{"id":815,"date":"2017-10-05T10:32:42","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T10:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/?p=815"},"modified":"2017-10-05T10:33:56","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T10:33:56","slug":"high-performance-vegan-athlete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2017\/10\/05\/high-performance-vegan-athlete\/","title":{"rendered":"The high-performance vegan athlete \u2013 new research shows it is possible"},"content":{"rendered":"
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David Rogerson,\u00a0<\/span>Senior Lecturer in Sports Nutrition and Strength and Conditioning<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Veganism is a life choice that\u00a0more people\u00a0seem to be making. Still, despite its increase in popularity, when most think of a vegan, they tend to think of an animal rights activist, or someone who is a bit of a hippie at heart. And most likely, said vegan is slightly underfed owing to a strict diet of tofu, lentils and salad.<\/p>\n

But despite the stereotype, over the last few years, more and more\u00a0sports stars\u00a0and\u00a0well-known athletes\u00a0have also made the decision to go green and follow a vegan diet. And with reports that two vegan seafaring brothers are preparing to cross the Atlantic, fuelled purely by a diet rich in\u00a0lentils, soya beans and vegetables<\/a>, it seems being vegan and wearing a woolly cardigan no longer go hand-in-hand.<\/p>\n

If successful, the British brothers who plan to live off a diet of freeze-dried meals on their 3,000-mile vegan voyage will become the first to row the crossing on a plant-based diet. But while veganism is now somewhat in vogue,\u00a0concerns have been raised<\/a>\u00a0that a diet which restricts meat, fish, and dairy can\u2019t possibly be good for your health.<\/p>\n

Plant power<\/h2>\n

Vegan diets can make getting sufficient calories\u00a0difficult<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 particularly if energy expenditure (the amount of calories we burn) is high. And for athletes who undertake lots of training this could be a problem. This is why in my\u00a0latest paper<\/a>, I set out to find out if a vegan diet really can provide an athlete with everything they need to perform at an optimum level. And my findings certainly provided food for thought.<\/p>\n

Previous research shows that vegans may end up consuming less\u00a0protein and fat<\/a>\u00a0than non-vegans, and may struggle to get enough vitamin B12 \u2013 which is found in meat, fish and dairy. B12 is an important vitamin, and a lack of it can lead to anaemia, weakness and mood changes.<\/p>\n

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Brothers Greg Bailey, 27, and Jude Massey, 18, are set to become the first trans-Atlantic rowers to ditch meat and dairy.<\/span>\u00a0Ocean Brothers\/Facebook<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption>
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Studies have also shown that a vegan diet can be low in\u00a0Omega-3 fatty acids<\/a>\u00a0which come from nuts, seeds and fatty fish (like salmon), along with\u00a0calcium<\/a>\u00a0(think milk, and cheese) and\u00a0iodine<\/a>, which is also found in dairy products. But plant-based diets also tend to be higher in\u00a0carbohydrates, fibre and other important vitamins and minerals<\/a>\u00a0too.<\/p>\n

For an extreme challenge such as crossing the Atlantic \u2013 which is going to result in a very high energy expenditure \u2013 obtaining sufficient calories is going to be a high priority. My research shows that vegan diets tend to be high in fibre which helps you to feel full, so finding ways of consuming enough calories without getting so full that you can\u2019t eat enough is important. Eating energy-rich snacks like nuts and dried fruits is one way to do this, as is increasing feeding frequency.<\/p>\n

The question of protein<\/h2>\n

Protein is necessary for healthy skin and muscles, and is important for athletes in terms of recovery from exercise. But getting enough protein on a vegan diet is less of a concern than you\u2019d think, especially if\u00a0enough calories<\/a>\u00a0are consumed. While\u00a0it has been suggested<\/a>\u00a0that vegetarians and vegans might need slightly more protein than omnivores \u2013 due to plant-based sources being harder to digest \u2013 the main concern for the rowing brothers will be ensuring they eat a range of protein-rich foods daily.<\/p>\n

Organic compounds called amino acids are the building blocks of protein \u2013 found in all protein foods like meat and pulses \u2013 though many plant-based protein sources tend not to contain\u00a0all the essential amino acids<\/a>. But a vegan diet can obtain all essential amino acids, in sufficient quantities, if the diet is varied and energy appropriate. Pulses \u2013 such as beans, lentils, peas \u2013 and grains \u2013 like rice, oats, wheat \u2013 are all protein rich, with complementary amino acid profiles. And eating a range of these foods throughout the day will ensure protein and amino acid needs are met comfortably.<\/p>\n

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Working out the vegan way.<\/span>\u00a0Shutterstock<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption>
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With energy and protein covered, the next main concern of a vegan diet is getting enough micronutrients \u2013 so checking off the\u00a0vitamins and minerals<\/a>. While vitamin B12 can be supplemented with a daily tablet or injection, other nutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc and iodine can be easily managed with careful meal planning. Foods like flax seeds and walnuts are also important essentials of a vegan diet as they are a good source of omega-3, along with\u00a0algae supplements<\/a>, which may help to control\u00a0inflammation<\/a>\u00a0and improve recovery. Clearly then being vegan and an athlete can go hand in hand, but it does take careful planning.<\/p>\n

So for the brothers crossing the Atlantic, who will have to put up with wild winds and stormy seas on a near daily basis, it seems getting enough plant power is going to be the least of their problems.<\/p>\n

The high performance vegan athlete – new research show’s it is possible first appeared in The Conversation, 3 October 2017<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Rogerson,\u00a0Senior Lecturer in Sports Nutrition and Strength and Conditioning Veganism is a life choice that\u00a0more people\u00a0seem to be making. Still, despite its increase in popularity, when most think of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9105,"featured_media":816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29,104],"tags":[23,195,194,197,196,32],"class_list":["post-815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-research","tag-academy-of-sport-and-physical-activity","tag-david-rogerson","tag-high-performance-vegan-athlete","tag-plant-diet","tag-sports-nutrition","tag-the-conversation"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2017\/10\/vegan.jpg?fit=1028%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8KEAX-d9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1325,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2018\/02\/06\/should-we-go-vegan\/","url_meta":{"origin":815,"position":0},"title":"Living on the veg: Should we all go vegan?","author":"Sarah Briscoe","date":"February 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr David Rogerson spoke to New Scientist about whether a vegan diet is just a fad or if it really does have a positive effect on health and the planet.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/02\/Vegan.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/02\/Vegan.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/02\/Vegan.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/02\/Vegan.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":903,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2017\/10\/30\/lewis-hamiltons-vegan-diet\/","url_meta":{"origin":815,"position":1},"title":"How Lewis Hamilton\u2019s vegan diet could affect his pursuit of a fifth Formula One title","author":"Jane Gardner-Florence","date":"October 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"VEGANISM: How Lewis Hamilton\u2019s vegan diet could affect his pursuit of a fifth Formula One title Lewis Hamilton announced his intention to go vegan in September, which has raised questions on how this could affect his career and health, as many athletes are now opting to go vegan. 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