Vegan Diet Macros: Hitting Your Targets, Staying On Track

Whether you're vegan for ethical, health, or dietary reasons, it's important to ensure you're eating a well-balanced diet, especially if you're tracking your macronutrients, or 'macros' for short. Macros are the three essential nutrients required to fuel your body and maintain healthy functioning: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Each plays a unique and vital role in your body.

Protein is crucial for muscle growth, maintenance, and recovery from workouts, day-to-day muscle stress, and even injury and illness. Carbohydrates are your body's primary fuel source, and plant-based carbs also contain fibre, which is essential for digestive and heart health. Dietary fats support healthy brain function, vitamin transport, and cardiovascular, hormonal, and joint health.

When counting your macros on a vegan diet, it's important to remember that plants tend to be a source of multiple macronutrients, so you'll need to do some portion adjusting and practice to hit your goals. It's commonly stated that vegans don't get enough protein, but this can be addressed by including tofu and soy-based alternatives, which are relatively low in carbs and fat, in your diet. You can also pair complementary proteins, such as whole grains with legumes, to ensure you're getting all the essential amino acids.

Calculating your macros will depend on your goals and activity level, but a good starting point is a 50/30/20 ratio of carbohydrates, fats, and protein.

Calculate your macros

To calculate your macros, you must first determine your calorie goals. This will depend on your fitness and physique goals. If you want to stay at the same weight, you will need to consume your maintenance calories. If you want to gain weight, you will need to eat more than your maintenance calories, and if you want to lose weight, you will need to eat less.

To calculate your maintenance calories, you can use an online calorie calculator. This will give you an estimate of how many calories you expend in a day. Remember that any calculator is not going to be exact, but it will give you a ballpark figure to work with.

Once you have your maintenance calories, you can adjust them according to your goals. If your goal is fat loss, you will need to eat less than your maintenance calories. A common approach is to subtract 300-500 calories from your maintenance number. Alternatively, you can use a percentage-based approach, which may be more sustainable. For example, a medium calorie deficit of 15-20% of maintenance calories can lead to losing 1-2 pounds of fat per week.

If your goal is muscle gain, you will need to be in a calorie surplus. This means eating more than your maintenance calories. A small to moderate surplus of around 10% may be a good option, as it is easier to maintain consistent nutritional habits.

After determining your daily calorie goal, you can start focusing on macronutrient ratios. Macronutrients (macros) are nutrients required in large amounts in the human diet and include carbohydrates, fats, and protein. A common macro ratio recommended by vegan nutrition coaches is 50% carbohydrates, 30% healthy fats, and 20-25% protein. This can be adjusted based on individual needs; for example, those who gain weight easily may want to reduce carbohydrate intake to 40%.

It is important to note that plant-based protein sources often lack all essential amino acids, so it is necessary to combine different sources to get a complete protein. Some good vegan protein sources include grains (lentils, quinoa, chickpeas), legumes (black beans, green beans), seeds (hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds), and soy (tofu, edamame).

Additionally, when tracking macros, it is crucial to maintain a healthy relationship with food and focus on food quality rather than just fitting certain foods into your macro goals.

Choose high-protein vegan foods

It is a common misconception that vegan diets lack sufficient protein. However, there are plenty of vegan-friendly, high-protein foods to choose from. Here are some of the best options:

Legumes

Legumes, including beans and lentils, are excellent sources of plant protein. Lentils, for example, provide 18 grams of protein per cooked cup, along with fibre and various vitamins and minerals. Beans also offer a substantial amount of protein, with black beans containing 15 grams of protein per cooked cup.

Soy Products

Soy products such as tofu, tempeh, edamame, and soy milk are great options for adding protein to your diet. Tofu is versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes, providing 7 grams of protein per 3 ounces. Tempeh and edamame are also nutritious, offering 17 grams and 9 grams of protein per 1/2 cup, respectively.

Meat Alternatives

Meat alternatives like plant-based burgers, sausages, and chicken can be rich in protein, although their nutritional content varies widely across products. Seitan, made from vital wheat gluten, is another popular meat alternative that provides 21 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving.

Grains

Whole grains like quinoa, oats, and wild rice can boost the protein content of your meals. Quinoa provides 8 grams of protein per cooked cup, while oats and wild rice offer around 6 grams and 7 grams, respectively.

Seeds and Nuts

Seeds and nuts are excellent sources of protein, as well as healthy fats and fibre. Hemp seeds, for instance, provide over 9 grams of protein per 3-tablespoon serving. Pumpkin seeds and almonds are also good choices, offering around 9 grams and 7 grams of protein per serving, respectively.

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast, a popular cheese substitute, is a complete protein source. A half-ounce serving provides 8 grams of protein, along with vitamin B12, which is often lacking in vegan diets.

