Foods Suitable For Vegan Athletes

A vegan athlete should eat fresh, seasonal food. Athletes on a vegan diet should not only eat rice and pasta, as many people tend to believe. Read on to find out some useful information!

You can practice any sport you want if you are vegan. Vegetarian and vegan diets are suitable for all stages of life and for all types of people. The vegan diet will give you all the specific nutrients you need if you choose the right foods and organize your menus well. However, this diet should be carefully planned to prevent nutritional deficiencies, improve your performance and prevent health problems. Discover some foods suitable for vegan athletes!

Vegan diet for athletes

Although a vegan diet is not incompatible with sports, it requires the incorporation of more nutrients into the daily menus.

A vegan may have ideological or health motivations or simply choose to follow this diet because he likes it. In any case, its menus can be as balanced as those of omnivores. That being said, a vegan diet is not incompatible with exercise or performance sports.

A vegan diet for athletes must take into account the specific needs of the practitioner. It must also replace the proteins contained in foods of animal origin with complete vegetable proteins.

Are there any vegan athletes?

Foods suitable for vegan athletes

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables should be the main element of the diet of vegan athletes, as they provide energy for training.

A vegan athlete should base his diet on fresh, seasonal foods. Athletes on a vegan diet should not just eat rice and pasta, as many people tend to believe.

Seasonal vegetables and fruits are essential because, like all athletes, vegan athletes need large amounts of vitamins and minerals.

Athletes trying to burn fat should give priority to vegetables. Instead, athletes who want to gain weight and improve their performance should give priority to fruits (among the other foods we will mention below), because they provide more calories and carbohydrates than vegetables.

Carbohydrates in the vegan diet

Vegan athletes should eat rice, oats, quinoa, seeds and nuts that provide many vitamins and minerals, in addition to protein and healthy fats. Legumes and nuts are important sources of carbohydrates and vegetable proteins with high biological value.

This is one of the reasons why vegan athletes should give up low-nutrition cereals in favor of legumes, seeds and nuts. They should opt for legume flours (such as chickpea flour) or vegetable pasta (such as pea or lentil pasta) instead of wheat pasta.

proteins

Legumes are an important source of vegetable protein, which is why athletes should incorporate them into their diets.

For many, protein is the issue of vegan diets in athletes. After all, when most people think of this macronutrient, they have only animal sources in mind. But legumes and nuts are excellent sources of vegetable protein.

Legumes can be eaten in stews, salads and other dishes, such as hummus or butter, such as cashews and peanuts, which are high in calories and rich in nutrients. Other ideal options are walnut creams (almond or hazelnut cream), which you can make at home by grinding them.

Also, mushrooms are considered food because of their nutritional value, like yeast. A few tablespoons can add to any dish about 12-15 grams of protein.

Foods Suitable For Vegan Athletes