 High Performance Vegan NutritionBy Jason Ferruggia Here are a few quick tips on how to optimize your performance on a vegan diet... --- One of the biggest concerns for most vegans is getting enough protein. This can easily be accomplished by supplementing with pea, rice or hemp protein. Also you must be sure to focus on consuming ample quantities of beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Below is a list of some good sources of protein. Almonds: 7-8 grams of protein per serving Pistachios: 7 grams of protein per serving Pumpkin Seeds: 11 grams of protein per serving Sunflower Seeds: 8 grams of protein per serving Hempseeds: 11 grams of protein per serving Almond Butter: 8 grams of protein per serving Peanut Butter: 8 grams of protein per serving Black Beans: 8 grams of protein per serving Lentils: 8 grams of protein per serving Garbanzo Beans 7 grams of protein per serving Navy Beans 8 grams of protein per serving Kidney Beans 7 grams of protein per serving Pinto Beans 7 grams of protein per serving Here are two great protein shakes to start your day: 1) Banana Berry - Mix 2 cups frozen berries, 1 banana , ½ cup rolled oats, 1 tablespoon almond butter, 2 scoops pea protein isolate powder and 24 oz water in blender, pour and enjoy. 2) Pina Colada- Mix 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks, 1 banana, 2 scoops rice protein powder, 1 cup lite coconut milk and 1 cup water in blender, pour and enjoy. ---- Most vegans tend to eat a lot of starchy carbohydrates like bread and pasta which is a huge mistake. The majority of your carbs should come from fruits and vegetables. Healthy starchy carbs such as oatmeal, whole grain brown rice and potatoes should be consumed earlier in the day or after training. ---- Vegans also have to remember that they need to keep their fat intakes up in order to ensure optimal performance and health. At least 20-30% of your total calories should come from healthy sources of fat like nuts, seeds, avocadoes, coconut oil, coconut milk, flax seed oil, olive oil, etc. With a low fat intake your performance will suffer dramatically, your joints will hurt, your skin will be extremely dry and you will usually look and feel terrible. ---- Vegans have to be sure to eat enough total calories in order to build muscle, lose fat and perform at the highest level. Much of what we eat is far lower in calories than what the average person eats so we need to be aware of this and constantly be eating copious amounts of food. |
