Are you getting enough as a plant-based athlete?

By Tammy Russell, RD

The documentary Game Changer is indeed just that for so many that watch it even if they are weekend warriors or armchair athletes—it offers profound inspiration and depicts how strength as well as health can come from eating plants.

It is a common sentiment to feel “weighed down,” sluggish, and slow moving when athletes have a large bolus of meat containing fat and protein before a workout, yet many are drawn to this type of meal afterwards. Muscles work the best when they are insulin sensitive, and a high fat diet has been shown to induce an opposite condition of more insulin resistance which also paves the way for diabetes in the future.

Regardless of all the information present on the internet, it can be really confusing to try to figure out what to eat before and after a workout in addition to what your needs may be as an athlete.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be difficult. Eating healthy can be painlessly simple and with a little planning, your pantry can be set up to be a great resource for your burgeoning health and muscles!

A common mistake to make as an athlete on a plant-based diet is not getting enough calories to sustain the demand one puts on their system. This is also very important in considering teenage athletes—especially teenage girls who are plant based. Some other typical missteps are not being hydrated enough, not supplementing when needed, and eating too many processed foods for main sources of calories instead of whole foods.

When I work with a patient, it helps to get a three-day record of everything they’ve eaten and drunk over that time period. I also like to know if they have had any surgery, have gut health issues, or are taking any medications. All this information helps me to do a nutritional audit of what they are burning through and what they might need more of.

In general, those who work out often will need a higher caloric intake, period! Skimping on calories can lead to muscle wasting, hormonal disruptions, nutritional deficiency, and hangry athletes.

What does it mean to eat more calories? It means that you might need three meals and three snacks every day. It means that you may need to scarf down a banana 10-15 minutes before your workout and then sit down to a huge plate of rice, beans, and greens afterwards. Unless you are trying to lose weight (and work with a qualified nutritionist to do that safely), more exercise means more calories. This is especially true for teenagers who are still growing.

The main fuel for a plant-based athlete is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates should make up 50-70 percent of their total caloric intake. Healthy sources of carbohydrates for any person are:

  • Potatoes/sweet potatoes

  • Winter squash (butternut, spaghetti, acorn, kabocha)

  • Quinoa, brown rice, millet, oatmeal, buckwheat, whole wheat

  • Plantains

  • Legumes (black beans, chickpeas, lentils, white beans)

  • Fruits

  • Less starchy vegetables (carrots, beets, lettuce, kale, broccoli, asparagus, etc.)

For a fast-acting fuel source within 10-30 minutes of a workout, fruits and less starchy carbohydrates are digested quickly and can help provide much needed energy during that workout whereas foods like sweet potatoes, lentils, rice, and quinoa take longer to digest and are more of a “longer lasting” source of energy (frazier 85).

Protein requirements are easily met on a plant-based diet even though it still remains a controversial topic. There is still a significant emphasis on eating protein in the morning to sustain one and having it before bed to “balance blood sugar.”

Protein should make up 15-25% total caloric intake on a plant-based diet. Nutritionists will often tailor a person’s unique protein requirement by using a formula based on intensity of workouts.

Kilograms (kg) instead of pounds are often used. To find out your kilograms, divide your weight by 2.2. So, if someone weighs 130 pounds, they weigh (130/2.2) = 59 kg. Then we apply an activity factor. If someone is mostly sedentary, we multiply 59 kg X .8 (g/kg/day) to get 47 grams. I usually give a range of + 10% just in case, so this person’s protein needs are 47–52 grams per day.

We use a different activity factor when one is exercising of 1.2–2.0 g/kg/day (1). So, an endurance athlete who weighs 59 kg would need ~ 71–118 grams of protein per day. It is also good to assure that one plant-based protein source consumed each day had higher amounts of lysine (an amino acid that can be low on a vegan diet) (1).

Great options would be –

  • Tempeh

  • Seitan

  • Lentils

  • Tofu

  • Amaranth

  • Quinoa

  • Pistachios

  • Pumpkin seeds (also a good source of zinc)

 Have these in addition to other high protein plant foods such as –

  • Beans

  • Nuts/nut butters

  • Oats

  • Buckwheat

  • Teff

Other options for protein sources include protein bars and powders which can be helpful but the whole foods listed above make better first choices.

