Vegetarianism and Exercise

Types of Vegetarian Diets

Many foods meet the criteria for a vegetarian diet. The term vegetarian is used to describe diets based exclusively on plant foods to those containing some animal foods. Table 1 outlines various vegetarian diets.

Vegetarian Diets and Performance

While there is no evidence that being a vegetarian gives any direct athletic advantage, healthy vegetarian athletes can perform as well as nonvegetarian athletes. A plant-based or vegetarian diet may be ideal for performance as it is generally high in complex carbohydrates. Only the caloric needs change, as plant-based diets are low in fats. Added fat, especially in the form of monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts, and peanuts), as well as essential fatty acids (fish and flax seed oils), may help provide additional calories to a vegetarian diet.

Vegetarianism does not greatly affect the fundamentals of optimal sports and performance nutrition. However, seeking advice from a dietitian may be beneficial in crafting an ideal performance nutrition plan.

Protein and Vegetarian Diets

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. If a food contains the right combination of essential amino acids, it is called a complete protein. All animal-derived proteins and soy are complete. The remaining plant sources of protein contain many, but not all, of the essential amino acids and thus are considered incomplete proteins.

Previously, it had been suggested that vegetarians combine different plant foods at individual meals to ensure that all essential amino acids were provided at the same time. However, the American Dietetic Association has since stated that combining plant sources of protein meal by meal to meet [Page 1528]the body's requirement for essential amino acids is unnecessary. Thus, as long as a variety of plant proteins are eaten throughout the day, adequate amino acids will be obtained.

Table 1 Vegetarian Diets

A favorable eating regimen for vegetarian athletes is to ensure that protein-rich foods are included at each meal. Many athletes have limited time for meal preparation, particularly at lunch. Convenient and portable protein alternatives include ready-prepared beans (hummus, baked beans, and bean salad), nut and seed spreads (peanut butter and tahini), and ready-made luncheon meals made from soy or wheat gluten.

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