Green Vegetables

While not as high in protein as other options, green vegetables like spinach, Brussels sprouts, and green peas can contribute a decent amount of protein to your diet. Spinach, for example, provides 5 grams of protein per cooked cup.

Understand bioavailability and complete proteins

Understanding bioavailability and complete proteins is essential for hitting your macros on a vegan diet. Here's what you need to know:

Bioavailability

Bioavailability refers to how well your body can digest and absorb a particular nutrient. In the context of proteins, bioavailability depends on the amino acid sequences and structure. While all proteins are made of the same amino acids, their sequences and structures can differ between plant-based and animal-based proteins. Plant-based proteins typically have a different amino acid sequence compared to animal-based proteins, which can impact the amount of protein your body absorbs.

Complete Proteins

A complete protein source contains all the essential amino acids your body needs. Animal-based proteins often have a complete amino acid profile, while plant-based proteins may be lacking in certain amino acids. However, this doesn't mean that vegan diets can't provide complete proteins. By consuming a variety of plant-based proteins throughout the day, you can ensure you're getting a complete amino acid profile. Legumes, especially soy, are excellent sources of complete proteins. Additionally, combining certain plant-based proteins can increase bioavailability. For example, adding legumes or oilseeds to grains can enhance protein availability.

Tracking Your Protein Intake

To ensure you're hitting your protein macros, it's important to track your intake. This can be done through food logging or using specific apps like MyFitnessPal. By weighing and tracking your food, you can gain a better understanding of your protein intake and make adjustments as needed. Remember that it's not just about the amount of protein but also its quality and bioavailability.

Plant-Based Protein Sources

There are plenty of plant-based protein sources to choose from, including legumes (such as peas, lentils, beans, and soy), whole grains (like quinoa and buckwheat), nuts, seeds, and green leafy vegetables. By combining different protein sources, such as grains with legumes or nuts, you can ensure you're getting a complete amino acid profile. Additionally, plant-based protein supplements, such as soy protein isolates, can be a viable option to boost your protein intake.

Plan your meals

Planning your meals is essential for hitting your macros on a vegan diet. Here are some tips to help you plan your meals effectively:

First, determine your calorie needs. Calculate your maintenance calories, which is the number of calories you need to consume to maintain your current body weight. This will depend on factors such as your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level. You can use an online calorie calculator to get an estimate. If you want to lose weight, you'll need to eat fewer calories than your maintenance level, and if you want to gain weight, you'll need to eat more.

Once you know your calorie needs, you can start planning your meals. Here are some guidelines to follow:

• Focus on protein: Getting enough protein is crucial on a vegan diet. Aim for at least 25-30g of protein per meal, or 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass. Tofu and soy-based alternatives are good options, as they are relatively low in carbs and fat while being high in protein. Other options include vegan protein powders, plant-based 'meats', and whole grains + legumes, grains + nuts + seeds, or legumes + nuts + seeds.
• Choose healthy fats: Include healthy fats in your diet, such as nuts, seeds, nut butter, tahini, avocado, coconut, and olive oil. These provide essential fatty acids and support brain function and cardiovascular health.
• Select the right carbohydrates: Opt for complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Starchy carbohydrates like oats and sweet potatoes are great for fuelling workouts and recovery. Non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, and spinach are also excellent choices.
• Be mindful of portion sizes: Adjust your portion sizes according to your goals. If you want to maintain your weight, aim for a balance of 50% veggies/fruit and 50% vegan protein. If you want to gain muscle, go for 40% veggies/fruit and 60% vegan protein. To lean out, increase your vegetable intake to 60% and decrease your vegan protein intake to 40%, focusing on low-carb, nutrient-dense proteins.
• Use a macro-tracking app: Utilize an app like MyFitnessPal or Trifecta to track your macronutrient intake and ensure you're hitting your targets.
• Be flexible: Remember that you don't have to be perfect with your macros every day. It's okay to enjoy treats and untracked meals occasionally. Focus on consistency and making sustainable choices that support your goals.

Track your food

Tracking your food is an essential part of hitting your macro goals. It can be tedious and get old fast, but it is crucial to achieving your fitness and physique goals.

There are many apps available to help you track your food, such as MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, and Trifecta. These apps allow you to record the amounts, the food itself, and the calories of what you eat. Being consistent with your food tracking is vital to achieving your desired results. It is also important to be honest about what you are eating. Guessing how much something weighs by eyeballing it can throw you way off your whole day's goals. Therefore, it is recommended to use a food scale, at least until you get accustomed to what food serving sizes look like.

If you are new to tracking your food, it is suggested to focus on two numbers to start: your calories and your protein. As you become more confident in the process of tracking and reaching your protein goals, you can start calculating your carbs and fats and trying to reach those numbers as well.

It is also important to note that tracking your food is not necessary for everyone. General healthy eating and weight management can be obtained without tracking what you eat. However, tracking your food can be a helpful tool to understand portion sizes and build more balanced meals.

Frequently asked questions