Hellloooooooo <3 HAPPY INDIAN FOOD WEDNESDAY! 
Who’s celebrating? *Raises curry-covered hand in the air* You know I am.
How’s your day going?
Mine has been pretty bueno. I taught bootcamp, dominated my legs at the gym, and the Pilot came home from work early 
To rewind to last night, I ate an entire organic butternut squash.
I roasted two pans full of sliced butternut with garlic, sea salt, pepper and olive oil (375 for 40 minutes)
and then layered the pieces on a plate:
Topped with marinara, goat gouda and Garlic Gold
Devoured, then repeated
Then, we poured ourselves glasses of wine the size of our heads
and settled down on the couch to watch Glee. The bummer was that I was SO excited for a new episode and found out via twitter that I have to wait another two weeks. Oh well 
You’re probably wondering what the heck the post title means, as I’m not a body builder, but perhaps you remember me talking about my friend Ron.
Ron is Mr. Novice Georgia and a beefy McBeeferton bodybuilder. Before competitions, he follows a two week meal plan that’s extremely high in animal protein, low fat and low carb. Well I took his meal plan and veganized it The awesome thing about it? It’s all WHOLE foods, plant-based protein, more nutrients and the same specifications that his old 4 chicken breasts per day meal plan included. Baller, right??
I’ll definitely let you guys know what happens and will post the meal plan on here when it’s all over
Some of the foods that are included:
-Whole grains (specifically oats and quinoa)
-Nutritional yeast
-Legumes (kidney beans)
-Leafy greens (kale and romaine)
-Fruit (apples, clementines)
-SUN WARRIOR (my protein lovah)
-Healthy fats (almonds)
-Mung bean pasta (my fave pasta- 20g protein per serving and two ingredients: mung beans and water)
I’m pretty stoked about it because when you Google “vegan bodybuilding meal plans” most of the plans are extremely high sugar (via dried fruits), high fat (healthy fat, but still very high), and moderate protein. The plan that Ron and I worked on is much more balanced.
Welp, I’m off to run some errands and then head back to work.
Hope you have a great day <3
Gina
Something to do:
This leg exercise from Core Fusion. HOLY quads! (the move starts at 1:09)
(Source)
{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }
I remember you posting about Ron before!! That is so cool – I can’t wait to see his results!
As a previous figure competitor this little experiment of yours greatly interests me. I remember eating like that…not the vegan one though. I think I would like the vegan one more though. I couldn’t look at chicken or fish awhile after that. And I still can’t eat asparagus!
I can’t wait to see your menu for him — and he is going to follow this plan or it was just for fun? Sorry if I misunderstood your post.
Your squash + marinara looks divine!
yes he’s going to follow it for two weeks
I love that he will follow for 2 weeks, He is going to feel amazing!!! It is awesome how he is so open to change!
That’s so cool! Are you doing this as a trial for him or is he changing his eating ways?? Either way, really cool
Love glasses of wine the size of my head! Since you’re also a shriaz/syrah lover, try Greg Norman’s Petite Syrah (not the shriaz). It’s AMAZING. Who knew golfers were also great wine makers???
nope, just an experiment. i’m secretly hoping he’ll notice how amazing he feels and cut back on the meat a little
So cool!!! Are you able to maintain the number of calories for the same amount of protein??
yes- same nutritional stats all the way across
I cannot wait for you to post this- the first thing I’m going to do is send it to my older brother, mr chicken and protein shakes!!
Whoa, had no idea that mung beans were so beastly!
asian mung beans. the yellow ones don’t have nearly as much protein!
I am so excited for the veganized meal plans! My trainer has me on a high protein diet (at least 30% of my calories) and the only way I can hit it is with a significant amount of animal protein. I’m not a vegetarian but I’m also not really a fan of animal protein (chicken is about all I can stomach). So to find some high protein vegan/veg options would be amazing!
Mung bean pasta sounds awesome… does it taste similar to regular pasta? and where do you find it?
