Should Athletes Consider Plant-Based Diets?

As we come into the new year of 2024, the trend of Veganary (following a vegan diet for the month of January) becomes very popular. Although there is a significant level of research to support the idea that nutritionally adequate and well-balanced plant-based diets can show various health benefits, we wonder if these benefits translate to enhancing performance, and are there any disadvantages? In this blog, we are going to dive into the subject of plant-based diets under the following topics:

1. How is a plant-based diet any different to vegetarianism and veganism?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a plant-based diet in terms of health and performance?
3. What are the key nutrients to watch out for when following a plant-based diet?
4. Tips for implementing a plant-based diet into your life.
5. Should athletes consider plant-based diets?

How Is a Plant-Based Diet Any Different to Vegetarianism or Veganism?

It is common for people to assume that the terms plant-based and veganism encompass the same food choices. Veganism refers to a social justice movement against using and consuming products derived from non-human animals. Individuals who identify as vegans do not eat meat, poultry, eggs, honey, or any other food including the use of animals for manufacture. Although this term tells you what they exclude, it does not tell you what they include!

There is a misconception that vegan diets are automatically healthy as they exclude all of the above foods. However, the rest of their diet could include high amounts of ultra-processed foods and fewer whole-plant foods.

On the contrary, the term plant-based diet refers to “a diet pattern that is predominantly, but not exclusively comprised of plant foods”₍₁₎. This diet typically sees 85-90% of food ingested being plant-based foods such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. They consume minimal amounts of meat, poultry, eggs, and other animal products.

Here are some other terms for similar diets:

1. Vegetarian = a diet in which food choices exclude meat, poultry, and fish.
2. Lacto-vegetarian = a diet in which food choices allow dairy and eggs.
3. Lacto-ovo vegetarian = a diet in which food choices allow dairy but not eggs.
4. Pescatarian = a diet that excludes meat and poultry but not fish.
5. Vegan = a diet that excludes any food products in which animals were used in their manufacture.
6. Flexitarian = a diet that includes minimal amounts of meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a plant-based diet in terms of health and performance?

ADVANTAGES

1.  Enhanced Recovery: Plant-based diets are rich in anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants, which can aid in reducing muscle soreness and speeding up recovery time after intense workouts.

2.  Improved Cardiovascular Health: Plant-based diets are often associated with lower levels of saturated fats and cholesterol. This can contribute to better cardiovascular health, promoting efficient blood flow and oxygen delivery to muscles during exercise_(2).

3.  Optimal Body Weight: Plant-based diets are typically high in fiber and low in saturated fats, which can help athletes achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Maintaining an optimal weight is crucial for endurance athletes to enhance performance _(3).

4.  Increased Energy Levels: Whole plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, provide a steady source of complex carbohydrates, essential for sustained energy levels during endurance activities.

5.  Improvements in Digestion: High fiber content in plant foods also promotes a healthy digestive system.

6.  Enhanced Gut Microbiome: Plant-based diets support a diverse and healthy gut microbiome, which is linked to improved overall health and immune function. A robust immune system is crucial for athletes, especially during intense training _(4).

DISADVANTAGES

1.  Protein Quality and Quantity: Plant-based protein sources may lack certain essential amino acids found in animal products. Athletes need to carefully plan their diets to ensure they get a complete and sufficient protein intake to support muscle repair and growth.

2.  Nutrient Deficiency Risk: Plant-based diets may be deficient in certain nutrients critical for athletes, such as vitamin B12, iron, calcium, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids. Athletes must focus on obtaining these nutrients through fortified foods or supplements.

3.  Perceived Lack of Satiety: Athletes accustomed to high-protein animal-based diets may initially feel less satisfied with plant-based meals. Including sources of healthy fats and protein-rich plant foods can help improve satiety.

4.  Energy Density: Plant-based foods, especially fruits and vegetables, are often lower in calorie density. Athletes may need to consume larger volumes of food to meet their energy needs, which can be challenging, especially for those with higher calorie requirements.

5.  Availability and Accessibility: In certain regions or situations, access to a variety of plant-based foods may be limited and expensive, making it challenging for athletes to maintain a well-balanced and diverse diet.

What are the key nutrients to watch out for while implementing and maintaining a plant-based diet? ₍₅₎

Due to the fact that any of the diets mentioned above are in some way restrictive of certain food groups, it is not surprising to learn that there is a higher chance of nutritional deficiencies. Here is a list of the key nutrients to watch out for on a plant-based diet:

1. Protein: As mentioned above, without an abundance of meat-based products it is more difficult to find foods that include all 9 essential amino acids (needed to stimulate muscle protein synthesis). Therefore, you must pair foods together. For example, one food might have 4 essential amino acids, and another might have the other 5. Here is a graphic to help you navigate pairing foods:

2. Iron: Sources: Legumes, tofu, tempeh, fortified cereals, spinach, kale, dried fruits, and pumpkin seeds. Tip: Consume vitamin C-rich foods (citrus fruits, bell peppers) with iron-rich foods to enhance absorption.

