How can athletes and exercisers thrive on a vegan diet? Tips and practical advice

How can athletes and exercisers thrive on a vegan diet? Tips and practical advice

How can athletes and exercisers thrive on a vegan diet? Tips and practical advice

Let's quickly define the different types:

Vegetarian Diets: Definitions

Type	Description
Flexitarian	Occasionally consumes animal flesh (meat, poultry) and fish, eggs, dairy
Pesco-vegetarian	Excludes animal flesh but does include fish
Lacto-ovo vegetarian	Excludes all flesh; includes diary and eggs only
Lacto vegetarian	Excludes all flesh and eggs; includes dairy only
Ovo vegetarian	Excludes all flesh and dairy; includes eggs only
Vegan	Excludes all animal products
Macrobiotic vegetarianb	Variable dietary restrictions; includes wild meat/game and fish in some variations of the diet
Fruitarian	Includes fruit, nuts, seeds and a some vegetables

Diet Comparison

Diet type	Possible dietary Issuesa	Possible sport-related issuesa	Recommendationsb
Omnivorous	Poor ad libitum diets can lead to nutrient deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency possible (if sun exposure is poor / unlikely).	Male and female athletes with low energy intake at risk of nutrient deficiencies. Calcium requirements increased during negative energy balance, amenorrhea and female athlete triad.	Energy intake should be scaled to activity level. Depending on sport, 1.4–2.0 g ∙ kg−1 protein; 3–10 g ∙ kg−1 CHO; 0.5–1.5 g ∙ kg−1 fat (or, 30% energy) consumed daily. Micronutrient-rich diet sufficient to achieve DRVs; Vitamin D3 supplement might be necessary.
Pesco-vegetarian	Same as omnivores plus: Energyc, protein.	Iron deficiency with and without anaemia a risk in female athletes.	Same as omnivores, plus ensure that iron needs are met via a variety of food sources.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian & Lacto-vegetarian	Same as pesco-vegetarians plus: Long chain n-3 (EPA, DHA), iron, zinc, riboflavin deficiencies more likely.	Same as pesco-vegetarians plus: Reduced muscle creatine and carnosine stores a possibility in males and females.	Same as pesco-vegetarians plus: EPA / DHA supplement (total 1–2 g ∙ day−1; 2:1 ratio) might be needed. Increase iron (m = 14 mg & f = 33 mg ∙ day1) and zinc (16.5 mg & 12 mg ∙ day1) intakes due to reduced bioavailability of plant sources.
Vegan	Same as vegetarians plus: Protein, fat, n-3, B12, calcium, iodine deficiencies also possible / likely in males and females.	Same as vegetarians plus: Low bone-mineral density is an increased possibility in female athletes. Achieving energy balance might be a problem for larger athletes.	Same as vegetarians plus: Increase protein to 1.7–2.0 g ∙ kg−1 and up to 1.8–2.7 g ∙ kg−1 during weight loss phases (obtain from range of plant-based foods). Nuts, seeds, avocados, oils to achieve 0.5–1.5 g ∙ kg−1 fat daily. EPA / DHA (microalgae); vitamin D3 (lichen) & B12 supplements might be needed; iodine in some instances too. 1000 mg ∙ day−1 calcium from beans, pulses, fortified foods and vegetables.

Lets give some quick examples of vegan friendly foods to help you exercise better

Macronutrients

Protein

Typical recommendations therefore include 1.6–1.7 g kg−1 day−1 for strength and power athletes and 1.2–1.4 g kg−1 day−1 for endurance-sport athletes—values notably larger than the 0.8 g kg−1 day−1 recommended for most non-active adults

High Protein Foods

Food	Protein per 100 ga
Pumpkin seeds (dried, uncooked)	30.2
Lentils (red, split, uncooked)	24.6
Black beans (uncooked)	21.6
Almonds (raw)	21.2
Tempeh	20.3
Tofu (calcium set)	17.3
Oats (rolled)	16.9
Quinoa (uncooked)	14.1

Vegan-Friendly Food Sources

Nutrient	Vegan-friendly sources
Protein	Pulses, grains, legumes, tofu, quinoa, nuts, seeds, vegetables
ALA	Flax seeds, walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds
EPAa	Seaweed, algae
DHA	Microalgae oil, seaweed
Vitamin B12	Supplements, fortified foods, plant milks, nutritional yeast (fortified), fermented soyb, mushroomsb
Iron	Legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, fortified foods, green vegetables
Zinc	Beans, nuts, seeds, oats, wheat germ, nutritional yeast
Calcium	Tofu (calcium set), fortified plant milks and juice, kale, broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower, bok choi
Iodine	Seaweed, cranberries, potatoes, prunes, navy beans, iodized salt
Vitamin D	Lichen-derived D3 supplements

