Athletes are preferring to switch to vegan diets because of their belief that this type of diet brings them certain benefits – either for health and performance reasons, but also regarding the environment or the religious aspects.
The vegan diet is different of the vegetarian one because it excludes not only meat, but any other products of animal origin. Therefore, is challenging for athletes to have a rich and nutritious diet, based on fruits, vegetables, grain products and protein-rich plants.
Besides all these, they have to mind the drinks also – not all of them are vegan. By the way, do you know vegan wine exist? There are some differences between this type and the nonvegan one. The most important difference is that animal-derived products are not present in the fining part of the process of making vegan wine. Some examples of such products are eggs whites, gelatin, and milk protein. The vegan wine is so common that there even is a vegan wine club online.
The truth is, there are many food and drink options available for vegan to choose from, even for athletes which have chosen this type of diet. They have balanced their diet as to include, apart from the traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner, certain snacks after workout or upon getting up in the morning.
Vegan athletes have opted for meals which are rich in vitamins and other nutrients. Smoothies, shakes, and juices are indispensable in the dairy workout. The diet is so various and extremely careful prepared. They even have certain amounts of aliments down to the grams, a specific number of elements for each meal, and cups or spoons of that product.
There are many health reasons why athletes choose to ditch the meat and the animal products from their diet. Some of the reasons are a better health heart, anti-inflammatory effects, improved blood viscosity, improved arterial flexibility and diameter, more antioxidants to neutralize the free radicals, or the reduced body fat. All these are leading the way for choosing a vegan diet.
Many of the athletes take into consideration targeted characteristics of their activity and bodies, and by doing so they adapt their diet to their needs. Athletes have so many differences between them – from the type of sport they do, to their body shape, weight, height, needs or metabolism, or to the part of their body they use the most. Hence, there are more and more studies and nutritionists who know exactly what type of food and what quantity do athletes need to consume to enhance their performance.
There are though several concerns regarding this type of diet, primarily because it lacks some essential components: vitamins D and B12, calcium, iron, zinc, iodine, and omega-3. Also, a vegan diet is considerably lower in proteins.
Bottom line, athletes who decide to go vegan have to be extremely careful that this change won’t affect their health and performance more than it benefits. In either case, special supplements must be strongly considered. Also, staying hydrated, following more on vegetables than on other products, and eating as much calories and minerals as the body needs are essential parts of being a vegan athlete.
