Vegetarian Athletes

[Jinzang]

Here's a good discussion of the nutritional risks and benefits of a vegetarian diet for athletes: Fueling the Vegetarian (Vegan) Athlete. It includes a list of suggested supplements.

Vegetarian diets are associated with several health benefits, but whether a vegetarian or vegan diet is beneficial for athletic performance has not yet been defined. Based on the evidence in the literature that diets high in unrefined plant foods are associated with beneficial effects on overall health, lifespan, immune function, and cardiovascular health, such diets likely would promote improved athletic performance as well. In this article, we review the state of the literature on vegetarian diets and athletic performance, discuss prevention of potential micronutrient deficiencies that may occur in the vegan athlete, and provide strategies on meeting the enhanced caloric and protein needs of an athlete with a plant-based diet.

 

[Vince]

I've always thought about vegetarianism, at times in my life I did eat mostly vegetables. I always it was too hard to get all my nutrition from just eating healthy vegetables, oil and nuts. I usually had to include at least eggs and healthy types of cheese.

 

[Deleted member 16042]

I agree Vince. I have been vegan at two times in my life, and diligent about trying to get enough protein, however, both times lost weight and muscle mass. My predisposition is of the sort that fights to maintain weight and build muscle, not the type that fights to keep weight down.

When I actually plugged in protein needs into a macro calculator (myfitnesspal) and crunched the numbers in terms of total caloric and protein requirements and found there was no way I could eat enough food volume for adequate protein to build muscle. In fact at the time I was eating omnivorous including animal foods and playing around with different macros, vegan vs animal sources of protein etc, found I was eating 1/3 less of the needed amount of protein. I upped my proten intake with 3 vs 2 eggs on egg days, adding whey/pea protein and gelatin 1xday, and increased meat portion size. First time in my life I started building muscle and overshot my usual 145lb weight! Have had to dial it back since, but to get to that point solely on vegan protein? forget it! I can't eat that much!

However, I also think that there are many Keto enthusiasts that miss the corresponding health needs/benefits for ingesting plant foods!

And, I suspect the increased animal and dairy protein intake has contributed to prostate problem. That's another story

 

[Dave B.]

I agree Vince. I have been vegan at two times in my life, and diligent about trying to get enough protein, however, both times lost weight and muscle mass. My predisposition is of the sort that fights to maintain weight and build muscle, not the type that fights to keep weight down.

When I actually plugged in protein needs into a macro calculator (myfitnesspal) and crunched the numbers in terms of total caloric and protein requirements and found there was no way I could eat enough food volume for adequate protein to build muscle.

And, I suspect the increased animal and dairy protein intake has contributed to prostate problem. That's another story

Blackhawk, I've experienced the same thing from time to time regarding portion size, weight gain, and trying to get enough vegetarian protein. And there's no getting around the need for a lot of protein to create growth conditions in the body. Animal protein is the easiest, and it works pretty well -- many of us (like me) can't go that route at all though due to other reasons, like my hereditary hyperlipidemia.

Lately I have sort of hit on a great solution for me, which is protein shakes (pea or other vegan protein) with soy milk. Between the milk and the protein powder it's 30-ish grams a pop. When I'm trying to bulk up I might drink 2 or 3 a day, when otherwise I'd just have one, usually in the A.M. or post workout.

My cholesterol has been a struggle my whole adulthood. When I eat dairy, eggs, and meat my cholesterol goes to the moon and my HDL drops. I know there are people out there who have genetics that might result in the opposite, but I have the numbers and the heart disease to back up my assertions. Ha. Not to mention I have prostate cancer in all my close male relatives, so yay for that.

As far as athletic performance goes, the thing that I've noticed personally is that if you are doing vegetarian/vegan stuff, and are also by definition low-carb, low or no sugar (which I am) it makes it difficult to perform endurance exercises. My legs get heavy, I cramp up easier, I'm more dehydrated when I don't eat carbs. There's a reason the old marathon runners carb-loaded all the time, and that's because it really helped in the days before gels were invented. They had to front-load all the energy intake. Nowadays you can take a shot of brown rice syrup+caffeine or other boosters while exercising and it goes straight to your muscles.

On the flipside, even if I can't run or bike all that well, I seem to lift in the gym OK and have still been able to bulk up. Especially since starting TRT, wow I have noticed my body start to change in just 4-5 weeks.