tuna salad sandwich
Day 4
Breakfast: chocolate-peanut-butter smoothie bowl made with bananas, peanut butter, almond milk, vegan protein powder, and cocoa powder
Lunch: black bean and quinoa “meat” balls over whole grain vegan pasta
Dinner: vegan chili with tofu mince, kidney beans, tomatoes, and red lentils
Snack: roasted chickpeas with red pepper flakes
Day 5
Breakfast: protein pancakes made with whole grain flour and vegan protein powder with toppings of your choice
Lunch: coconut-tofu-curry stir-fry made with tofu, soba noodles, and edamame
Dinner: vegan sloppy joe made with lentils and veggies
Snack: chocolate-peanut-butter protein shake
SUMMARY
With many creative recipes available, the vegan bodybuilding diet doesn’t have to be boring. There are several staple ingredients that many of the recipes are based upon. It’s helpful to plan out several days of meals to make shopping easier.
The bottom line
The rising popularity of the vegan diet has attracted attention from many individuals, including those in the bodybuilding community.
While traditional bodybuilding diets include large amounts of animal protein, the vegan bodybuilding diet eliminates all animal-derived products and is higher in protein than a traditional vegan diet.
Following a vegan diet can provide several health benefits, although it comes with some drawbacks for bodybuilding, which should be taken into consideration.
It’s wise to consult your healthcare provider or nutritionist before starting a vegan diet.
USEFUL TOOLS
If you want to try a vegan bodybuilding diet, here are some helpful tools to get you started:
healthy vegan cook books
vegan protein powders
vegan multivitamins
vegan omega-3 supplements
vegan creatine
vegan beta-alanine
Last medically reviewed on November 19, 2019
NUTRITION
Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout
Written by Arlene Semeco, MS, RD and Celia Shatzman on April 11, 2021 — Medically reviewed by Alissa Palladino, MS, RDN, LD, CPT, Nutrition, Personal Training
When planning for a workout, there’s a lot that goes into it to help you reach your goals.
As part of that effort, there’s a good chance you put a lot of thought into your pre-workout meal. But are you giving your post-workout meal the same attention? If not, it’s a good idea to do so. It turns out that consuming the right nutrients after you exercise is just as important as what you eat before.
To help you optimize nutrition after workouts, here is a detailed guide.
Eating after a workout is important
To understand how the right foods can help you after exercise, it’s important to learn how physical activity affects your body.
When you’re working out, your muscles use up their glycogen — the body’s preferred fuel source especially during high- intensity workouts. This results in your muscles being partially depleted of glycogen. Some of the proteins in your muscles can also be broken down and damaged (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).
Claudia Totir/Getty Images
After your workout, your body tries to rebuild its glycogen stores as well as repair and regrow those muscle proteins. Eating the right nutrients soon after you exercise can help your body get this done faster. It’s especially important to eat carbs and protein after your workout.
Doing this helps your body:
decrease muscle protein breakdown
increase muscle protein synthesis (growth)
restore glycogen stores
enhance recovery
SUMMARY
Getting in the right nutrients after exercise can help you rebuild your muscle proteins and glycogen stores. It also helps stimulate new muscle growth.
Protein, carbs, and fat
Each macronutrient — protein, carbs, and fat — is involved in your body’s post-workout recovery process. That’s why it’s important to have the right mix.
Protein helps repair and build muscle
Exercise triggers the breakdown of muscle protein. The rate at which this happens depends on the exercise and your level of training, but even well-trained athletes experience muscle-protein breakdown (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).
Consuming an adequate amount of protein after a workout gives your body the amino acids it needs to repair and rebuild these proteins. It also gives you the building blocks required to build new muscle tissue (1Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
It’s recommended that you consume 0.14–0.23 grams of protein per pound of body weight (0.3–0.5 grams/kg) very soon after a workout (1Trusted Source).
However, one study found that eating protein pre-workout and post-workout has a similar effect on muscle strength, hypertrophy, and body composition changes (11Trusted Source).
Studies have shown that ingesting 20–40 grams of protein seems to maximize the body’s ability to recover after exercise (7Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).
Carbs help with recovery
Your body’s glycogen stores are used as fuel during exercise, and consuming carbs after your workout helps replenish them.
The rate at which your glycogen stores are used depends on the activity. For example, endurance sports cause your body to use more glycogen than resistance training. For this reason, if you participate in endurance sports (running, swimming, etc.), you might need to consume more carbs than someone engaging in weightlifting.
