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| Vegetarian Eating for Athletes |
By Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS
The
term vegetarianism is used loosely with many athletes from those who
just do not eat red meat to those who do not eat any animal products at
all. Here are some of the more common categories of vegetarian diets:
• Lacto-vegetarian: no animal foods at all but includes milk and milk products (yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese)
• Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: no animal foods at all but includes eggs, milk and milk products.
• Vegan: no animal foods at all.
I
have met some athletes who fall into a couple of the different
categories and those who also eat fish but no other meats. It doesn’t
really matter what type is followed or for what reasons. What is
important is how this can affect your health and performance.
Effects of Vegetarianism
When
you are fueling up for your next training session or competition,
remember that you want to choose foods that will enhance your health
and improve your performance. Athletes who follow any type of
vegetarian diet seem to have a lower risk of developing diseases such
as diabetes and heart disease when they get older and while there isn’t
too much support about improving performance, since vegetarian diets
are usually high in carbohydrate, performance is typically improved.
Here are some specific concerns for athletes who are following the vegetarian way of eating:
1.
Total energy. Most vegetarian diets are high in carbohydrate rich foods
such as fruits, vegetables and grains and have a lot of fiber which are
very filling. This could result in not eating enough calories to
support training and competition. Good strategies to include more
calories in your eating program are to eat nuts, peanut butter, soy
products and meat substitutes.
2. Protein. If vegetarian
athletes do not eat any type of meat or dairy foods, their protein
intake could be low. Most endurance athletes do not need a lot of
protein but it is easy to become deficient in protein because
carbohydrates are so prominent in an endurance athlete’s eating
program. Higher non-meat protein foods include nuts, tofu, soy milk and
cereals such as Kashi.
3. Iron. Vegetarian athletes are at
greater risk for having low iron stores. Iron is needed to help the
muscles get oxygen and low amounts of iron could cause fatigue and poor
performance. Female endurance athletes are more affected than males
because of the monthly blood loss from menstruation. Be sure to include
good non-animal sources of iron including spinach, broccoli, almonds,
oatmeal and iron fortified cereals. Drinking orange juice with these
foods can help the body absorb more iron.
4. Calcium. For
vegetarian athletes who do not drink milk or any dairy foods, calcium
intake will be low. Endurance athletes require enough calcium in their
eating program to support the impact that is placed on the bones from
sport. Alternate sources of calcium rich foods include fortified
cereals, tofu and soy milk and green leafy vegetables.
5.
Vitamin B12. There is no active form of this vitamin in any plant foods
and because vitamin B12 is involved in the breakdown of foods to
energy, low amounts can be detrimental for performance. Vegan athletes
are at risk of developing anemia from deficiency of this vitamin and
this can lead to fatigue. Fortified foods are the top choice and
include cereals and soy products.
It is very possible to
following any type of vegetarian eating program and still be healthy
and perform well. The trick is to add more variety and choose many
options of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, soy products and meat
alternatives.
Brought to you by fuel4mance.com.
Bob
Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports
Dietetics, USA Triathlon Level III Elite Coach and the owner of
Fuel4mance (www.fuel4mance.com). Contact him at coachbob@fuel4mance.com.
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