Sample 2500 Calorie menu

Meal	Ingredients
Breakfast: “Nutty Banana Oatmeal”	• Oats, ½ cup (uncooked) • Almond milk, fortified, unsweetened, 1 cup • Banana, 1 small (60 g) • Brazil nuts, 1nut • Flax seeds, milled, 1 tablespoon • Pumpkin seeds, 1 tablespoon • 1000 IU Vitamin D3 (lichen derived) • 2.4 μg Vitamin B12 • 2 g microalgae oil supplement
Lunch / Pre-training: “Asian-style Kale Salad”	• Kale, 1 cup, chopped • Carrot, 1 medium, shredded • Cucumber, ½ cup, shredded • Dried wakame, 1 g, sprinkles • Rice noodles, 57 g (uncooked weight) • Edamame beans, ½ cup • Tofu, calcium-set, ½ cup • Ginger, garlic, chili, to taste • Sesame oil, 1 tablespoon
Post Training: “Mixed berry protein smoothie”	• Pea protein isolate, 40 g • Frozen raspberries, ½ cup • Frozen strawberries, ½ cup • Frozen blueberries, ½ cup • Hemp milk, fortified, 1 cup
Dinner: “Garbanzo and Sweet potato Curry”	• Garbanzos, 120 g, cooked • Seitan, 40 g • Sweet potatoes, 1 medium • Tomatoes, ½ can • Onion, 1 red, small • Garlic, 1 clove • Olive oil, 1 tbsp. • Long grain rice, 1 cup • Curry spices, to taste
Total Energy	2512 Calories
Protein	154 g
Carbohydrate	312 g
Total Fat	75 g
n-3	4.4 g
ALA	1597 mg
EPA	300 mg
DHA	529 mg
Fibre (g)	58 g
Vitamin B12	3.4 μg
Iron	31.4 mg
Zinc	15.4 mg
Calcium	2226 mg
Iodine	173 μg
Vitamin D	34.5 μg

---

Sample 3500 Calorie menu

Meal	Ingredients
Breakfast: “Tofu scramble with avocado toast”	• Tofu, ½ block / 250 g • Whole-wheat bread, toasted, 3 large slices • Avocado, ¼, diced • Navel orange, 1 medium • 2 g microalgae oil supplement
Lunch / pre training: “Roast vegetable, tempeh & buckwheat salad”	• Buckwheat, raw, 1 cup • Tempeh, ¾ cup / 100 g • Zucchini, ½, roasted • Eggplant, ½, roasted • Onion, red, ½, roasted • Bell pepper, ½, roasted • Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp. Each
Post-training snack: “Spiced apple cereal”	• Puffed rice, 2 cups • Apple, 1 large • Prunes, chopped, 18 g • Cinnamon, to taste • Soy milk, unsweetened, 270 ml • Rice protein, vanilla, 1.5 scoops / 35 g
Dinner: “Spaghetti”	• Black bean spaghetti, 75 g, raw weight • Spaghetti, dried, 88 g, raw weight • Pasta sauce, tomato, low sodium, ½ jar • Onion, red, ½ • Spinach, frozen, 70 g • Garlic, basil, to taste • Olive oil, 1 tbsp. • Nutritional yeast flakes (B12 enriched), 1 tbsp.
Snack: “Chia, flax and hemp seed dessert”	• Chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, 2 tbsp. Each • Almond milk, 1 cup • Dates, chopped, × 2 • Strawberries, ½ cup
Total Energy	3446 Calories
Protein	193 g
Carbohydrate	443 g
Total Fat	94 g
n-3	9.8 g
ALA	7754 mg
EPA	300 mg
DHA	529 mg
Fibre (g)	91 g
Vitamin B12	4.2 μg
Iron	42 mg
Zinc	40 mg
Calcium	2406 mg
Iodine	153 μg
Vitamin D	22.7 μg

For more information about how we can help. Please call Health Wise Chiropractic 03 9467 7889 or book online to see one of our Chiropractors in Sunbury or Melton/Strathtulloh Today!

Book your Chiropractic and Massage Session Now

We are also really proud to offer our patients an APP for their Mobile- iPad. With access to your rehab exercises and our health tip blogs with over 500 articles.

Click to download our mobile App

---

Health Wise Chiropractic Online Health Program via our exclusive app

Chiropractic has moved online. We offer our online program -STAND CORRECTED- To help you through the day.

We have over 30 programs on different health conditions

Each program contains - Information about the conditions - things to do and things to avoid - nutrition advice - all the stretches that are needed to help

Start your Online Health Rehab Now

---

Reference

Rogerson D. Vegan diets: practical advice for athletes and exercisers. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017 Sep 13;14:36. doi: 10.1186/s12970-017-0192-9. PMID: 28924423; PMCID: PMC5598028.