Very curious about the meal plan! Sounds really amazing.
Omg what a great post…this is so right up my alley! When I was getting ready for my fitness competition I did a big post on Vegan Protein, Protein FAQs and my thoughts on “getting enough” protein as a vegan. I don’t do tons of dried fruit OR nuts, they are too hard to digest, I also shy away from lots of protein powder. I really believe that eating greens and NATURAL foods like beans or kale or whatever grew from the earth is generally speaking, enough.
There are exceptions to every rule, and I do also believe I have a lower protein requirement than some people, I believe I am what is called a slow metabolic oxidizer of protein vs. a fast one. Slower have lower protein requirements. After 3 decades of playing with my diet, I finally figured out what works for me, and it’s natural foods, not stressing over protein and “getting enough” and just eating real food and trusting that that’s fine, and not only fine, but great! I got 2nd place in my show
Ok sorry rambling but i LOVE THAT you helped him veganize his meal plan AND that you didnt make it full of protein powder and dried fruits/nuts.
GREAT POST GINA!
Where do you buy your mung bean pasta? I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find it!
whole foods!
what section? I have looked at whole foods and couldn’t find it! 20 grams of protein in a pasta sounds amazing!
asian/international
Oh how exciting:):) I would really like to see what you came up with for the meal plan! There is no way that he wont notice how good he feels once he has been on the plan for awhile:):)
I can not wait for glee to start!!!!!!!!
That is so cool! I can’t wait to see the vegan meal plan and hear about the results!
I LOVE sun warrior. I crave that stuff now. I would follow any diet that involves Sun Warrior… well almost anything.
Awesome job! I really appreciate that you kept the focus on WHOLE foods rather than VEGAN foods because so many people (myself included back in the day) of eating lots of processed soy, seitan, and stuff like that. And I know the whole food vegan bodybuilder (even raw!) can be done, luckily, I have my hubby to prove it
Is there a vegan word to describe a guy as “beefy”? haha.
That is fantastic! Great idea to veganize a body buiders diet. It is about time!
I am laughing as I basically eat enire butternut, spaghgetti, and kombocha squashes ALL the time. They are just so good, are we nuts!?
I agree, I have the core fusion thigh/glutes dvd and HOLLY QUADS, is right!
Oh and I got the sun warrior last night, yipppeee! Thanks again for the killer deal.
Very cool about your friend and the diet! I have a friend who is also a trainer, and he eats MEAT (animal protein) 8x a day….its disgusting. When we went to AC, he went to the diner late night and get an egg white omelet, side of sausage and bacon and a protein shake…like waaaaaaay over board with the protein. He thinks to get big and lean you need it, and guess what…he’s ended up with SO many issues, and will not admit it’s from all his nasty meat. I don’t knock anyone that eats animals, my hubby does, but some people have it in their head they need to go overboard with it!!
PS–I just started seeing all the winter squash at Whole Foods and got so excited!!
I hope the vegan experiment goes well for Ron! I’d hate having to eat that much animal protein every day! Eek! I bet he’ll feel so much better after a couple weeks, too!
I’m so excited that it’s squash season again!! I could easily eat a whole one in one sitting, too!
Looking forward to trying that leg workout! I’m traveling right now and can’t watch videos at the moment– but I’ll try it out when I get home tomorrow!
I think it is so neat how you worked to veganize a bodybuilder’s meal plan. I get a bit grossed out and sad when I look at some of the bodybuidler plans – all that chicken, brown rice and plain tuna – yuck!
Life is too short and if you really love bodybuilding, like I know these competitors do, I want them to relish the experience in every way.
Can’t wait to hear more about it!
This is a great topic – I can’t wait to hear more about his specific plan. I’ve seen mung bean pasta but have yet to try it. Definitely going to give it a go since I’ve been trying to incorporate more protein in my diet.
