Diet Series: Veganism
The Vegan diet, as with the others that I have spoken about thus far, is very popular these days and touted for its many health benefits. Several major athletes have gone Vegan and show that you can do very well on this diet and excel athletically. Some notable elite athletes that follow this diet include: Serena Williams (tennis), Colin Kaepernick (previously in NFL, maybe again soon?), Tom Brady (NFL again but new team, too soon?), Alex Morgan (US women’s Soccer) and Arnold Schwarzenegger recently started to follow this diet.
My wife’s garden that she started from seedlings. Though we are not vegetarians, we do try to eat plenty of vegetables.
Overview:
Veganism is a subset of Vegetarianism, but like… uber Vegetarian. No animal products at all including dairy and eggs. This diet is solely plant based. Instead of whey or casein protein, which you will find in many protein powders at the store, this will rely on plant alternative, most commonly pea or soy protein. This protein is less bioavailable when eaten, so typically vegan and vegetarian athletes will require a higher protein intake to match similar animal protein users. A typical person requiring 0.8 gm/kg body weight may need closer to 1.2gm/kg body weight, but it can still be done reasonable. Being plant based, this diet and loaded with anti-oxidants which will help reduce inflammation. This type of diet has been shown to improve diabetic control, lower blood pressure, and improve cholesterol levels.
Other common reasons for adopting a Vegan diet are: worries about animal cruelty, how meat is produced, to carbon emissions that can occur from mass production of meat (usually from the flatulence of the animals emitting methane, a known greenhouse gas). But whatever the reason for people choosing this route, it seems to have many healthy benefits.
Benefits:
As stated before it has been shown to be heart healthy and is high in Omega-6 fatty acids, which is anti-inflammatory. When done right you get all the essential nutrients you need and can train without any deficit. People are able to lose weight on this diet, if they don’t fall into the bread and bagel habit, and can feel more full and able to eat smaller portions. There is not usually a problem of feeling hungry in the early stages. Actually, the opposite can happen, where it is more likely to feel full earlier.
This diet has been noted to lower the carbon footprint overall, which is a main draw for many people. Tag that along with the health benefits and many people find this a very nutritious, physical and morally acceptable diet to follow.
Drawbacks:
The protein is less bio-available and there are several essential nutrients that will require very thoughtful planning to get these in the diet or through supplementation. Athletes may become anemic as many plants have less iron stores, so supplementation and education is very important when thinking about starting this diet. But again, it is very doable. Getting full early can be a problem, especially when training and making sure that plenty of calories are being taken in to maintain or build on weight and muscle. Otherwise, there are minimal drawbacks overall.
Athletics:
Athletes can follow this diet without decline in performance. When on this diet people need to make sure to pick foods or supplements that will make up for the deficits in nutrients that can occur. If bodybuilding or participating in elite sports, making sure to increase protein intake will be important. However, given this is done, this can be a reasonable diet to follow in athletics. Vegan and vegetarian athletes also will have lower stores of creatine in their muscle, making them more likely to respond more effectively to supplementation.
One of Iowa’s many bike trails
Conclusion:
Veganism can be a very effective and safe diet to follow while maintaining physical performance. It is very important to make sure to increase protein sources when following this diet and planning food sources is essential. Vegans need to make sure to get Iron, Vitamin B-12, Omega-3 fatty acids, and a few other vitamins and minerals that will usually be deficient without animal protein. The full spectrum of athletes, from elite to recreation, can follow this diet and remain competitive with their meat eating counterparts. Overall, Veganism/Vegetarianism a good diet to consider.
Stay safe out there and as always, make sure to keep moving!