People seem to have a love-hate relationship with fats, but healthy fats are a perfectly fine part of a plant-based athlete’s diet. A good goal would be to make fat 15–25% of the diet.

Healthy fats can contain omega 3 fatty acids which can help to lower inflammation in the diet. Plant-based sources of omega 3 fatty acids are –

  • Flaxseeds

  • Chia seeds

  • Tofu

  • Navy beans

  • Walnuts

  • Dark green leafy vegetables

Aim for 1–2 servings per day of foods (above) that are a significant source of omega 3 fatty acids.

 If you are at risk for cardiovascular disease, I wouldn’t load up on saturated fats coming from coconut oil and coconut products.

The healthiest way to consume fats is to limit the use of oils in all forms (a little olive oil on salad is okay and using a tablespoon or less of avocado oil to roast veggies is okay too) but try to avoid a lot of processed foods made with oils such as chips, cookies, pastries, fried foods, etc. These types of oils can counteract the inflammation-lowering effect of omega 3 fatty acids. Instead, focus on healthy fats such as:

  • Avocados

  • Olives

  • Nuts/nut butters

  • Flax/chia/hemp

  • Soy – tofu/tempeh

  • Sesame seeds (tahini)

  • Olive oil  

As you can imagine, the subject of nutrition for athletes is incredibly vast, layered, and sometimes nuanced with the addition of supplements.

This article could easily explode with the mention of supplements, but it is important to consider the following supplements in addition to testing to make sure all your bases are covered….

  • Vitamin D (especially in the winter months)

  • Vitamin B12

  • Iron

  • Zinc

  • Iodine

  • Omega 3 fatty acids

  • Calcium/magnesium

  • Vitamin K

*Do not randomly take supplements—instead, consider working with a qualified nutritionist to assure that your body stays in balance with what you are eating and taking as a supplement.

Female athletes who are pre-menopausal and plant-based should consider getting their iron tested every 6 to 12 months to make sure their levels are within normal limits.

Good sources of plant-based iron are:

  • Tofu

  • Tempeh

  • Lentils

  • Peas

  • Sesame seeds

  • Spinach

  • Broccoli

  • Quinoa

  • Oats

  • Swiss chard

  • Collard greens

  • Lima Beans

Be sure to combine your plant-based iron with a source of vitamin C to enhance iron absorption. Food sources of vitamin C are lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, tomatoes, bell pepper, and broccoli. Squeezing lemon/lime juice with a beverage can help digestion and facilitate iron absorption.

Post Work-out Meal Ideas (3)

A wonderfully simple way to plan for your plant-based meals is put forth in the “Plant-based Athlete” book by Matt Frazier and Robert Cheeke. In their “Putting it all together” chapter, they recommend conceptualizing your meals as: (2)

1)      Smoothie or Oatmeal
2)      Giant Salad with beans and nut-based dressing
3)      A grain, a green, and a bean

I highly recommend their book for further reading!

If you know, love, or live with a plant-based athlete—please share this article with them. People and athletes also fare better when they get a nutritional “checkup” from a qualified nutritionist who can provide meal planning and trouble-shooting advice.

 

Tammy Russell is a plant-based holistic dietitian based in Portland, Oregon. In her private practice, she caters to clients who have gut health, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and endocrinological issues as well as family nutrition. She can be reached at: tammy@modernnutritionalwellness.com

References

1. Cheeke, R., Holtzman, R., & Greger, M. (2021). it's time to have the protein talk . In The plant-based athlete a game-changing approach to peak performance (pp. 55–55). essay, HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

2. Frazier, M., Cheeke, R., Holtzman, R., & Greger, M. (2021). Putting it all together. In The plant-based athlete a game-changing approach to peak performance (pp. 160–161). essay, HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

3. Macey, D. (2021, August 31). 17 simple nutrition tips for Vegan Athletes. Running on Real Food. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://runningonrealfood.com/nutrition-tips-for-vegan-athletes

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