T Nation

Supplement Advice for Size?

Supplements and Nutrition
#13

Funny. Run a quick search on the forum for any thread discussing vegetarian bodybuilding and you’ll consistently see me reminding people that it’s certainly possible. They’re a subset of a subset of a subset, but they’re there.

I actually said: “Almond milk is even less so; it’s essentially almond-flavored water with added vitamins.” That is accurate. Every almond milk I’ve seen on store shelves has none of the fiber, healthy fats, or (low quality) protein found in whole almonds. It’s water with added vitamins and minerals. Trying to bring up protein powder is what I believe the kids call a strawman argument.

The bottomline is that the OP is a young, underweight kid asking for advice to gain bodyweight. You said: “I would try hemp milk or almond milk rather than cow’s milk. Much more nutrient dense than cow’s milk”, and that statement is inaccurate and unhelpful advice for this situation.

Hemp milk or almond milk are not much more nutrient dense than cow’s milk. They are lower in fat and significantly lower in protein.

2 Likes
#14

nobody said this[quote=“mommymadness, post:12, topic:217952”]
You are completely disregarding the many vegan body builders and vegan athletes out there that have proved animal products are not essential to building muscle
[/quote]

this is also completely irrelevant. Why are you bringing this up?[quote=“mommymadness, post:12, topic:217952”]
The argument that almond milk or any non-dairy milk for that matter is water with vitamins is also not valid
[/quote]

in the context where you said they are “more nutrient dense” then yes, it is valid, as what you said was not correct.[quote=“mommymadness, post:12, topic:217952”]
How many people on this site alone use protein powders and other nutritional supplements to build muscle that are essentially added vitamins and not all of them have animal sources in them
[/quote]

again, completely irrelevant to the discussion. You are arguing points nobody has made. Why are you doing that?

1 Like
#15

I actually said vegan. I see what you’re saying about the proteins and fats. “…it’s essentially almond-flavored water with added vitamins.” you are implying almond milk is somehow less significant because it is water with added vitamins, which is why I brought up the protein powder. It is an example of water with added vitamins that nobody questions.

#16

I learned something - thanks @Yogi1.

1 Like
#17

And I’ve actually advocated for them in the same types of threads.

Take the vitamins out of protein powder and protein powder still delivers protein. Take the vitamins out of almond milk and you’re right back to almond-flavored water with little else to offer.

You’re also overlooking the fact that plenty of high-quality protein powders don’t have added vitamins/minerals. So, again, there’s no legitimate comparison.

MM, I get that you’re trying to help, but you’re out of your depth on this one.

3 Likes
#18

I think you are completely missing what I’m saying. There’s no point in talking to people who are a one-sided conversation.

Milk Alternatives
#19

No one’s missing a point or being one sided except for you. You know how they make almond “milk” right? They pretty much just let almonds soak their flavor into water then add vitamins and minerals. So yes, it’s almond flavored water with vitamins and minerals. Then you brought up irrelevant points about vegan bodybuilding and protein powder. The kid needs a lot of calorie dense food to help him meet his caloric needs, so saying that low calorie and low macro psuedo milk is superior to regular milk is incorrect. There are certain, rare cases where almond milk might actually be better for someone than dairy. This, however, is not one of those cases

#20

Back to the OP. Wake up earlier and make yourself a big ass breakfast. If you can’t get what you need from your school lunches, bring your own. And then eat when you get home, have a big ass dinner a couple hours later, and if you’re still short on calories, eat a snack before bed. If you really need supplements for some reason, protein powder, multivitamins, and maybe creatine(once you’re over 18 wink) are all I’d recommend. But only after you start eating more

#21

Also, if you’re sneaky, you can make yourself a couple snacks(nuts, fruits, or PB and banana sammich) and sneak that shit in the bathroom at school. I can’t tell you how much food I stashed in my cargo shorts in high school

#22

That’s not even close to what I said.

I suggested hemp milk or almond milk, but everybody is stuck on the almond milk. Again, there’s no point in talking to people who are a one-sided conversation.

#23

I don’t think anyone here doubts your good intentions, but you have to realize that this thread is in the context of a healthy young man looking to pack on muscular body weight.

Nobody is disparaging vegans or milk alternatives. Stating an obvious fact that they are inferior to whole milk in the context of this young man’s goals is not one-sided.

3 Likes
#24

I think soy milk is a bit closer to regular milk, since it at least has some protein in it. Stuff like rice, hemp or almond milk are essentially vitamin enriched water. This is coming from someone who enjoys vegan foods and tries to eat vegetarian as much as possible…and is building muscle on a low meat diet. So, I’m not bias towards a meat and dairy way of eating. I drink almond milk and almost see it as a vitamin supplement. Nothing wrong with that, per se, given that vegans can get calcium, vitamin b12, etc. from these sources.

#25

Stay as far away from any soy product as you can

3 Likes
#26

I wasn’t trying to suggest that he should be drinking soy milk instead. Just saying in terms of non-dairy mliks, it’s probably the closest in terms of nutrients.

I’m a fan of tempeh though, which is basically a block of fermented soy beans. I make sure to get it organic/non-gmo. It’s a food staple in places like Indonesia and I don’t think it’s lead to any health issues there. It’s the highly processed GMO type soy stuff that scares me and it’s in everything these days.

#27

X2 on all the suggestions for banging down whole food, especially some quality steak once or twice a week.

Would also say get some basic supps like creatine, intra workout bcaa drink and load up on a quality fish oil like flameout

#28

Can’t go wrong with Carnivor Mass Chocolate. 700 calories and 50 grams of beef protein…very tasty also, especially if you throw a couple of bananas in the mix.

#29

GOMAD diet : Gallon of Milk a Day !

2400 calories for about $3.00 !

Just about damn well garaunteed to add 30# in a month.

BUT : this is in Addition to your typical daily eating pattern.

Lift Heavy , Condition Properly and get Mobile.

#30

Considering there are no allergies that are a factor. Hes 17 and im assuming he doesnt have a lot of money. So here are the cheap basics.
Ground beef (about a pound a day)
Eggs (eat a dozen a day)
Milk (whatever you can stomach, but at least a half gallon a day)
Avocados if money permits
Nuts (a few hand fulls a day)
If youre drinking protein powder add olive oil to them
Eat chicken thighs more often than chicken breast
Canned salmon amd tuna

And i would use a food tracker app until you get into a grove.

#31

This ^^^ is pretty solid advice. I’d hold off on a straight protein powder/olive oil combo though, unless you just want everything to run right through you.

1 Like
#32

Loosing weight is not an easy task. It takes much time to burn calories. And the most troublesome task is to lose the belly fat. Different people try out different ways to lose fats like hard workouts in the gym, Maintaining a healthy diet and adding dietary supplements which helps to reduce weight very fast.