Consuming 0.5–0.7 grams of carbs per pound (1.1–1.5 grams/kg) of body weight within 30 minutes after training results in proper glycogen resynthesis (1Trusted Source).
Furthermore, insulin secretion, which promotes glycogen synthesis, is better stimulated when carbs and protein are consumed at the same time (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).
Therefore, consuming both carbs and protein after exercise can maximize protein and glycogen synthesis (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
Try consuming the two in a ratio of 3 to 1 (carbs to protein). For example, that’s 40 grams of protein and 120 grams of carbs (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).
Eating plenty of carbs to rebuild glycogen stores is most important for people who exercise often, such as twice in the same day. If you have 1 or 2 days to rest between workouts, this becomes less important.
Fat is not that bad
Many people think that eating fat after a workout slows down digestion and inhibits the absorption of nutrients. While fat might slow down the absorption of your post-workout meal, it will not reduce its benefits. For example, a study showed that whole milk was more effective at promoting muscle growth after a workout than skim milk (17Trusted Source).
Moreover, another study showed that even when ingesting a high fat meal (45% energy from fat) after working out, muscle glycogen synthesis was not affected (18Trusted Source).
It might be a good idea to limit the amount of fat you eat after exercise, but having some fat in your post-workout meal will not affect your recovery.
SUMMARY
A post-workout meal with both protein and carbs will enhance glycogen storage and muscle protein synthesis. Consuming a ratio of 3 to 1 (carbs to protein) is a practical way to achieve this.
The timing of your post-workout meal matters
Your body’s ability to rebuild glycogen and protein is enhanced after you exercise (19Trusted Source).
For this reason, it’s recommended that you consume a combination of carbs and protein as soon as possible after exercising. In the past, experts recommended eating your post-workout meal within 45 minutes, as a delay of carb consumption by as little as 2 hours after a workout may lead to as much as 50% lower rates of glycogen synthesis (19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).
However, more recent research has found that the post-exercise window to maximize the muscular response to eating protein is wider than initially thought, up to as many as several hours (11Trusted Source).
Additionally, if you consumed a meal rich in whole carbs and protein perhaps an hour before exercising, it’s likely that the benefits from that meal still apply after training (21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).
Additionally, recovery is not just about what you consume directly after working out. When you exercise consistently, the process is ongoing. It is best to continue to eat small, well-balanced meals of carbs and protein every 3–4 hours (24Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Eat your post-workout meal soon after exercising, ideally within a few hours. However, you can extend this period a little longer, depending on the timing of your pre-workout meal.
Foods to eat after you work out
The primary goal of your post-workout meal is to supply your body with the right nutrients for adequate recovery and to maximize the benefits of your workout. Choosing easily digested foods will promote faster nutrient absorption.
The following lists contain examples of simple and easily digested foods:
Carbs
sweet potatoes
chocolate milk
quinoa and other grains
fruits (such as pineapple, berries, banana, kiwi)
rice cakes
rice
oatmeal
potatoes
pasta
whole grain bread
edamame
Protein
animal- or plant-based protein powder
eggs
Greek yogurt
cottage cheese
salmon
chicken
protein bar
tuna
Fats
avocado
nuts
nut butters
seeds
trail mix (dried fruits and nuts)
Sample post-workout meals and snacks
Combinations of the foods listed above can create great meals that provide you with all the nutrients you need after exercise.
Here are a few examples of quick and easy meals to eat after your workout:
grilled chicken with roasted vegetables and rice
egg omelet with avocado spread on whole grain toast
salmon with sweet potato
tuna salad sandwich on whole grain bread
tuna and crackers
oatmeal, whey protein, banana and almonds
cottage cheese and fruits
pita and hummus
rice crackers and peanut butter
whole grain toast and almond butter
cereal with dairy or soy milk
Greek yogurt, berries and granola
protein shake and banana
quinoa bowl with sweet potatoes, berries, and pecans
whole grain crackers with string cheese and fruit
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Make sure to drink plenty of water
It is important to drink plenty of water before and after your workout. When you are properly hydrated, this ensures the optimal internal environment for your body to maximize results.
During exercise, you lose water and electrolytes through sweat. Replenishing these after a workout can help with recovery and performance (24Trusted Source).
It’s especially important to replenish fluids if your next exercise session is within 12 hours. Depending on the intensity of your workout, water or an electrolyte drink are recommended to replenish fluid losses.
SUMMARY
It is important to get water and electrolytes after exercise to replace what was lost during your workout.
