The Indian Lean Muscle Diet Plan

Are you thinking of following a veg diet plan for muscle gain? If yes, then we have lots of stuff in store for you – including a workout diet plan and delicious smoothie recipes for weight gain. So let’s go!

With most of the actors in the Indian film industry taking up the leaning route, it seems that lean and tough body is the newest fad of the season. Young fitness enthusiasts are willing to get lean like their famous film star and are ready to go to any extent to match up to their levels. However, achieving that lean and sculpted physique is a cumulative effort which a bodybuilding enthusiast will put in both inside and outside the gym.

So, without wasting more time about explaining leaning and shredding, let’s get straight to the diet one should follow to have a lean body that too with our Indian meals. The lean bodybuilding diet that we have shared here is specific to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians so that fitness enthusiasts from both the groups can have their diet planned efficiently.
But, before we get on to the actual diet, let’s understand how the consumption of different nutrient groups affects our body.

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Protein Consumption:

In India, we often believe that the having high protein diet will have some serious negative effects on our kidney’s and overall health. Due to this common protein myth, we often end up overlooking the importance of high protein diet. Studies have shown that people with no existing renal disease have shown no harmful sign in their renal function upon consuming more than 2.0 grams of protein per kg of their body weight. Another study concluded that there is no direct relation between high protein diet and heart disease. This sum up that consuming above 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight has no adverse effect on the overall health of healthy individuals and bodybuilders.

Carbs Consumption:

Have you ever wondered how many carbs should you be consuming every day to build lean muscle mass? Ideally, you should be taking 1 gram of carbohydrates for every pound of your body weight to get lean muscle mass. This means, at least 45% of your daily calorie intake should come from carbs. However, every individual has a different calorie intake requirement which varies by their goal, fitness level, metabolism and more

Fats Consumption:

Just like carbs, your fat intake also makes you feel full after the meal. Thus it is advised to rely on unprocessed fats like nuts and olives to meet your fat requirements instead of processed and oily food products. 10 to 20 percent of your daily calorie intake should come from healthy fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

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Vitamin, Minerals, Herbs And Fibre Consumption:

Many bodybuilders make this mistake of underrating the importance of vitamins in their diet. They get so busy stocking up on proteins that they end up neglecting vitamins completely. Vitamin D is one vital nutrient that every bodybuilder should include in his daily diet. It is needed to strengthen bones, promote brain health, improve protein synthesis in the body and most importantly control hormonal synthesis. Other important nutrients that should be included in your diet are Vitamins B, Vitamin C , and Vitamin E.
In the same way, fibers are crucial for a bodybuilder’s lean muscle diet as they have a broad range of benefits like decreasing LDL, stabilizing blood sugar, curing constipation and fighting cancer cells.
Now that we are done discussing the importance of each nutrient that we add with our diet, here is a detailed eight-course Indian lean muscle meal plan for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians to gain lean muscle mass.

Indian Lean Muscle Diet Plan

Meal 1: Wake-Up Meal/Pre-Breakfast
Nutrient Groups: Fast Protein + High GI Fruits

What to Eat:
This meal remains same for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. A glass of protein shakes along with a medium sized fruit, preferably banana.

Why should you have a pre-breakfast meal?
Your pre-workout meal is a kind of wake-up meal, which is very crucial for every bodybuilder who wants to have some lean mass. When you wake up after 7 to 8 hours of sleep, your body dwells into the catabolic state, which means your body starts burning your lean muscle tissues as a fuel for energy. So, the priority of the morning is to get out of the catabolic state by consuming a pre-breakfast meal. The meal should be a high protein with high glycemic index fruits to help you get over the catabolic state.

Meal 2: Breakfast
Nutrient Groups: Protein + Low GI carbs + Healthy Fats

What to Eat:
Vegetarians: Parantha (3 medium pieces)/Paneer Bhurji + Greek Yogurt/ Low-fat yogurt + sprout salad (1 medium bowl)
Non-Vegetarians: Eggs, Oatmeal, Milk, and Nuts

Why should you have breakfast?
Though there are three basic meals of the day that everyone should focus on, breakfast is the most important one to attain your fitness goals. The right kind of breakfast helps in setting the tone for the day and also influences your body performance both mentally and physically. A hearty breakfast provides all the required energy, protein and carbohydrates that restore the blood glucose levels back to normal after night fast.

