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Athletes can go veg, but they need to do it right
Posted on Mar 6th 2008 10:00AM by Kristen SeymourFiled Under: Organic, Sustainable Community, Vegetarian, Diet & Weight Loss, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements
I'm amazed at how many people, upon learning that I don't eat meat or poultry, tell me that they tried to be a vegetarian, but it made them so tired, or gave them headaches, or they got sick of eating pasta, blah, blah, blah.
I can tell you why it didn't work for those people -- they did it wrong. I'm sure they had great intentions (whether it was for ethical or health reasons), but they didn't consume the nutrition their bodies desperately needed. As Fitz recently pointed out with a post on Tony Gonzalez, meat and dairy aren't necessary for peak athletic performance, but I will say from experience that it sometimes is a little tougher to get the right nutrition when you've restricted your diet. With a bit of research, though, athletes can be successful in their sport and at the dinner table.
Being a vegetarian (or any variation) doesn't mean that you can get away with less protein -- it simply means that you need to find it elsewhere, like in beans, soy, nuts, and seeds. The same thing goes for minerals and vitamins -- I find that even my iron gets low at times, and I'm pretty careful about what I put in my mouth. For more information on how to go vegetarian in a healthful way, check out these sites:
Go Veg
The Vegetarian Resource Group
U.S. Soyfoods Directory
American Dietetic Association
Bon apetit!
I can tell you why it didn't work for those people -- they did it wrong. I'm sure they had great intentions (whether it was for ethical or health reasons), but they didn't consume the nutrition their bodies desperately needed. As Fitz recently pointed out with a post on Tony Gonzalez, meat and dairy aren't necessary for peak athletic performance, but I will say from experience that it sometimes is a little tougher to get the right nutrition when you've restricted your diet. With a bit of research, though, athletes can be successful in their sport and at the dinner table.
Being a vegetarian (or any variation) doesn't mean that you can get away with less protein -- it simply means that you need to find it elsewhere, like in beans, soy, nuts, and seeds. The same thing goes for minerals and vitamins -- I find that even my iron gets low at times, and I'm pretty careful about what I put in my mouth. For more information on how to go vegetarian in a healthful way, check out these sites:
Go Veg
The Vegetarian Resource Group
U.S. Soyfoods Directory
American Dietetic Association
Bon apetit!
