simple + green

The idea of vegan athletes came up last week, when I posted about Kansas City Chief tight end Tony Gonzalez going vegan.

Wall Street Journal Online has posted another article on the vegetarian/vegan athlete topic, Q&A: Training On A Vegan Diet . Essentially, these are tips for athletes who are considering switching to a vegan or vegetarian diet.

This is a great read that reinforces some key points about sports and vegetarian or vegan diets:

* B vitamins are critical. Found in beef, vegetarians need to incorporate beans, whole grain breads, anything that’s brown and plant based.
* Assess your diet before taking any supplements. Work with an expert, nutritionist to match the right supplement to your diet needs.
* Going on and off a vegan diet can have profoundly negative effects on your body. Reach out for nutritional guidance when undertaking any diet change.

The most important takeaway is how to view changing to a vegan diet as an athlete:

While she notes the benefits of a plant-based regimen, she emphasizes the importance of consulting with a professional before trying something new. “Vegan diets may work well for some people and make other people sick,” Ms. Dorfman says. “One thing is not good for everybody.”

As a runner, I’m always fascinated by information like this. While I *only* run about 12 miles a week (hoping for a jump to 15 in better weather), I think about how I’m fueling my body nonetheless.

When I trained for a marathon 4 years ago, I wondered if I would be getting enough protein, fats, etc. from a vegetarian-plus-fish diet. The answer was a resounding yes. I was able to supplement with enough mixed proteins to build up strength and rebound from long runs.

Kudos to Lisa Dorfman for accomplishing something that years ago many would have thought undoable: competing at a high level as an athlete on a vegetarian diet!