{"id":35456,"date":"2022-10-26T16:14:07","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T14:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/?p=35456"},"modified":"2026-11-03T17:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T16:30:22","slug":"balanced-vegan-diet-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/balanced-vegan-diet-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to follow a balanced vegan diet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Can a <\/span>vegan diet<\/b> suit an athlete? The answer is yes. Here are the essentials for following a <\/span>balanced vegan diet<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What does a vegan diet involve?<\/span><\/h2>\n

First, what exactly does following a <\/span>vegan diet<\/b> mean? It is difficult to follow one without knowing which foods to include and which to avoid.<\/span><\/p>\n

It helps to distinguish between a <\/span>purely vegan diet<\/b> and <\/span>veganism<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are they not the same?<\/span><\/p>\n

Not quite! <\/span><\/i>A <\/span>vegan diet<\/b> excludes all <\/span>animal products<\/b>: <\/span>meat, fish,<\/b> eggs<\/b><\/a>, dairy<\/b> and <\/span>honey<\/b>. This way of eating may also be described as <\/span>plant-based<\/span><\/i>, although use of that term varies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why make the distinction?<\/span><\/p>\n

In many contexts, <\/span>veganism<\/b> means a lifestyle <\/span>without animal products<\/b>. Alongside avoiding <\/span>animal-derived foods<\/b>, it excludes clothing materials such as <\/span>leather, wool and silk<\/b> and<\/span> animal-derived ingredients<\/b> in cosmetics.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Vegan versus vegetarian diets<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How does a <\/span>vegan diet<\/b> differ from a <\/span>vegetarian diet<\/b>? A vegetarian diet excludes <\/span>meat and fish<\/b> but allows <\/span>dairy products, eggs and honey<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Plant-based<\/p>\n

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A vegan diet for athletes<\/span><\/h2>\n

Here is the question that brought you here: how can you build a <\/span>vegan diet for athletes<\/b>? Is it possible, and can it support <\/span>better sporting performance<\/b><\/a>?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes. A <\/span>vegan diet<\/b> can be balanced for <\/span>athletes<\/b>, even when <\/span>requirements for certain nutrients and micronutrients<\/b> are higher than those of the general population.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>nutrients<\/b> a <\/span>vegan athlete<\/b> needs are the same as those required by an <\/span>omnivorous athlete<\/b>. The difference is that a <\/span>vegan diet<\/b> has a narrower range of available foods. Anticipating possible difficulties and <\/span>planning<\/b> the <\/span>amounts, proportions and combinations<\/b> in each meal is therefore essential.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Toast<\/p>\n

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The <\/span>main food groups<\/b> in any <\/span>eating plan<\/b> can feature in a <\/span>vegan diet<\/b>: <\/span>fruit, vegetables, pulses, cereals, nuts and seeds<\/b>, alongside many <\/span>sources of healthy fats<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is not about endless green smoothies, buying every seed on the planet or eating kilos of seaweed. It is about <\/span>making the most of the variety<\/b> available within a <\/span>vegan diet<\/b> so your<\/span> nutrition plan<\/b> supports sporting performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alongside their <\/span>ethical choices<\/b>, including <\/span>vegan values<\/b>, every athlete has a <\/span>life, personal circumstances and physical characteristics<\/b>, as well as <\/span>goals<\/b>. Our job as <\/span>nutritionists<\/b> is to bring these factors together so each <\/span>athlete<\/b> meets their <\/span>nutritional needs<\/b> in the most <\/span>individual, flexible and practical way<\/b> possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Runners<\/p>\n

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Potential challenges of a vegan diet<\/span><\/h2>\n

The difficulties that can arise from an unbalanced <\/span>nutrition plan<\/b> make professional support especially useful when following a <\/span>vegan diet<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Energy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many foods included are <\/span>low in calories and high in fibre<\/b>, such as fruit, vegetables and pulses. Fibre is filling, so an athlete may feel satisfied before meeting their <\/span>energy requirements<\/b>. Foods providing<\/span> plenty of energy in a small volume<\/b>, such as nuts, seeds and plant protein foods, can help.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Protein<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many plant protein sources are relatively low in particular <\/span>essential amino acids<\/b>. Combining them can provide a \u201c<\/span>complete protein<\/b>\u201d profile: all the <\/span>amino acids our bodies cannot make<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Athlete<\/p>\n