Meal 3: Mid-Morning Meal
Nutrient Groups: Protein + Slow acting carbs + Veggies

What to Eat:
Vegetarians: Roasted chickpeas (1 medium bowl) + Small size fruit + mixed vegetables salad
Non-Vegetarians: A bowl of Brown Rice, Chicken, and Broccoli

Why should you eat the mid-morning meal?
Your body reacts differently when you eat 2000 calories on just two meals or divide these 2000 calories is the three major meals and two light snacks of your day. Eating smaller meals and dividing calories in 4 to 5 meals allows your body to metabolize the calories more efficiently. Snacking between the three major meals eliminates the chances of overeating that leads to weight gain. Your mid-morning snack should be rich in protein and slow carbs to help improve metabolism.

Meal 4: Lunch
Nutrient Groups: Protein + Slow acting carbs + Veggies

What to eat:
Vegetarians: Mixed veggies sabzi + Brown Rice (1 medium cup) + Broccoli/Cauliflower (1 cup cooked)
Non-Vegetarians: Fish, Brown Rice, Mixed Veggies

Why should you eat lunch? 
A filling lunch after light calorie snacks helps in setting the pre-workout nutrition right for the bodybuilders. It also enhances performance for the training session and keeps the catabolism off to provide the continuous source of energy to the body.

Meal 5: Mid-Afternoon/Pre-Workout Meal
Nutrient Groups: Protein + Low GI carbs

What to eat:
Vegetarians: Whole grain toast with almond butter or avocado + Baked sweet potatoes (1 small bowl)
Non-Vegetarians: Sweet potato and Protein powder

Why should you have a pre-workout meal?
Studies have proved that having a light meal 4 to 60 minutes before the workout can help boost your performance. A pre-workout meal works as a slow acting protein with low GI carbs that provide muscles with sustained energy. This sustained source of energy leads to improved performance, reverse protein degradation and perseverance of muscle mass.

Meal 6: Post-Workout Shake
Nutrient Groups: Fast Protein + Fast Carbs/High GI Carbs

What to eat:
Vegetarians & Non-Vegetarians: Whey protein shake and Dextrose Monohydrate.

Why should you have a post-workout shake?
Everyone who is aiming to get lean body mass or even otherwise willing to gain muscles must have proper post-workout nutrition to improve their strength considerably. A good post-workout shake can help in achieving your daily protein requirement which you may not able to get from your other solid meals.

Meal 7: Dinner
Nutrient Groups: Protein + Fibres + Few Low GI carbs

What to eat:
Vegetarians: Avocado and White Bean Salad with cheese dressing
Non-Vegetarians: Chicken, Broccoli salad with flax oil dressing

Why should you eat dinner for your leaning phase?
Having dinner during your lean muscle diet period can solve the following two purposes for you:
•    It increases the insulin levels that helps in controlling the muscle breakdown
•    It provides your body with essential amino acids and BCAA required for protein synthesis

Vegetarians or vegans can meet their post workout protein requirement y including green beans, legumes, paneer and tofu in their diet, while non-vegetarians can rely on chicken, fish, eggs and other protein-rich seafood options to fulfill their daily protein quota. For your daily carbs need you can have brown rice and sweet potato as they work fine with any protein-rich meal.

Meal 8: Bedtime Meal
Nutrient Groups: Slow acting protein + healthy fats

What to eat:
Vegetarians & Non-vegetarians: Whey protein with paneer or casein protein + ½ spoon peanut butter

Why you should have a bed-time meal?
People will often suggest you to not have anything after 8:00 PM or at least two hours before your bedtime, but one can always make an exception. Studies have shown that consuming some amount of protein, carbs, and fats right before your bedtime helps in increasing the muscle mass which strengthens your lean muscle gain process during the prolonged resistance-type exercise regimen.
Here casein protein may prove to be highly beneficial in improving satiety when consumed before the bed time.

This Indian diet plan for vegetarians and non-vegetarians is sure going to be of great help for those looking forward to having lean muscle mass. However, there are always the chances of variations in one’s diet depending on their goal, fitness, and metabolic requirement, so do consult a nutritionist before picking any lean body diet plan.