The bottom line
Consuming a proper amount of carbs and protein after exercise is essential.
It stimulates muscle protein synthesis, improves recovery and enhances performance during your next workout.
It is important to not go much longer than a few hours before refueling with a meal or snack.
Finally, replenishing lost water and electrolytes can complete the picture and help you maximize the benefits of your workout.
Last medically reviewed on April 11, 2021
NUTRITION
The Definitive Guide to Healthy Eating in Real Life
Written by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD on June 24, 2021 — Medically reviewed by Sade Meeks, MS, RD, Nutrition
Importance
Should you diet?
Basics
Limiting certain foods
Tips
Bottom line
Depending on whom you ask, “healthy eating” may take any number of forms. It seems that everyone, including healthcare professionals, wellness influencers, coworkers, and family members, has an opinion on the healthiest way to eat.
Plus, nutrition articles that you read online can be downright confusing with their contradictory — and often unfounded — suggestions and rules.
This doesn’t make it easy if you simply want to eat in a healthy way that works for you.
The truth is, healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s entirely possible to nourish your body while enjoying the foods you love.
After all, food is meant to be enjoyed — not feared, counted, weighed, and tracked.
This article cuts through the noise to explain what healthy eating means and how to make it work for you.
Photography by Aya Brackett
Why does eating healthy matter?
Before we dive into what healthy eating means, it’s important to explain why it matters.
First, food is what fuels you and delivers the calories and nutrients your body needs to function. If your diet is deficient in calories or one or more nutrients, your health may suffer.
Likewise, if you eat too many calories, you may experience weight gain. People with obesity have a significantly increased risk of illnesses like type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, and heart, liver, and kidney disease (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).
Additionally, the quality of your diet affects your disease risk, longevity, and mental health.
While diets rich in ultra-processed foods are linked to increased mortality and a greater risk of conditions like cancer and heart disease, diets comprising mostly whole, nutrient-dense foods are associated with increased longevity and disease protection (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
Diets rich in highly processed foods may also increase the risk of depressive symptoms, particularly among people who get less exercise (4Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).
What’s more, if your current diet is high in ultra-processed foods and beverages like fast food, soda, and sugary cereals but low in whole foods like vegetables, nuts, and fish, you’re likely not eating enough of certain nutrients, which may negatively affect your overall health (10Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Healthy eating is important for many reasons, including fueling your body, acquiring necessary nutrients, lowering your disease risk, increasing your longevity, and promoting optimal mental and physical well-being.
Do you have to follow a certain diet to eat healthy?
Absolutely not!
Although certain people need — or choose — to avoid particular foods or adopt diets for health reasons, most people don’t have to follow any specific diet to feel their best.
That’s not to say that certain eating patterns can’t benefit you.
For instance, some people feel healthiest when following a low carb diet, while others thrive on high carb diets.
In general, though, eating healthy has nothing to do with adhering to diets or certain dietary rules. “Healthy eating” simply means prioritizing your wellness by fueling your body with nutritious foods.
The specifics may be different for each person depending on their location, financial situation, culture and society, and taste preferences.
SUMMARY
Healthy eating doesn’t involve any particular diet. Rather, it means prioritizing your health by fueling your body with nutrient-rich foods.
The basics of healthy eating
Now that you know why healthy eating is important, let’s cover some nutrition basics.
Nutrient density
When you conceptualize healthy eating, your first thought might be about calories. Even though calories are important, your primary concern should be nutrients.
That’s because nutrients, including protein, carbs, fat, vitamins, and minerals, are what your body needs to thrive. “Nutrient density” refers to the amount of nutrients in a food in relation to the calories it provides (11Trusted Source).
All foods contain calories, but not all foods are nutrient-dense.
For example, a candy bar or a box of mac and cheese may be incredibly high in calories but lack vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. Similarly, foods marketed as “diet-friendly” or “low calorie” may be very low in calories but lack nutrients.
For example, egg whites are much lower in calories and fat than whole eggs. However, an egg white provides 1% or less of the Daily Value (DV) for iron, phosphorus, zinc, choline, and vitamins A and B12, while a whole egg packs 5–21% of the DV for these nutrients (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).
That’s because of the nutritious, high fat yolk that eggs contain.
Plus, although some nutrient-dense foods, such as numerous fruits and veggies, are low in calories, many — like nuts, full fat yogurt, egg yolks, avocado, and fatty fish — are high in calories. That’s perfectly OK!
