This article lays out the land on being a vegetarian athlete. This part one of three gives some background on vegetarian diets as they relate to females in particular and highlights the female athlete triad, a problem that is on the rise and afflicts omnivores and vegetarians alike.
All athletes put effort and time to train for optimum performance. To get the best results, one has to train efficiently and eat in a healthy manner. Throughout evolutionary time, humans have eaten many different types of foods to fuel their bodies and this has no doubt contributed to our abilities to be very good omnivores. Today there are new mememic reasons such as culture, geographic, gender, religion, and beliefs that can play a huge role in creating unique eating patterns. Vegetarianism is one of these food choices that some people make, but does that mean that they cannot be high performance athletes? Or have that lean and muscular physique?
Overall, nutrition is a big topic in both general health and performance enhancement. There are, however, not many sources for vegetarian athletes to achieve efficient eating patterns. I am here to say that vegetarians can be healthy, lean and strong both inside and out. However, it does take more knowledge to eat optimally as a vegetarian than as an omnivore.
Vegetarian athletes should be empowered by the knowledge that the “you need to eat meat in order to become better athletes” myth is wrong.
If it is a well-planned diet, vegetarians should be able to consume enough energy and nutrients as competitive athletes do. In fact, getting enough protein to sustain muscle growth will not be an issue either. Do a quick search on Bill Pearl to see a vegetarian example.
Yes, we do not necessarily have to eat meat or animal products to get better results!
However, because there are some nutrients that are more abundant in animal products, vegetarian lifestyles need to be well planned to achieve optimal nutrition.
Energy:
The main concern for any athlete is negative energy balance (expending more energy than what is consumed). For a simple calculation: energy in - energy out = how much energy you have left. You have to keep up with the energy intake if you are burning too much energy to maintain your body weight. This is especially true for athletes who train for a prolonged period of time (such as figure athletes or weightlifters). They are susceptible to running out of fuel. In which case, your body will do whatever it takes to get you going if glucose and fat are getting low and muscle is the next in line to be used for energy. Yes, glucose can be made from muscle cells, too (this phenomenon is called gluconeogenesis).
While the energy balance topic may seem like old news, it is the number one reason I find people are not getting the results they need. Understanding and applying energy balance correctly is the foundation of any nutritional goal. In fact the studies show that nitrogen balance can be maintained with adequate energy intake regardless of a lower protein intake; whereas, high-protein meals with insufficient energy can result in negative nitrogen balance.
Vegetarians have a tendency to consume fewer calories compared to meat eaters because plant-based foods are often not as energy-dense as animal products; unless you are eating a lot of French fries, which is not advisable.
Eating less calories and being a female athlete does not mix well for overall health, especially the athletes who value leanness (dance, ballet, figure athletes, gymnastics, figure skating, endurance athletes, etc). In recent years physicians and dieticians have been seeing increased numbers of athletes with a phenomenon called, “female athlete triad.” This consists of energy deficiency, amenorrhea and osteoporosis.
Amenorrhea (absence of menstruation for three months or longer) happens as a result of negative energy balance from either inadequate food intake (could be from eating disorders), or too much energy expenditure (from over training).
Once an irregular menstrual cycle occurs, estrogen levels decrease. This results in bone mineral loss. A stress fracture is one of the early signs of female athlete triad. It will not only have detrimental effects in bone mass, but it also impairs athletic performance.
Meeting the body’s energy needs is extremely important. In order to consume adequate calories, make sure to incorporate frequent snacks to maintain energy throughout the day. High energy-containing vegetarian food sources include: vegetable oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, nuts, seeds, legumes, cheese, milk and yogurt.
In part two, we will be discussing what vegetarian athletes should know about macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein and dietary fats.
Resources:
Dunford. Marie, Larson-Meyer. D. Enette, 2006 “Vegetarian Athletes” Sports Nutrition, A Practice Manual for Professionals 4th Ed. American Dietetic Association, Pg 294-317
Brooks. George et. al. 2005 Exercise Physiology, Human Bioenergetics and Its Applications 4th Ed. Pg 721-748
Messina. Virginia, et. al. 2003 “A New Food Guide For North American Vegetarians” Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research Vol 64 No2, Summer
Nuwanee Kirihennedige – Is a nutritionist and dietician that works with athletes and health minded individuals on sports performance and weight loss. Nuwanee currently is the nutritionist for the California Strength Academy in San Ramon California. Her research skills are second to none when it comes to translating research into results. Nuwanee can be reached at nuwanee@californiastrength.com