Vegan Athlete Diet
If you are a vegan athlete, then you need to make sure that your diet is going to increase your performance! Diet is key to not only performing well, but can help speed recovery. Vegan athletes like Brendan Brazier stress the importance of a high quality vegan diet to enhance performance.
What does a vegan athlete’s diet look like?
- Plenty of leafy green vegetables
- High quality carbohydrates, in the form of fruits and vegetables, sweet potatoes and grains
- Healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, and avocado
- Some form of vegan protein, in the form of beans, lentils, tempeh, or tofu. Since nuts, seeds, leafy greens and grains all contain protein, it is pretty much a myth that vegans do not get enough protein. As long as you are eating enough calories, you are getting enough protein! I don’t recommend eating processed vegan meats–have you looked at how many ingredients are in those?? If you are transitioning to a vegan diet and really miss meat, use these sparingly.
When eating a vegan diet, it is also important to eat ENOUGH calories to fuel an active lifestyle, and to fuel up often! Ideally, eat 5 small meals, and eat every 3 hours.
Sample Vegan Athlete Diet
Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal (NOT instant!), banana, 2 tbs almond butter
Snack: Smoothie with frozen fruit, almond milk, chia/hemp seeds (optional: a scoop of sunwarrior protein powder or Shakeology)
Lunch: Salad with lots of fresh veggies, tempeh, and avocado
Snack: Hummus with veggies (cut up carrots, bell pepper, celery, etc.)
Dinner: Side salad (notice the GREENS!), black beans, quinoa and veggies
Now that you’re fueled up with some yummy vegan food, go get your workout in!
