"Three Meals a Day Bulk Up with Tofu and Vegetables" The World of Vegan Health Enthusiasts

Increasing Preference for Vegetarianism Leads to Emergence of Vegan Health Enthusiasts
"Muscle Growth Is Sufficient with Plant-Based Proteins Like Wheat Protein and Tofu"

As preference for vegetarianism increases, so-called 'vegan health enthusiasts' who build their bodies on a vegan diet have also emerged. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As summer approaches, many people start exercising to build stamina to beat the heat or to achieve a good-looking body. People who begin dieting or exercising often think of animal-based proteins like chicken breast, but there is a growing number of people who say that muscle can be built sufficiently with plant-based proteins. These are the so-called 'Vegan Health Enthusiasts.' This is a changing trend as the population preferring vegetarianism increases.

The reason exercisers eat chicken breast is that protein is effective for muscle building. However, vegan health enthusiasts emphasize that muscle mass can be increased with plant-based protein alone. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, famous for the movie 'Terminator,' is known to have maintained his physique by sticking to a vegan diet. He enjoys protein shakes made from berries and bananas, along with cucumber salad dressed with pumpkin seed oil, and even at the age of 75, he boasts a muscular physique.

YouTuber Danjiang, known as the icon of 'vegan bulking,' often introduces muscle growth diets made up of wheat protein (a food made by isolating protein from wheat), tofu, mushrooms, and vegetables through his videos. He enjoys various vegan dishes such as perilla oil soy sauce pasta with peas and tofu, and soy milk cream rice bowl using edamame beans. He also frequently uses bulking diets like earthenware pot bulgogi made with soy protein bulgogi and wheat protein stir-fried with spicy seasoning.

Lee Won-bok, president of the Korea Vegetarian Union, also introduces himself as someone who built muscle through vegetarianism. He shared his experience, saying, "Soybeans contain a lot of protein. If you boil washed soybeans, dry them, grind them into powder, and mix it with soy milk to drink, muscles build quickly." According to his explanation, it is a kind of 'plant-based protein shake.' He emphasized, "Animal-based proteins like chicken breast or meat contain a lot of cholesterol and saturated fat. Unlike in the past, nowadays, diseases arise from nutritional excess. A well-designed vegan diet alone can supply all the protein our body needs."

Vegan health enthusiasts emphasize that bulking up is possible even with a vegetarian diet.
[Image source=Pixabay]

Song Mu-ho, director of 'Vegidoctor,' a group of medical professionals practicing plant-based diets, explained, "Animal-based proteins come with cholesterol and triglycerides, so when absorbing protein, harmful substances enter the body together, which impairs blood circulation." He added, "On the other hand, plant-based proteins are harmless to the body." He continued, "The amount of protein needed for muscles is not that large, so you can build your body sufficiently with plant-based protein," adding, "You can get enough protein from vegetarian diets such as brown rice, beans, and tofu."

As the number of vegan health enthusiasts increases, competition in the 'plant-based protein' market targeting them is intensifying. CJ CheilJedang launched 'Ultive PlantU' last month as a milk alternative. This product combines proteins contained in brown rice and peas using CJ CheilJedang's proprietary blending technology and contains eight essential amino acids similar to milk protein. Usana Health Science Korea also released 'Active Protein Drink Mix' last month. It uses Bupyeong grass powder and Egyptian chickpea protein as main ingredients, which are spotlighted as future protein sources, and contains over 10 types of vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzyme protease. Additionally, Jeong Food's 'Vegemil High-Protein Soy Milk Black Bean,' launched in May, is a product that doubles the protein content compared to regular soy milk and uses domestically produced black beans.

There is also a study showing that plant-based meat alternatives favored by vegans have higher protein content than beef patties. On the 9th, the Korea Consumer Agency announced that after analyzing 15 plant-based meat alternative products distributed in the market, the protein content of plant-based meat alternatives was on average higher than that of the same amount of beef patties. Saturated fat and sodium content were relatively lower or similar. Plant-based meat alternatives are legume-processed products made using soy protein to resemble the shape and texture of real meat.