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Iron<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Athletes can have <\/span>higher iron needs<\/b>, so people combining a <\/span>vegan diet<\/b> with high activity may face a greater deficiency risk. The <\/span>iron<\/b> in <\/span>plant foods<\/b>, called<\/span> non-haem iron<\/b>, is <\/span>less readily absorbed<\/b>. Pairing <\/span>plant iron sources<\/b> with <\/span>vitamin C-rich foods<\/b>, such as <\/span>citrus fruit, peppers, tomatoes and broccoli<\/b>, can improve absorption.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Calcium<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are <\/span>calcium-rich foods<\/b> beyond dairy. The challenge is that some also contain absorption <\/span>inhibitors<\/b>, including naturally occurring<\/span> phytates and oxalates<\/b>. Choosing <\/span>low-oxalate options<\/b>, such as broccoli or bok choy, can help.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Vitamin B12<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unfortified plant foods are not a reliable source of <\/span>vitamin B12<\/b>, so people following a vegan diet need an appropriate <\/span>supplement<\/b>. We rarely speak in absolutes, but a reliable supply is essential.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Zinc<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pay attention to <\/span>zinc<\/b>. Much of an omnivore’s intake comes from <\/span>meat<\/b>, but <\/span>plant sources<\/b> also exist, including <\/span>cereals, pulses and nuts.<\/b> Choose carefully, as <\/span>phytates and oxalates<\/b> can limit mineral absorption.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Riboflavin<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The vitamin<\/span> riboflavin<\/b> is often obtained from <\/span>dairy products<\/b>. A <\/span>balanced vegan diet<\/b> can instead provide it through <\/span>soya and soya products<\/b>, alongside fortified foods.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Tofu<\/p>\n

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Should vegan athletes take creatine?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The short answer: it is not compulsory.<\/span><\/p>\n

A vegan diet does <\/span>not<\/b> itself imply a pathological creatine deficiency<\/b> in the way that inadequate <\/span>iron<\/b> can cause <\/span>anaemia<\/b>. Although some nutrients, such as <\/span>vitamin B12<\/b>, require supplementation in vegan diets, <\/span>creatine<\/b> is a different case.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creatine <\/span>is a<\/b><\/a> <\/span>non-essential nutrient<\/b> because the body can make it from three amino acids<\/span> (<\/span>arginine, methionine and glycine<\/b>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Food can also supply creatine, mainly through <\/span>animal products<\/b>, particularly meat and fish. A <\/span>vegan diet<\/b> therefore provides virtually no <\/span>dietary creatine<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vegan <\/span>athletes<\/b> have <\/span>very low or no dietary creatine intake<\/b> and can have <\/span>lower creatine levels<\/b> in the <\/span>blood<\/b> and<\/span> muscles<\/b> than omnivorous athletes. <\/span>Creatine supplementation<\/b> may therefore be particularly useful for <\/span>vegan athletes<\/b>, helping improve <\/span>their <\/span>creatine and phosphocreatine concentrations<\/b> and potentially <\/span>exercise performance and recovery<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The nutrient<\/span> creatine<\/b> is <\/span>stored mainly in<\/span> muscle<\/b>, although it also occurs in other tissues such as the <\/span>liver and brain<\/b>. It supports <\/span>energy production, muscle contraction and delaying fatigue<\/b> during explosive exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n

This makes it a <\/span>widely recommended supplement<\/b> for athletes performing <\/span>high-intensity exercise<\/b>, whether <\/span>vegetarian, vegan or omnivorous<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is therefore optional, but may be useful.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Vegan<\/p>\n


If you are unsure where to start, let us help. Our <\/span>sports nutritionists<\/b><\/a> specialise in <\/span>sporting performance<\/b> and can create a<\/span>highly personalised nutrition plan<\/b> that respects your <\/span>vegan values<\/b>. Explore our <\/span>subscription options<\/b>!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What does a balanced vegan diet for athletes look like? Our nutritionists explain how to plan it well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":15787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[213],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35456"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35841,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35456\/revisions\/35841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}