Just because a food is high in calories doesn’t mean that it’s bad for you. On the same token, just because a food is low in calories doesn’t make it a healthy choice.
If your food choices are based solely on calories, you’re missing the point of healthy eating.
As a general rule, try to mostly eat foods that are high in nutrients like protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. These foods include veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, fatty fish, and eggs.
Diet diversity
Another component of healthy eating is dietary diversity, meaning eating a variety of foods.
Following a diet that’s rich in different kinds of food supports your gut bacteria, promotes a healthy body weight, and protects against chronic disease (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).
Still, eating a variety of foods may be difficult if you’re a picky eater.
If that’s the case, try to introduce new foods one at a time. If you don’t eat many vegetables, start by adding a favorite veggie to one or two meals per day and build from there.
Although you may not enjoy trying new foods, research shows that the more you’re exposed to a food, the greater your chances of growing accustomed to it (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).
Macronutrient ratios
Macronutrients — the main nutrients you get from food — are carbs, fat, and protein. (Fiber is considered a type of carb.)
Generally, your meals and snacks should be balanced between the three. In particular, adding protein and fat to fiber-rich carb sources makes dishes more filling and tasty (20Trusted Source).
For example, if you’re snacking on a piece of fruit, adding a spoonful of nut butter or a bit of cheese helps keep you fuller than if you were to eat the fruit alone.
However, it’s fine if your diet isn’t balanced all the time.
Counting macros and following a set macronutrient plan isn’t necessary for most people — except athletes, people seeking a specific body composition, and those who need to gain muscle or fat for medical reasons.
Plus, counting macros and obsessing about staying within a certain macro range may lead to an unhealthy fixation with food and calories or cause disordered eating tendencies (21Trusted Source).
It’s important to note that some people may thrive on diets that are low in carbs and high in fat and protein — or low in fat and high in carbs. However, even on these diets, macronutrient counting typically isn’t necessary.
For example, if you feel your best on a low carb diet, simply choosing low carb foods like nonstarchy veggies, proteins, and fats more often than high carb foods will usually suffice.
Highly processed foods
One of the best ways to improve your diet is to cut back on ultra-processed foods.
You don’t have to avoid processed foods completely. In fact, many healthy foods like shelled nuts, canned beans, and frozen fruits and veggies have been processed in one way or another.
In contrast, highly processed products like soda, mass-produced baked goods, candy, sugary cereals, and certain boxed snack food contain little if any whole food ingredients.
These items tend to pack ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and artificial sweeteners (9Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).
Research links diets high in ultra-processed foods to a greater risk of depression, heart disease, obesity, and many other complications (9Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source).
On the other hand, diets low in these foods and high in whole, nutrient-dense foods have the opposite effect, protecting against disease, lengthening lifespan, and promoting overall physical and mental well-being (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
Thus, it’s best to prioritize nutrient-dense foods, especially vegetables and fruits.
SUMMARY
Include a variety of nutrient-dense, whole foods in your diet, taking care to limit highly processed items.
Should you cut back on certain foods and beverages for optimal health?
In a healthy diet, it’s best to restrict certain foods.
Decades of scientific research link ultra-processed foods to negative health outcomes, including increased disease risk and early death (9Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source).
Cutting back on soda, processed meats, candy, ice cream, fried foods, fast food, and highly processed, packaged snacks is a smart way to improve your health and lower your risk of certain diseases.
However, you don’t have to completely avoid these foods all the time.
Instead, try to prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, and fish, saving highly processed foods and beverages for special treats.
Foods like ice cream and candy can be a part of a healthy, well-rounded diet, but they shouldn’t be a significant part of your calorie intake.
SUMMARY
You should limit your intake of ultra-processed foods and drinks like candy, soda, and sugary cereals, but that doesn’t mean that you have to eliminate these items from your diet.
How to make healthy eating work for you
Food is one of the many puzzle pieces of your day-to-day life. Between commuting, working, family or social commitments, errands, and many other daily factors, food may be last on your list of concerns.
The first step to following a healthier diet is to make food one of your priorities.
This doesn’t mean that you have to spend hours meal prepping or cooking elaborate meals, but it does require some thought and effort, especially if you have a particularly busy lifestyle.
For example, going to the grocery store once or twice per week will help ensure that you have healthy choices in your fridge and pantry. In turn, a well-stocked kitchen makes choosing healthy meals and snacks much easier.
