A Plant-based diet will help you optimally build muscle

Plant-based diets optimize muscle strength.

Whole-food, plant-based diets, typically low in fat and high in fiber, reduce body fat.

Reduced body fat is associated with increased aerobic capacity - or the ability to use oxygen to fuel exercise. Studies show that athletes on a plant-based diet increase their VO2 max — the maximum amount of oxygen they can use during intense exercise — leading to better endurance and strength.

Plant-based diets improve arterial flexibility and diameter, leading to better blood flow and tissue oxygenation. Even a single high-fat meal, e.g. consisting of sausage and egg McMuffins, impairs arterial function and athletic performance for several hours. (Source)

A plant-based diet, which is low in saturated fat and free of cholesterol, helps improve blood viscosity, or thickness. That helps more oxygen reach the muscles, which improves strength and performance.

Plants contain ample protein to support growth and performance.

The notion that we need to eat meat or dairy to get enough protein is completely false. We are surrounded by living proof. Many successful athletes, spanning endurance, power, and strength, have transitioned to plant-based diets. Beyond our species, mother nature is full of examples, including elephants, rhinos, cows, and sauropods, the largest terrestrial creatures that ever existed.

Plant-based athletes get more than enough protein in their diets. According to nutritionists, plant-based athletes typically get 70% more protein than they need. Meat-eating humans get more than half of their protein from plants as well.

Plants are not missing any amino acids. All plants contain all of the nine essential amino acids.

Plants use the same twenty amino acids that humans and animals do to build their proteins. The earth’s genetic code is universal. All animals ultimately get their protein from plants, whether directly or indirectly through the food chain. A diet with a diversity of whole-foods will naturally give a solid balance of essential amino acids.

The health benefits of eating plant-based include: