Can you build muscle on a vegan diet? Soph’s Plant Kitchen sets the record straight

Yet there’s still the misconception that vegans don’t get enough protein, crucial for building muscle.

Luckily, this myth is just that. So, here’s Soph to share the reality, plus her tips on filling up and working out...

It was after I became vegan that I built up enough core strength to do 10 pull-ups and squat 1.5 times my body weight. Lots of people just refuse to believe it.

It's about picking your battles. I'll often ask someone if they’re open to learning, and hopefully they’ll give me enough respect to hear me out. But there are a lot of people that think it's very cool!"

“One of the biggest is that plant-based protein doesn't contain all nine essential amino acids (the ones the body doesn't make).

All plants contain these in different quantities. To make what we call a complete profile, you have to combine those sources – but they’re not deficient. As long as you're eating a balanced diet, you'll do it naturally.

People say, ‘It can't be absorbed by the body’, or something like that. There are studies that allude to this, but they're decades old and have looked at one type of plant protein. But, if you look at diet as a whole, there's no difference in nutrient absorption into the body. Your cells aren't standing there going, ‘Nope, you're from a plant. You're from an animal. You can come in.’”

For lunch, say you have a greens and bean soup – you could have cannellini beans in there with some spinach, both sources of protein. Perhaps you have that with a toastie or flatbread. Then for dinner you might have a dal, so that's lentils. Always build your meals around plant-based protein sources.”

So, if your gut bugs are happy (the more varied your diet is, and if you're hitting those 30 Plant Points a week) the happier you might be.”

But, as we know, vegan diets can vary significantly – so it’s impossible to say if a vegan diet alone aids in mental or physical wellbeing. It’s more important to get a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of plants and a diverse range of nutrients.

A large observational study by the American Gut Project found that people who had 30 plants or more in their diet had a more diverse microbiota (community of gut bacteria).² At H&B, we display Plant Points on our packaging to help you keep track.

If you're looking to gain lean muscle, find a really good protein powder, like a soy isolate, that tastes good and that you like the texture and taste of.

People have to come to their own decision about being veggie or vegan. But even if they just welcome more plants into their diet – that can be a meatless Monday or a meatless day every month – even those really small changes can start to add up over time.”

“Probably my favourite quick, easy recipe is legume pasta. I love cooking it with a really simple sauce, like a creamy cashew based one (or using sunflower seeds if you have a nut allergy) and adding some nutritional yeast as well - a brilliant protein source.

I also make what I call ‘tofu feta’, which is extra firm tofu, broken into pieces and flavoured with oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper and a little bit of nutritional yeast. Mix it all in and it tastes really good. You don't have to cook it – tofu is already cooked.

Legume pastas take about six minutes to cook. You blend a quick sauce - 10 minutes - and then tofu feta takes around 20 minutes. Then you've got yourself a meal that's probably about 50g of plant protein.”

It showcases the ways we can use tofu in different forms. It's not always the cubes you see on top of things. You can also get silken tofu, which has a higher water content and can be blended into sauces or mixed with beans or anything you want, really.”

I began making salads in big Mason jars and stuffing them with high-quality plant-based protein: tofu, chickpeas, pasta, lots of kales, with a dressing at the top so they didn't go soggy. I’d take these into work and they'd get so much attention.

I started recording the recipes but didn't have any kind of goal. It was just a bit of fun and help for my colleagues, but it really did grow. And here I am...”

Ready for some more plant-based power? You’ll find Soph and her recipes on her site and on Instagram.

Plus, her book Soph’s Plant Kitchen is now available for pre-order. It includes 100 high-protein, plant-based recipes (with all the macros listed to make things even easier).