According to the American Dietetic Association, vegan diets are nutritionally adequate for all stages of life and for athletes. However, many discussions of the nutritional adequacy of vegan diets focus on avoiding nutrient deficiencies rather than include whole foods that promote health whose benefits are supported by the literature.
Vegan diets are associated with a number of health benefits:
- Cholesterol lowering
- Decreased blood pressure
- Decreased chances of getting type 2 diabetes
- Decreased chances of getting cancer
- Decreased body mass index
The main dietary factor that probably confers these benefits is the increased consumption of whole plant foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, etc.) and associated beneficial nutrients such as fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
Today’s Vegan Athletessuch as the Kansas City Chiefs’ Tony Gonzalez, Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier, Olympian Carl Lewis, and bodybuilder Kenneth Williams, provide evidence that a high-level athletic performance without consuming animal products. However, avoiding animal foods does not in itself define a diet that promotes health or supports athletic performance.
Nutritional excellence and avoiding deficiencies can help maintain a low level of body fatwhile maximizing muscular endurance and disease resistance, suggesting that a vegan athlete can effectively compete at a high level in endurance sports.
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Veganism and sports performance
High-performance athletes show mildly suppressed immune function and they often experience a higher incidence of infections, and it appears to be a consequence of the long-term stress of intense daily training. Even in the short term, a single intense workout temporarily lowers immune function.
Excessive fat intake and poor food choices can exacerbate immunosuppression exercise induced. Adequate micronutrient intake by athletes has been suggested to attenuate suppression of immune function.
The seeds that contain omega-3 (flax, hemp, chia, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower) are a healthier alternative to animal fats and oils. They offer a substantial amount of protein and are a source of healthy fat with the right balance of fatty acids.
The constant intake of plant foods rich in antioxidants mitigates the undesirable consequences of oxidative stress by maintaining the levels of reactive oxygen species (which, if produced in large quantities, can overcome endogenous defenses and cause problems). Something to note is that people who do not follow a diet rich in whole vegetables and who supplement with antioxidants, do not consistently reduce oxidative stress exercise-induced or inflammatory markers (could even reach impair recovery).
Many studies have shown that supplements of antioxidants specific isolates would be vastly outnumbered by the complex combinations of antioxidants and other phytonutrients in whole-grain foods with a high content of micronutrients; the same is observed in epidemiological studies of chronic diseases. There is strong evidence for the protective effect of vegetables against coronary heart disease, which is known to involve oxidative damage.
There is much anecdotal evidence of athletic success on vegetarian and vegan diets, which was discussed in the reviews mentioned above in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. For example:
- In the 1890s, vegan cyclists and long-distance runners in the United States and Great Britain performed as well as or better than non-vegans.
- In 1912, a vegan was one of the first men to complete a marathon in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes.
- A 1970 study comparing thigh muscle width and lung function in athletes saw no difference between those on vegan and non-vegan diets.
Possible deficiencies in vegan athletes
There are several concerns about the micronutrient adequacy of a vegan diet: some of these concerns are justified and some are not, assuming the diet is based on plant-rich whole foods. The ADA has singled out omega-3s, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 as the micronutrients most likely to be deficient.
Next, we are going to show you which are the whole plant foods that have the highest amount of each micronutrient.
Calcium
Vegetables with a low oxalate content (which can make it difficult to absorb oxalate), such as Chinese cabbage and kale have higher levels of bioavailability of calcium even than milk.
Nuts and seeds are also rich in various minerals, including calcium. In fact, the seeds are rich in protein and minerals, helping to meet the increased caloric and protein needs of athletes while providing plenty of micronutrients.
Due to the high availability of calcium in vegetables, nuts and seeds, calcium deficiency is a concern that doesn’t make much sense to vegan athletes (as long as, as we have mentioned before, they are fed with whole vegetables).
Iron
Concern about iron deficiency is based on the reduced bioavailability of iron from plant foods. But nevertheless, Vegetarian diets typically contain more iron than omnivorous diets.
Plant foods contain nonheme iron, which is generally not as available as the heme iron found in animal foods. Even so, When iron stores are low, nonheme iron has a higher absorption efficiency than heme iron.
Vegan athletes should include iron-rich plant foods in their diets, but iron supplementation is not essential except in cases of iron deficiency marked by very low ferritin or anemia, or in women with heavy menstrual bleeding.
Leafy green vegetables are a rich source of iron that is often overlooked. Vegetables are often eaten in small portions that don’t provide adequate iron, but athletes who consume large portions of vegetables in plant-based meals and shakes receive the benefit of additional protein and iron from those vegetables.
The iron-rich plant foods They include spinach, asparagus, Swiss chard, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, tofu, lentils, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and soybeans.
Zinc
Zinc, similar to iron, is provided in abundance by a vegan diet, but not easily absorbed from plant foods. Legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are high in zinc. However, these foods contain phytate, which inhibits the absorption of iron and zinc.
The bioavailability of zinc is enhanced by proteins of the diet and inhibited by supplements of folic acid and iron (not dietary iron) and other essential minerals such as calcium, copper or magnesium. Pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds are a very good source of this mineral.
Iodine
Iodized salt is the main source of iodine in the Western diet. Most plant foods are low in iodine due to soil depletion. Seaweed is a potential source of iodine for vegans, but are usually consumed only occasionally.
B12 vitamin
Vitamin B12 is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system, metabolism, and DNA synthesis, especially in red blood cells.
long-term deficiency it is characterized by morphological changes in blood and hematopoietic cells, since the deficit in DNA synthesis mainly affects cells with a high turnover rate. Too can result in irreversible neurological damage.
Vitamin B12 is synthesized only by microorganisms and can only be obtained from animal sources. Supplementation of a minimum of 6 micrograms daily (although this must be prescribed by the doctor) Vitamin B12 is essential for vegans.
Vitamin D
Widespread vitamin D deficiency has been reported in the general population. This vitamin may be especially important for athletes due to its role in skeletal muscle.
Vitamin D modulates the gene expression of proteins related and unrelated to calcium metabolism. Calcium handling is an integral part of muscle contraction and relaxation, and the actions of vitamin D are thought to primarily affect calcium channels. This could have implications for both performance and injury prevention.
The recommendation is that before taking a vitamin D supplement, there is exposure to sunlight for 30 minutes a day.
Omega 3
There is overwhelming evidence that omega-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), contribute to brain and heart health. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)an omega-3 fatty acid found in plant sources, is present in flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and nuts.
Adequate levels of omega-3 for most people can be maintained by regularly consuming these plant sources of ALA.
macronutrients
As for macronutrients, it is very difficult for there to be any type of deficiency, as long as there is a diet based on whole plant foods. Even so, if you want to spin well, our recommendation is the following:
- As for the proteinsit is enough that there is a consumption of 1.2-1.5g/kg/day.
- As for the carbohydratesthis will depend a lot on the volume and intensity of the training, but as a general rule, endurance athletes usually consume between 6 and 10 g/kg/day.
- Finally, with the fats we recommend a consumption maximum of 1 g/kg/daysince consuming more will not provide benefits and will displace carbohydrates, which are necessary for good sports performance.
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Information | Fuhrman, J., & Ferreri, D.M. (2010). Fueling the vegetarian (vegan) athlete. Current sports medicine reports, 9(4), 233-241.