When grocery shopping, stock up on:
fresh and frozen fruits and veggies
protein sources like chicken, eggs, fish, and tofu
bulk carb sources like canned beans and whole grains
starchy veggies like white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash
fat sources like avocados, olive oil, and full fat yogurt
nutritious, simple snack ingredients like nuts, seeds, nut butter, hummus, olives, and dried fruit
If you’re drawing a blank at mealtime, keep it simple and think in threes:
Protein: eggs, chicken, fish, or a plant-based option like tofu
Fat: olive oil, nuts, seeds, nut butter, avocado, cheese, or full fat yogurt
Fiber-rich carbs: starchy options like sweet potatoes, oats, certain fruits, and beans — or low carb fiber sources like asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and berries
For example, breakfast could be a spinach and egg scramble with avocado and berries, lunch a sweet potato stuffed with veggies, beans, and shredded chicken, and dinner a salmon filet or baked tofu with sautéed broccoli and brown rice.
If you’re not used to cooking or grocery shopping, focus on a single meal. Go to the grocery store and shop for the ingredients for a couple of breakfast or dinner dishes for the week. Once that becomes a habit, add more meals until most of your meals are prepared at home.
Developing a healthy relationship with food may take time
If you don’t have a good relationship with food, you’re not alone.
Many people have disordered eating tendencies or eating disorders. If you’re concerned that you have one of these conditions, it’s critical to get the right help.
To develop a healthy relationship with food, you have to have the right tools.
Working with a healthcare team, such as a registered dietitian and psychologist who specializes in eating disorders, is the best way to start mending your relationship with food.
Food restrictions, fad dieting, and self-prescribed notions like “getting back on track” won’t help and may be harmful. Working on your relationship with food may take time, but it’s necessary for your physical and mental health.
Tips for healthy eating in the real world
Here are some realistic tips for you to get started with healthy eating:
Prioritize plant-based foods. Plant foods like veggies, fruits, beans, and nuts should make up the majority of your diet. Try incorporating these foods, especially veggies and fruits, at every meal and snack.
Cook at home. Cooking meals at home helps diversify your diet. If you’re used to takeout or restaurant meals, try cooking just one or two meals per week to start.
Shop for groceries regularly. If your kitchen is stocked with healthy foods, you’re more likely to make healthy meals and snacks. Go on one or two grocery runs per week to keep nutritious ingredients on hand.
Understand that your diet isn’t going to be perfect. Progress — not perfection — is key. Meet yourself where you are. If you’re currently eating out every night, cooking one homemade, veggie-packed meal per week is significant progress.
“Cheat days” aren’t acceptable. If your current diet includes “cheat days” or “cheat meals,” this is a sign that your diet is unbalanced. Once you learn that all foods can be a part of a healthy diet, there’s no need for cheating.
Cut out sugar-sweetened drinks. Limit sugary beverages like soda, energy drinks, and sweetened coffees as much as possible. Regularly consuming sugary beverages may harm your health (27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source).
Choose filling foods. When you’re hungry, your goal should be to eat filling, nutritious foods, not to eat as few calories as possible. Pick protein- and fiber-rich meals and snacks that are sure to fill you up.
Eat whole foods. A healthy eating pattern should be primarily composed of whole foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and protein sources like eggs and fish.
Hydrate the smart way. Staying hydrated is part of healthy eating, and water is the best way to stay hydrated. If you’re not used to drinking water, get a reusable water bottle and add fruit slices or a squeeze of lemon for flavor.
Honor your dislikes. If you’ve tried a specific food several times and don’t like it, don’t eat it. There are plenty of healthy foods to choose instead. Don’t force yourself to eat something just because it’s considered healthy.
These tips can help you move toward a healthier diet.
You can also work with a registered dietitian, especially if you’re not sure how to start improving your diet. A dietitian can help you develop a sustainable, nutritious eating plan that works for your needs and schedule.
SUMMARY
Tips like cooking at home, grocery shopping, eating a lot of plant foods, choosing filling meals and snacks, and honoring your dislikes can help you create and maintain a healthy eating pattern.
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The bottom line
If you’re interested in healthy eating, making a few small changes can get you moving in the right direction.
Although healthy eating may look a bit different for everyone, balanced diets are generally rich in nutrient-dense foods, low in highly processed foods, and comprised of filling meals and snacks.
This guide may help those who are starting on a healthy eating journey — and act as a refresher for those who know nutrition basics but want to go deeper.
If you want detailed, individualized dietary advice, consult an experienced dietitian.