Sports & Nutrition on a Vegan Diet: Everything You Need to Know
From building muscle to improving cardiovascular endurance, a vegan or plant-based diet can provide all of the nutrients you need to train and compete – whether you are just starting out or competing at the highest level.
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The world of sports nutrition is undergoing a revolution, bringing to light the many advantages a fully plant-based diet can offer.
Vegan athletes all over the world are demonstrating just how amazing plants are as a sports fuel – and they have top-level results to prove it.
According to studies examining the impact of diet on our health and athletic performance, a vegan diet not only offers a wealth of health benefits, it can also improve your performance, stamina and recovery.[1-6]
Where do vegans get their protein?
All plants contain protein and all of the essential amino acids. The best plant sources of protein include pulses (lentils, beans, chickpeas, peas and soya), nuts, seeds and wholegrains (wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta and brown rice).
Plant protein is just as effective at building muscle as protein from animal sources when combined with the same amount of resistance training. As long as you meet your protein requirements, you can trust that a plant-based diet can fuel your high-intensity workout in the gym, your long Sunday morning run and your kickboxing class.
More on macronutrient requirements
High-Protein Vegan Meal Plan
Try our high-protein programme for a week’s worth of super tasty, easy vegan recipes, with extra protein.
“Whether you are plant-curious or a long-time vegan, you will find everything you need to know about how to build muscle and be healthy on a plant-based diet inside of the v7 high protein meal plan. For a comprehensive assortment of high protein, nutrient-dense recipes and meal plans, look no further to get the assistance you need to be at your best as a high-achieving athlete. In addition, you will find a plethora of resources that will help to answer most of your questions on why plant-based protein is best for performance, recovery, the animals and the planet. Plants have all the protein you need!” — Giacomo Marchese, Vegan Strong PlantBuilt Founder
Recovery
Wholesome vegan diets significantly lower the levels of inflammation in the body which is important for recovery.[7] The micro damage that naturally happens in the muscles and other tissues when you’re physically active is being constantly repaired – but any damage within the body also triggers small inflammatory reactions. A plant-based diet, with its antioxidants, phenols, polyunsaturated fats and fibre, lowers these inflammatory reactions, limits damage and helps a faster recovery.[8] Many meat-eating athletes take antioxidant supplements but when you go vegan, you don’t need any extra help!
Stamina
Research shows that plant-based diets increase athletes’ aerobic capacity, which leads to a greater time to exhaustion and to performance improvement[9][10] – which is helpful for both strength and endurance training. Other studies have revealed that runners fuelled by plants have better-quality diets overall and increased stamina when compared to their meat-eating counterparts.[11][12]
All the complex carbohydrates from plants help to maintain glycogen (energy) stores in your muscles whilst also providing sustained energy release. At the same time, the lack of hard-to-digest animal protein makes you less tired. A healthy vegan diet is the best diet to help you improve your performance.
The Vegan Edge
A vegan diet offers many advantages to athletes. Here, we explore what they are, how diet affects your performance and why plants are the best sports fuel.
Fuelling your performance
Switching to plants as your main fuel will reward you with more energy, stamina, easier breathing and faster recovery. Here are the main rules for how to eat to be at your best.
Nutrition basics
A varied, wholesome vegan diet is the best choice for athletes but to fuel your body right, it’s best to be aware of nutrition basics – what we need and where we get it from.
Natural diet
The question of what a natural diet for humans is pops up very often. Here, we take a closer look at what our bodies truly need and thrive on.
Essential food groups
A healthy vegan diet that will support your athletic endeavours consists of these essential food groups. They are crucial to smart meal planning, so don’t skip any of them!
How to plan your meals
Following these meal-planning guidelines will increase your energy levels, speed up recovery after training, improve your digestion and make you feel more balanced.
Sample meal plans
Meal plans to get you inspired! They follow our meal planning rules and fit nutrient requirements for each athlete category.
Vegan sports nutrition recipes
Delicious and easy vegan recipes for athletes and active people. Healthy, nutritious and bursting with recovery-boosting antioxidants!
How and where to start
Excited about kick-starting your health and athletic performance with plants? Here are the key steps to success!
What to expect
Changing your diet to a wholefood vegan one will boost your energy levels, stamina, digestion, recovery and more but it won’t happen overnight – find out how your body gradually adapts.
Vegan Sports and Fitness Guide Leaflet
This handy 15 page leaflet will tell you everything you need to know about optimising your athletic performance and maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle whilst on a vegan diet.
Available from the Viva! Shop.
FAQs
Your questions answered by members of Vegan Strong PlantBuilt, a team of champion vegan bodybuilders and athletes.
