How Does A Vegetarian Diet Affect Sports Performance?

Many famous athletes, among them Hank Aaron, Billie Jean King, Carl Lewis, Edwin Moses, Martina Navratilova and Bill Walton, have followed a vegetarian diet. The key to their diet success, as with yours, is to substitute appropriate plant-based foods for meat and dairy foods. This involves knowledgeable planning to ensure your vegetarian food choices contain all of the nutrients required for the physiologic demands of your sport.

Background

Meat and dairy foods are good food sources of protein, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B-12. As a vegetarian, make sure that your plant-based diet includes foods that provide these nutrients. Finding restaurants and vegetarian menu items can prove challenging if you are an athlete traveling to competitions. Plan ahead for these situations so that you can maintain a nutritionally adequate diet that does not compromise your sports performance.

Protein

Protein is required for tissue repair, including muscles post-exercise, as well as immunity, hormone and enzyme formation. Vegetarian food choices supplying protein include soy products, legumes, nuts and seeds. In addition to protein, these foods provide iron, zinc and calcium. Soy protein is the only complete plant protein , meaning it contains sufficient amounts of all essential amino acids needed to build proteins. Nuts, seeds and other legumes are low in at least one amino acid, which means you must eat other plant foods which supply these amino acids too. Whole grains and cereals are examples. The combination does not need to be at the same meal. To help ensure optimal nutritional quality, choose a wide variety of foods during the day.

Iron

Iron is critical for red blood cell formation and proper immune and brain functioning. The iron found in plant-based foods is not as readily absorbed as that from meat. To compensate for this, combine a food rich in iron with one in vitamin C in the same meal. This increases bioavailability. Good sources of iron include legumes, nuts, seeds and fortified cereals. Foods rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes and green peppers.

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral important for vision, growth and development, immune function and nutrient metabolism. Vegetarian food sources of zinc include fortified cereals, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Be sure and include these foods liberally in your diet in order to meet your requirements. According to the Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes, adult women need 8 mg of zinc daily; men need 11 mg. As a vegetarian, you may need at least 50 percent more than this due to reduced availability of zinc from plant foods.

Calcium and Vitamin D

Milk and other dairy foods are rich food sources of calcium and vitamin D, so if you are a vegetarian who omits these foods from your diet, find alternative sources such as soy, almond or rice milk. These are often fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Vegan cheeses made from nuts are also a viable option. Be sure and read food labels carefully though, as not all of these products have been specially fortified. Dark leafy green vegetables, legumes and calcium-fortified cereals are other good sources.

Vitamin B-12

Vitamin B-12 is found solely in animal products, thus vegetarians who omit all animal products, called vegans, do need additional supplementation. Check food labels carefully, as some soy milks and cereals are fortified with it. Vitamin B-12 is especially important for sports performance because of its role in proper nervous system functioning. Deficiencies of this vitamin can result in depression and overall body weakness.