While many people think about how a vegetarian diet is not a proper one if you are planning to go to a gym and workout, the reality is quite the opposite, since there are many successful athletes so are performing extraordinary while using vegetarian or even full vegan diet. The perfect examples are David Haye, Jermain Defoe, and Venus Williams, who are vegetarians, and Novak Djokovic, Nate Diaz, and Lewis Hamilton, who are some of the most popular vegans in the world.
When it comes to workout, there should not be any difference in your practice with a vegetarian diet, and with a proper nutrition plan, the results might be even better than with a standard diet plan that includes meat and various processed products. Here are some of the most important training and nutrition tips for vegan athletes.
Contents
Protein Intake
Protein is the most important substance for building muscles, and the main issue for many people who are on a vegan diet is a proper intake of them through regular nutrition. However, there are many ways to get the necessary dose of proteins every day by eating nuts, seeds, soy products, dairy, whole grains, and more. Be sure that every meal has some quinoa, chia seeds, lentils, peas, and other vegan food that is full of protein. Also, you can choose some additional vegan protein powder on theplantera.com, where you can find all kinds of vegan nutrition with a wide range of flavors.
Source: orthoindy
Be Sure That Your Workouts Are Short and Intense
A regular diet that includes meat is much easier when it comes to building mass and muscles. However, you can still have the same results with a vegan diet if you include short but very intense training in your fitness plan. This way, you will avoid losing muscle mass. The thing is, your muscles will start consuming the protein in longer sessions much more, while the results will be much better when you have fast and short sessions with weights.
Vitamin B12
The main problem with a vegan nutrition plan is the lack of vitamin B12, which can be found in eggs and meat, and that is essential for the vital functions of our bodies. However, you can use various supplements with this vitamin, like pills, or some vegan food with B12 added in it, such as nutritional yeast, soy milk, cereals, and some meat substitutes made of soy. Also, you should eat a lot of mushrooms, seaweed, dairy products, tempeh, and more.
Source: orthoindy
Create a Proper Diet Plan
Like with any other type of nutrition, no matter if it is a vegan, vegetarian, or standard one, you should create a plan according to your workout intensity, and structure of your body. Also, you should make a plan that is going to affect your body in a way you prefer, whether you want to lose or gain weight, and build muscles as well. Moreover, since the vegan diet is a bit more complicated than other types, you should always have everything prepared in advance.
Calcium
Calcium intake is also very important because it is essential for bone density and the prevention of injuries. Some of the vegan food that is rich with calcium is soy products, orange juice, cereals with additional calcium added in them, greenery such as bok choy, spinach, kale, and more. Besides that, you can always get a needed dose of this vitamin through various supplements as well.
Source: humankinetics
Learn to Prepare Your Meals
Since getting vegan food wherever you go can be tricky, and most of the restaurants don’t offer a variety of vegan meals, you should learn how to cook for yourself. This way, you will be able to get all you need by preparing some meals that are full of vitamins and supplements that are necessary for your fitness and diet plan. There are many receipts that you can easily prepare, such as quinoa bowl, chickpeas, pretzels with peanut butter, tahini and oat balls, lentil soup, vegan burgers, and much more.
Healthy Fats
You will burn a lot of calories during the workout session, which can cause you to lose much weight, even more, that you should want to. In that matter, the intake of healthy fats and Omega-3 fatty acids is crucial for your wellbeing. While meat products, eggs, and milk contain a lot of healthy acids, you might find it more complicated to have enough of them through the vegan diet program. On the other side, some types of vegan food are a great alternative to meat and other animal products, some of them are algae, chia seeds, avocado, oils, nuts, and more.
Source: 3xsport
Get Enough Iron Through Food
Another mineral that is essential for your body, but is much more contained in animal products is iron, which is very important for your immune system is iron. On the other hand, you can eat a lot of spinach, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils to take enough of this mineral in your body. Also, if your body lacks this important mineral, you should consider getting it through supplements like pills.
Eat Proper Amount of Food
The main difference between vegan and other diets is the number of calories you take with one regular meal. Vegan food has much fewer calories, which makes it harder for you to eat enough for good training. You should eat a lot of vegetables along with some vegan products with more calories such as beans, nuts, legumes, and seeds, and have more than regular three meals during the day. This way, you will avoid losing muscle weight and have enough energy for intense workouts as well.
Source: medium
Hydration
No matter if you are vegan or not, you should always stay hydrated during your sessions, because it is crucial for your body and wellbeing. Always have a bottle of water with yourself during training, because it could help you avoid various issues that come with dehydration. Along with the water, you could also add some supplements such as Kreatin, Casein, Glutamine, BCAA, and more. Some of these supplements are especially good for beginners because they will provide you with some additional power.