3. Calcium: Sources: Fortified plant milk (soy, almond, oat), tofu, fortified orange juice, kale, broccoli, and almonds. Tip: Diets high in phytic acid can block the absorption of calcium. Foods high in phytic acid include whole-grain foods such as cereal. For example, if your only source of calcium for the day is going to be fortified milk with cereal, you are reducing your chances of absorbing the calcium.

4. Vitamin B12: Sources: Fortified foods (plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, cereals) or B12 supplements for those not getting enough from fortified sources. Tip: Regularly check B12 levels and consider supplementation if needed.

5. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Sources: Chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, algae-based supplements (for DHA and EPA). Tip: Consume omega-3-rich foods with foods that contain dietary fats to help absorption.

Tips for implementing a plant-based diet into your life.

When making any changes to your diet, they should be implemented gradually with no large or sudden changes. This can increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies and gut discomfort; you must give your body time to adapt. Here are some tips to help you ease into incorporating more plant-based choices into your diet:

1.  Small but consistent changes: Start with a few small changes, and add more every week. For example, you could start by switching one of your daily meals to plant-based meals 3x per week, and slowly increase it from there.

2.  Explore New Foods: Trying new flavours and textures can make the transition more exciting. The more foods you try, the more options you have every week to prepare plant-based diets without losing interest in the same foods.

3.  Learn Simple Recipes in The Beginning: Simple meals reduce the intimidation factor and make it more likely that you'll stick to your new eating habits.

4.  Improve Your Organisation and Meal-Prepping Skills: Plan your meals and snacks to ensure a balanced and satisfying plant-based diet. Having a plan can help you make healthier choices and avoid defaulting to less nutritious options.

5.  Discover Plant-Based Snacks: Keep a variety of plant-based snacks on hand, such as fresh fruit, raw veggies with hummus, nuts, and trail mix. Having healthy snacks readily available can prevent the temptation to reach for less nutritious options.

5.  Consider Supplementation of Certain Nutrients: Try your best to give most of your nutrients from real food, however if necessary, consider supplementation.

Conclusion

Should Athletes Consider Plant-Based Diets?

Like all diets, there are pros and cons. Given, the benefits presented in this blog it might be easy to be swayed toward a plant-based diet. Although they do appear to present great benefits, these diets are not for people who lack organization and consistency. This diet encompasses a large range of healthy and essential foods however, it does exclude other food groups that exclusively provide important nutrients such as b12 (unless supplemented). Therefore, this blog concludes that the research currently shows that plant-based diets are safe and effective for athletes as long as their diet continues to be well-balanced with all essential nutrients and they are willing to put in the work. All individual’s nutritional requirements are unique, and diets are not one-size-fits-all.

Take Home Message

1. There is a misconception that plant-based diets are the same as vegan diets. Plant-based diets still include minimal amounts of animal products but 85-90% encompasses plant-derived foods.

2. Benefits of a plant-based diet include enhanced recovery, improved cardiovascular health, optimal body weight, increased energy levels, improved digestion, and enhanced gut microbiome.

3. Disadvantages include lower protein quantity foods, nutritional deficiency risk, lower energy density food, perceived lack of satiety, and low availability and accessibility of plant-based foods.

4. Key nutrients in a plant-based diet include protein, iron, calcium, vitamin b12, and omega 3 fatty acids.

5. Ways in which to implement a plant-based into your lifestyle could include small but consistent changes, explore new foods, learn simple and easy recipes at the start, improve meal preparation and organisation skills, and discover plant-based snacks.

References

1. Kassam, S., Kassam, Z. and Strong, K. (2022) Eating plant-based: Scientific answers to your nutrition questions. London, UK: Hammersmith Health Books.
2. Kahleova, H., Levin, S. and Barnard, N. (2017) ‘Cardio-metabolic benefits of plant-based diets’, Nutrients, 9(8), p. 848. doi:10.3390/nu9080848.
3. Greger, M. (2020) ‘A whole food plant-based diet is effective for weight loss: The evidence’, American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 14(5), pp. 500–510. doi:10.1177/1559827620912400.
4. Wastyk, H.C. et al. (2021) ‘Gut-microbiota-targeted diets modulate human immune status’, Cell, 184(16). doi:10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.019.
5. West S, Monteyne AJ, van der Heijden I, Stephens FB, Wall BT. Nutritional Considerations for the Vegan Athlete. Adv Nutr. 2023;14(4):774-795. doi:10.1016/j.advnut.2023.04.012