Vegan diets follow an eating pattern that excludes any food of animal origin and they are becoming more and more popular among athletes.
The reasons why this type of diet is followed are diverse: many people do it for ethical reasons and others for health. The question is: athletes who follow this type of diet, will they have a lower performance?
Research on vegan diets in athletes is not very extensive. However, as long as an athlete follows a balanced, complete diet that meets the specific requirements of the sport, it should not affect performance.
Unbalanced vegan diets tend to provide less energy, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and some micronutrients. For these reasons, it is important that vegan diets are supervised by nutrition and health professionals, so that the diet provides everything necessary and thus avoid deficiencies.
Energy and carbohydrates
Vegan diets, due to their high content of plant-based foods, are very satiating, so they tend to provide less energy than omnivorous diets. When you have a weight loss goal they can be useful, but when we talk about athletes with high energy expenditure, it is more difficult to meet all their needs. This can be achieved by making meals more frequent and including adequate amounts of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
Sometimes, when training or competing for several hours, the carbohydrate requirements are high, necessitating consuming high amounts. Vegan diets provide high amounts of fiber, so they tend to be more filling. So you can make use of foods such as pasta or rice or skinless tubers, avoiding foods higher in fiber such as legumes or brown rice. In this way we can cover the carbohydrate recommendations and perform at the best, avoiding gastrointestinal discomfort derived from a high fiber intake before a competition.
Protein and fat
Proteins play an important role in the diet of athletes, so it is necessary to ensure an adequate intake in vegans. It is true that many of the plant proteins are less complete, but there is no problem with this. The solution is easy: combine the different sources of vegetable proteins: legumes, grains, seeds, nuts. It is not necessary that it be done at the same meal, as long as it is throughout the day it is enough, for example, if we consume oatmeal and nuts for breakfast and lentils in the meal, we can make a complete protein source.
Regarding fats, vegan diets tend to provide less amount of saturated and total fat; They may also have a lower intake of omega 3. To achieve a correct synthesis of omega 3 in the body, seeds (chia, ground or hydrated flax), walnuts, green leaves, quality flax oil should be included … Others should also be included sources such as extra virgin olive oil and avocado, which will complete the contribution of fatty acids. The consumption of refined vegetable oils (soy, sunflower, corn …), margarines or industrial fats should be avoided.
In some cases, omega 3 supplementation in vegan athletes can be beneficial.
Vitamins and minerals which micronutrients are at risk?
Special attention must be paid to the following vitamins and minerals, since being present in smaller amounts in foods of plant origin, a deficiency can develop that could affect not only performance but also health.
First of all, supplementation with vitamin B12 is essential, since plant-based sources hardly contain this vitamin.
Vitamin D deficiency has a high prevalence in the general population and in athletes. Although vegans have a lower intake of this vitamin, its main source is sun exposure. Therefore, in winter times, in countries with less sun exposure, if you train on indoor tracks or at night, a deficiency could develop. Faced with a deficiency diagnosed by a professional, supplementation will improve performance (and of course, health), as this vitamin has numerous functions in the human body.
Iron and zinc are found in legumes, whole grains, seeds, and nuts. These same foods contain compounds that limit their absorption: phytates. To inactivate them, we can use culinary techniques such as soaking, fermentation or germination.
On the other hand, iron in foods of plant origin is absorbed in less quantity, so we must accompany these foods with vitamin C, which are found in fruits such as orange or kiwi or in vegetables such as red pepper.
Vegans tend to eat low amounts of calcium, so you have to eat foods rich in this mineral such as crucifers (kale, broccoli, cauliflower, …), nuts, seeds and legumes. You have to separate your intake from oxalates, which prevent their absorption and are found in some vegetables, such as chard, eggplant. Phytate inactivation would also be desirable.
The last mineral to pay attention to is iodine, which is found in foods of marine origin, such as fish or algae. Vegans can have low levels of iodine, but also excessive levels in those who consume seaweed too frequently; both extremes are harmful. One way to achieve adequate iodine levels is to use small amounts of iodized salt (as long as no algae are consumed).
Supplementation and ergogenic aids
Various investigations affirm that vegans have low deposits of creatine, one of the sources of energy during exercise. Its supplementation usually brings benefits to most athletes who follow omnivorous diets by increasing deposits, but in the case of vegan athletes, it can be even more beneficial as there are lower previous levels.
Similarly, muscle carnosine deposits appear to be lower in vegans. Carnosine helps reduce the acidity that is generated in the muscle during high intensity exercise. The synthesis of carnosine depends on another substance, beta-alanine. Therefore, beta-alanine supplementation could be beneficial among vegan athletes.
Dr. Helios Pareja Galeano and María Martínez Ferrán are researchers at the European University in the Exercise Physiology and Nutrition Research Group.
