Again and again the discussion: Is vegan nutrition sensible in top-class sport?
No "leeks" and successful in top-class sport - what vegetarians have to watch out for
As far as nutrition is concerned, today more than ever you are confronted with a flood of information from the net, from bloggers, doctors or self-proclaimed experts, some of whom give questionable recommendations on nutrition in sports. In the following, the nutrition experts and scientists from Peeroton have compiled some information for vegans and vegetarians. It is a fact that especially top athletes have to pay more attention to the supply of nutrients in order to maintain their full performance capacity through nutrition, but also through dietary supplements, compared to top athletes who consume meat. In short: Vegans and vegetarians can be successful in top-class sport if they pay attention to certain things in their diet.
Vegan more than a short-term trend
Shutterstock/Peeroton
Risk to career? Are top vegetarian athletes gambling with their health?
Veganism is on the rise, as is vegetarianism, in all its forms, from pescetarianism to ovo-lacto-vegetarianism, so that according to studies, one in ten Austrians or Germans today already abstains from meat. Especially among athletes, especially in competitive and top-class sports, the claim persists that vegans or vegetarians cannot achieve the same level of performance as those who are supplied with the nutrients contained in fish and meat. This is where recent peerotone research contradicts. What is clear is that those who want to push their bodies to peak performance and push themselves to the physical limit during exercise have an increased need for nutrients that must be met through diet.
In addition to a generally increased calorie intake to maintain strength and body mass, the body must also be supplied with sufficient proteins, vitamins, trace elements and minerals so that it is not damaged by the stress and no deficiency symptoms become apparent. This is where scientifically developed nutritional supplements can help with any deficiencies that may occur. Therefore a regular blood analysis is absolutely recommended with Veganern, since thereby the deficiency symptoms can be prevented. A highly professional contact point in Vienna is the SPORTOrdination under the direction of Dr.Robert Fritz. More at: https://www.sportordination.com/
Give your body what it wants
If you want to be active in top-class sport as a vegetarian or vegan, you have to pay more attention to covering your body's requirements of iron, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron and calcium. Under normal conditions, all these substances are included in a balanced menu plan in sufficient quantities, but if the need is increased due to competitive sports, it can be useful if the micronutrients can be ingested in compact form as drink powder, sports bars or sports muesli. Faster hydration & resistance as well as ideal weight & muscle building, performance enhancement & maintenance and regeneration & prevention are all taken into account in the Peeroton system spectrum and ensure that customers are accompanied from the first steps in training to competition as well as in regeneration.
Science in the service of sport
The Peeroton system, which specialises not only in muscle building but also in regeneration, strengthening the immune system and healthy maintenance of body mass, combines, for example in the sports muesli, cereals that contain a lot of iron, such as amaranth, with valuable vegetable protein sources, such as from soya flakes, vitamins, such as vitamin C from the acerola cherry and zinc from nuts and pulses.
Vegetarians can ideally adapt products such as sports muesli or even Powerpack sports bars to their increased calcium requirements by taking it with milk or yoghurt. Vegans do not have this option, but they also need less calcium because they excrete less calcium due to their lower intake of animal protein. However, since the need should not be underestimated, it is advisable to resort to plant-based milk alternatives that are enriched with calcium.
Vitamin B12 and vitamin D are particularly important in the colder months!
As far as vitamin requirements are concerned, vitamin B12 and D are particularly important. In winter, a large part of the population, not only vegans and top athletes, are deficient in vitamin D, which is synthesized with the help of sunlight. It is therefore often recommended to take vitamin D products. Vitamin B12, which rarely causes problems for the meat and/or dairy consuming population, should be supplied by vegans through supplements.
When does veganism cause problems in sports?
Some successful athletes prove that vegan living and sports can definitely be combined. Nevertheless, a vegan diet can cause problems during sporting activities. Vegans often consume fewer calories due to their dietary pattern, which can lead to an unintended negative calorie balance. Another fact is that a sufficient supply of protein can often become critical. Vegans need a higher food volume, for example from protein-rich beans and rice. But it is precisely this high food volume that can slow you down in your daily workout, because pure vegetable protein is less digestible for the human body than animal protein.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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