It is definitely possible to gain lean muscle and live healthy on a plant based diet, but that doesn’t mean it’s superior. While there are several reasons you might choose to go plant based, if your goal is to build lean muscle and burn fat then you might want to second guess your decision. And while lean muscle mass isn’t everything, it is extremely important for not just looking and feeling your best - but for aging your best as well. While animal protein isn’t necessary for building muscle, I want to highlight some reasons why it is superior to plant based protein options. After looking through research and through our own clients’ experiences, let’s dive into 3 reasons why animal protein is superior to plant protein for lean muscle:

1: Convenience

While convenience should never be the number one reason you choose to eat a certain way, it certainly does factor into long term compliance and sustainability of your diet. While you might think of fast food and poor quality options when you hear convenience, this is the same reason people opt for supplements and meal prep services. Because animal protein has a complete amino acid profile, you get everything you need when you consume animal proteins. If you are going to try to get the same amount of protein and amino acid breakdown through plant based sources, it will require much more planning to make sure you’re pairing up the right combination of protein sources to meet similar requirements you would get from a single animal protein source.

Long-term compliance to a diet is one of the number one keys to your success, and consuming animal protein is an easier way to get all the amino acids needed to build lean muscle.

2: Calories

If you want to build lean muscle mass while minimizing fat gain, having the proper calorie intake is the number one factor to optimizing that. Common plant based protein sources such as oat, legumes, rice, pea, etc will often require a much higher calorie or carb count to get the same amount of protein as you would through animal sources.

To get the same protein amount through plant based protein sources can often bring increased carb and calorie counts when compared to animal protein.

3: Composition

If body composition is what you’re after, animal protein will give you another advantage. Although studies have shown that strength or absolute lean muscle mass is similar whether choosing animal vs plant based sources, there was a significant advantage for percent of lean muscle mass (body composition) in those consuming animal proteins.

If you’re after improving your lean body percentage, which impacts more than just how you look, animal protein will give you an advantage of plant based protein sources.

However you decide to eat, remember there are a few key things that you must be doing regardless. Consistent calories in line with your muscle gain or fat loss goals, sufficient protein intake, and resistance training are all things that you’ll need regardless of which eating style you choose. Animal protein simply provides a way that is more effective for hitting consistent calories and protein goals.