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Fitness & Health

24th Aug 2020

Vegan bodybuilder outlines everything he eats in a day to build muscle

Vegan bodybuilder Paul Kerton - known by the moniker Hench Herbivore - has outlined everything he eats in a day to build muscle on a plant-based diet

Alex Roberts

He calls himself the ‘Hench Herbivore’

Vegan bodybuilder Paul Kerton – known by the moniker Hench Herbivore – has outlined everything he eats in a day to build muscle on a plant-based diet.

It’s completely possible to gain muscle mass and strength on a vegan diet, although many say you can’t.

In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Kerton took the viewer through a full day of eating. He aims to consume around two grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight, so this diet plan amounts to around 200 grams of protein.

Meat or not, that’s a lot of protein.

What does a vegan bodybuilder eat to build muscle?

Breakfast: Kerton eats burritos for breakfast, but there’s no sign of chicken or beef in these ones. He packs his full of sweet potato, refried beans, nutritional yeast, avocado, kale, mushrooms, red onion, red pepper and tomatoes.

In Kerton’s words, nutritional yeast is a ‘cheesy, nutty, crack-like substance which vegans adore’. It’s a plant-based protein source rich in Vitamin B12, an area where vegan diets are typically lacking.

Lunch: After hitting back at the gym, it’s time for vegan bodybuilder Kerton to eat lunch. He has a Buddha bowl, which is essentially a large meal consisting of small portions of various plant-based foods.

In his Buddha bowl, Hench Herbivore has Tofurky tempeh, amaranth, kale, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, sweetcorn, cabbage, sauerkraut and tahini. There’s a bit of Nando’s sauce in there too.

Dinner: Kerton’s partner made him a lentil soup containing spinach, vegetable stock, potatoes, tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic and numerous spices.

Red lentils in particular are a surprisingly potent source of protein, containing 27 grams of protein per 100 grams of lentils.

After his soup, Kerton eats a dessert of goji berries, sunflower seeds and flapjacks containing oats, soya milk, almond butter, raisins and more sunflower seeds.

Snacks: In between meals and after training, he sinks a few VivoLife pea and hemp protein shakes.

JOE previously put some troll comments to Kerton, and had him answer them.