![]() The simplest way to make up for the lack of zinc, magnesium, and other micronutrients the modern diet leaves even many non-vegetarians deficient in is to ‘eat the rainbow.’ Simply, this just means to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and avoid sticking to the same week in and week out. These deficiencies can be harmful to an athlete’s health and their athletic performance, causing fatigue, poor bone density, and the inability to properly repair and strengthen muscle. While convenient, eating the same handful of meals can lead to deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals. A shake recipe almost any athlete will enjoy involves blending ice, frozen fruit, chia seeds, peanut or nut butter, and protein powder with milk, coconut milk, or water.įor new vegetarians, it can be easy to find a few foods that ‘work’ then become overly-reliant on them. Shakes can also be an easy and tasty way to supplement the protein normally consumed through meat. For athletes that are ovo-lacto vegetarians (meaning they still eat some non-meat animal products), eggs and dairy are abundant sources of protein. Vegetarian athletes can account for this inherent deficit by consuming beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and lentils. For endurance athletes, this makes the daily protein recommendation 0.55-0.64g per pound of bodyweight and 0.73-0.77g per pound of bodyweight for more strength-based athletes. While plant and vegetable proteins repair muscle the same way animal proteins can, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends vegetarian athletes increase their protein intake 10% to help account for plant proteins that don’t get fully digested by the body. The macronutrient vegetarians need to deliberately seek out most is protein. Figuring out what exactly to feed an athlete on a plant-based diet isn’t always easy in the beginning, but following these tips will help them cover all their nutritional bases so they can then cross them on the field. Regardless if your athlete participates in an endurance, strength, or even combat sport, eating a vegetarian diet and still performing to their potential can be done. And five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, 300-pound NFL lineman David Carter, and American champion Olympic weightlifter Kendrick Farris are not only vegetarian, but vegan. NBA champions Glen Davis, James Jones, and John Salley are also vegetarians, as was Ironman Hall of Famer Dave Scott when he was training for his six Ironman World Championships. Martina Navratilova, one of the best tennis players of all-time, credits a plant-based diet as the reason she was able to win majors into her late 40s. Being a vegetarian might seem at odds with also being a competitive athlete, but it’s becoming far more common, even at sports’ highest levels.
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