Can I Build Muscle Without Eating..
Meat? Colin Dunn
http://www.menshealth.co.uk/food-nutrition/muscle-foods/can-I-build-muscle-without-eating-meat
Article Summary
A succinct article published in the United States’ best-selling men’s magazine, Men’s Health, commendably puts to bed rumors of the inability to gain muscle on a vegan diet. Posted by Edward Lane on December 9, 2015 this article quickly assures the reader that bulking up is very possible even when removing dead animals from your plate. This topic is very important as nobody wants to discuss the reality of body dysmorphic disorder is males, so manly men everywhere need to know that they can swell up while only consuming plant protein. The author described the “protein pyramid” of nuts, cereals, and legumes. In order to ensure the consumption of a complete amino acid profile, two of the three components of this pyramid should be included in each meal on a vegan diet. Textured vegetable protein can even be added as a supplement to eliminate all doubt of inadequate protein intake.
Article Critique
Determining the validity of any source requires a multifaceted approach. One aspect of a source cannot automatically imply validity and truth. The first step to determining the validity of this men’s health article is to examine the author. Edward Lane is an assistant digital editor at Men’s Health Magazine and has written numerous articles for the magazine. Some previously written topics include post-holiday detox tips and men’s grooming tips. So far, this article is not proving to be a reliable piece for nutrition information. The next step to examining this source of information is to take use a wider lens and inspect the website as a whole. Men’s Health Magazine is most certainly not a nutrition magazine and conflicting information is not difficult to find. Articles can be found promoting beef consumption which has been classified as “probably carcinogenic” by the World Health Organization. The possibility of this article about building muscle without eating meat having reliability is appearing very slim. Hope for credibility is found in the actual content of the article. Edward Lane does a fantastic job of explaining a topic that has been diluted by mass media and bro science for far too long. Edward Lane advises his readers to simply make sure that meals are balanced to promote consumption of all nine essential amino acids. He describes a “protein pyramid” of nuts, legumes, and cereals such as quinoa and oats. Consuming at least two of these three protein sources in each meal throughout the day will ensure adequate amino acid intake. All of this information is in agreement with current nutrition science. Building muscle on a vegan diet is just as efficient as its omnivorous counterparts. One piece of information that could improve this article is the complete essential amino acid profile contained in soy and quinoa. When either of these two protein sources are consumed on a daily basis, there is no need to worry about the described protein triumvirate. All in all this is an excellent, credible source from a not so seemingly reliable author and platform.