Very cool!! I listened to a podcast a few weeks ago that was an interview with a vegan body builder– it was really interesting. The podcast was Healthy Voyager Radio– I think it was a June episode!
exhale core fusion kicks my tail EVERY SINGLE TIME. i can’t wait to kill my quads later
Nice! If I only had the bucks to be a vegan I would follow the plan.
actually ron was blown away with how cheap it’s going to be to eat this way compared to what he was eating before
great post, fitnessista!!! love this idea! will you be able to update us in the two weeks that ron is on the diet? i’d be interested in hearing how he’s doing!
yeah i’ll definitely post updates!
I can wait to see the completed meal plan!
And that really makes me want to go out and buy a butternut squash, just sayin.
I think that is awesome that you veganized his meal plan! I can’t wait to hear what he thought about it and to see his meal plan! So cool, something to look forward to.
I’m excited to see the meal plan! I have quite a few friends who have done figure and bikini competitions and I never can get over how much animal protein they eat to prep for the shows.
Hey – do you have a post where you give sun warrior recipes? i know you use it a lot, but was hoping for a long list of recipes to sort through
Very cool – glad you’re coming up with a great vegan plan!!
Really excited to hear about the results! It always amazes me how bodybuilders take in nearly whole chickens daily to get what they want their protein to be. SO cool that you have veganized it. I’m stoked.
I’m also glad I am not alone in my serious butternut squash affair. I can totally devour a whole squash. My hub just sits and laughs. My favorite way to eat it it diced into little cubes, tossed in a mixture of olive oil, cumin, cayenne, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, and chili powder at 425F for almost an hour. O.M. gosh! The outside gets crispy and spicy (pretty browned and nearly burned, though not quite), but the inside is sweet and smooth. Heaven, for real. I think you would really dig the mix of spices. I just can’t get enough
Now I think I want some…
oh my gosh, i’m SO EXCITED to see the meal plan. and i love that it includes all foods that i actually have! no crazy stuff! def going to be following it. idk if i can wait two weeks!
ohh how cool and creative of you! cant wait to hear the results and see the meal plan
It’ll be so neat to hear about the results and whether or not he liked it!
i cant wait to hear what happens with ROn since I am training for my first fitness comp!
What a great challenge! Can’t wait to see more.
PS- I LOVE this quad workout. But i can’t stand that woman. Her cheesy face always makes me want to punch the tv. LoL
Are you going to do a body composition test with calipers first and after? I will be curious to see if he can keep his muscle on a vegan diet.
yes, we’ll be monitoring his stats the entire time
cant wait to see the meal plan and see the results!
I am sure that you deserve the “size of your head” wine! Enjoy!
I have to give that mung bean pasta a try! 20 grams of protein per serving is impressive! Does it taste similar to regular pasta?
yup!
Ohh that squash looks yummy! You eat so clean it KILLLS me. And I can’t wait to see how Ron does on the meal plan. Go Ron go!
Can’t wait to hear out the veganism goes!!!
Hey Gina,
I looked for mung bean pasta last night after reading this and the only kind they had in my store was from Eden Foods. It said 0 grams of protein, so I figured it was the wrong stuff and skipped it. Do you happen to know the brand you’ve used before?
Thanks!
it’s not eden… can’t remember the brand but it’s in black and green packaging and is in the asian aisle at whole foods
Is it this stuff: http://store.lorisnatural.com/store/product/91874/EXS-Fettuchini-Mung-Bean/
In case the URL gets eaten by anti-spam, it’s EXS brand Mung Bean Fettucini, it comes in a black and green package and the nutritional info says 20g protein and 17.5g protein per 187-calorie serving. That *is* impressive. They also make soybean spaghetti and black bean spaghetti.
Hi Gina! Quick question! I love seeing how many wonderful veggies you eat for your meals. I LOVE veggies but they don’t always love me (if you know what I mean)! I would love to eat a whole squash but my tummy would definitely be mad at me. Any suggestions on how to stop this from happening. I already drink a TON of water because heard to helps with fiber digestion. Anything else? Sorry if this is an embarrising question.