Veganism and Athletes

[En_Q]

So I am attempting to be vegan again, but I find that when I work out (I am an athlete) and I am vegan at the same time I start to feel sick, exhausted, and cold all the time. Is there any other vegan athletes on here that could give me some tips?

[eistxist]

I don't consider myself an "athlete," though I do enjoy playing soccer from time to time, and I bike nearly every day. In any case, some advice:

As redundant as it may sound, make sure you're receiving all of your essential nutrients. Eat lots of whole foods; since you're an athlete, you may want to take additional supplements. It is important to make sure that you obtain adequate amounts of magnesium, calcium, iron, protein, vitamins B1-B12, zinc, vitamin D and some others. You don't have to "freak out" about this; most of these can be obtained from simply eating healthy amounts of various fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains. A common tip from many people concerned with health is to incorporate as many colors as possible into each meal. The only vitamins which really require supplementation are B12 and vitamin D (this can be obtained through 10-15 minutes of exposure to sunlight without sunscreen). For more information on B12, go here: http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/

I would also advise you to monitor your junk food intake. Avoid foods and drinks that have high levels of added sugar, especially if it is refined/non-organic sugar. Stay away from aspartame (this is controversial, but from the articles and videos I've watched/read, it does not seem like a good substance to be putting in your body). Also, avoid excessive amounts of caffeine (especially from things like energy drinks, sodas, etc).

Be sure to drink water throughout the day and always be sure you're sleeping enough. You should be fine.

[Poppy]

I've run and lifted free weights for the last 22 years, so while I'm not an athlete, I am certainly fit. I've been vegan since 2005.

Make sure you get enough calories. Eat whole, unprocessed foods - like almond butter and banana sandwiches on whole wheat bread, hummus wraps, whole-grain cereals with non-dairy milk and fruit, veggie burgers on whole wheat buns and stir-fries with brown rice. Explore ethnic foods - Ethiopian, Thai and some Indian places will have vegan options. Snack on fruit and nuts.

Good luck!

[En_Q]

Thanks for the speedy responses. Those sound like excellent tips, I will really focus on it. I think my problem, to be quite honest, was that I was not eating enough calories, too many vegetables and not enough of anything else. Thanks for the tips!

[m4rk0]

You might get more responses if you post this in the physical fitness thread.

[En_Q]

Alright, that is a good idea. I will post it there

[Fyvel]

MOD POST

I deleted the duplicate thread posted in the Physical Fitness forum (it did not yet have any replies) and moved this thread over there instead.

[SheThrowsDown]

Since you mention feeling cold I would first suggest upping your calories and having your doctor test your iron levels. Lack of iron can definitely give you some chills and constant feeling of cold.

If you feel up to it post what you tend to eat each day and maybe myself and some others can help you come up with a meal plan. Obviously for that we'd also need things like your daily need of calories (or if you don't know then I can figure it from your weight and body fat percentage)


Good luck!
Also even though you aren't necessarily into bodybuilding I suggest joining the veganbodybuilding.com forums!

[evelinadatta]

The book " Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina has a separate section on nutrition for vegan athletes. I highly recommend it! (Check out if your library has it if you don't want to buy)
http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Vegan-Complete-Adopting-Plant-Based/dp/1570671036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242233034&sr=8-1

[SheThrowsDown]

Sadly the used book store today didn't have the thrive diet books, but did have a few others I bought. I'm going to look for it and a few of the others listed online.

(PS - can't check out books from the library right now, I have some massive overdue fees ick)

[VeganPower!]

Man it really be cool if you specified what sports your mainly participate in.
I use to wrestle and I remember I use to come home and eat, and eat and eat....but probably cuz all wrestlers love to eat. HAHA but seriously fruits are the ****. You probably might pertake in drinking gatorade or sports drink alike in excess. You should limit it. well im assuming you do drink gatorade and stuff. i cant provide more useful advice.