My new year’s resolution for 2022 was to go vegetarian.
I have been a meat eater for most of my life and wanted to try this as a personal challenge. Being a fitness enthusiast, I was skeptical of the protein quality in a typical Indian vegetarian diet and worried about my progress in the gym. But it soon became clear that my worries were baseless.
Over the last 3 months, I have made significant strength gains on a 100% vegetarian diet.
To my fellow Indians, Here’s a step by step guide to design your own high protein vegetarian meal plan and keep progressing in the gym.
Step 1 – Calories
The first step is to figure out your caloric intake target.
I recommend using this TDEE Calculator. It is comprehensive and simple to use. Your caloric target will be based on your current activity level and your fitness goals.
For me, it came out to around 2300 Kcal per day. The calculator also gives you the macro break up i.e amount of Carbs, Proteins & Fats needed for the day.
Step 2 – Food Sources
Once you have your macronutrient targets in place, you can achieve them using the following vegetarian food sources
Carbohydrates – Rice, Roti, Phulka, Upma, Vegetable Curry, Fruits
Protein – Whey Powder*, Milk, Paneer, Curd, Dal, Rajma
Fats – Dairy Products & Nuts
*Protein powder is not mandatory, but it makes it so much easier to hit your protein targets, especially for vegetarians. If cost is an issue, you can go for unflavoured raw whey protein powder which costs as low as INR 1500 per Kg.
Step 3 – Sample Meal Plan
My caloric target was 2300 kcal per day, and here are my meals on a typical day
Breakfast
- 200ml whole milk + 1 scoop protein powder + 1 Banana
- 100g Upma
- 4 Almonds
Lunch
- 250g Rice
- 200g Dal or Rajma
- 50g Vegetable Curry
- 150g Curd
Snack
- 200ml whole milk + 1 scoop protein powder + 1 Banana
- 2 Walnuts
Dinner
- 4 Roti/Phulkas
- 100g Paneer
- 50g Vegetable Curry
- 150g Curd
This gave me 2300 Kcal with a macro breakdown of around 280g Carbs, 140g Protein and 70g Fat.
You can use online food diaries and a food weighing scale to figure out these numbers for yourself. I recommend you weigh your food for at least a week for optimal adherence. After that, you’ll have a better approximation of portion sizes even without the scale.
Feel free to repeat the same meals for lunch and dinner, or mix and match different food items as per your preferences. As long as you meet your macronutrient targets for the day, it doesn’t matter.
Summary
You can gain strength on an Indian vegetarian diet.
Most of the food items mentioned in this plan are already a part of the typical Indian diet. You just need to adjust the quantity and meal timings so that you meet your macronutrient targets. Protein powders are a convenient option but not mandatory.
My rate of strength gain on this plan was the same as when I was on a full on non vegetarian diet.
If it worked for me, It’ll work for you too.
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