Chapter 23: The Vegan Athlete Protecting your bones by staying on track with your calcium Calcium supplies the building blocks for the strong, flexible bones that athletes need for running, throwing, jumping, and falling on a daily basis Ensure that you’re reaching the daily minimum requirement by including natural, calciumrich foods in your meals Male athletes need 800 milligrams per day and female athletes should aim for 1,200–1,500 milligrams per day If you can’t get enough from the foods you eat, vegan supplements also are an option Female athletes especially need to keep on track with their calcium intake Excessive training, which is defined as more than seven hours a week, can lead to a decline in hormone levels These lower hormone levels can compromise bone health and lead to premature osteoporosis, a weakening of the bone matrix These simple vegan foods should be a part of your daily calcium strategy: ✓ Almonds ✓ Calcium-fortified cereals ✓ Calcium-fortified orange juice ✓ Enriched hemp, soy, and rice milk ✓ Greens like broccoli, kale, and spinach ✓ Soy yogurt ✓ Soy-yogurt dip mixed with a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses as a topping for fruit ✓ Tofu processed with calcium sulfate Avoiding calcium-depleting foods is just as important as including calciumrich foods Coffee and sodas, both caffeinated and caffeine-free, have been shown to leech calcium from the bones to balance the acidity of these beverages Remembering your vitamins and minerals Because of their training and constant exercise, athletes need to consume more minerals and vitamins than their nonathletic counterparts Keep in mind, however, that the human body best absorbs nutrients from fresh foods as opposed to supplements So vegans should mine their mineral needs from healthy whole foods on a daily basis 309 310 Part VI: Veganism for All Walks of Life Magnesium Magnesium is one mineral that athletes need to focus on when designing their diets for performance Magnesium helps the body regulate muscle tone and is necessary for metabolizing carbohydrates and protein Fortunately, most of the foods that contain the highest amounts of magnesium are vegan, including black beans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soybeans, spinach, sunflower seeds, and Swiss chard Chromium Chromium is used by the body to regulate insulin, metabolism, and blood sugar levels Athletes need slightly more chromium on a daily basis during training Table 23-1 shows the recommendations for chromium Table 23-1 Recommended Levels of Chromium Age Males (mcg/day) Females (mcg/day) 9–13 years 25 21 14–18 years 35 24 19–50 years 35 25 50 years and older 30 20 Source: National Institutes of Health Broccoli, grape juice, whole grains, potatoes, and fortified nutritional yeast flakes are good vegan sources of chromium Copper Copper is an athlete’s ally, as this mineral creates cellular energy and strong connective tissue Copper also allows the body to metabolize iron better, so be sure to get your recommended daily allowance from cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, lentils, mushrooms, and even vegan chocolate Table 23-2 lists the various copper recommendations Table 23-2 Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Copper Age Males (mcg/day) Females (mcg/day) 4–8 years 440 440 9–13 years 700 700 14–18 years 890 890 19 years and older 900 900 Chapter 23: The Vegan Athlete Zinc Zinc levels may be lower in athletes, and it’s needed for healthy skin and wound repair You can easily meet the daily requirements of 8–10 milligrams a day with good food choices Vegan sources of zinc include fortified cereals, fortified nutritional yeast flakes, wheat germ, legumes, nuts, tofu, and miso Eating for Excellence in Your Sport of Choice Choosing nutritious, whole foods on a regular basis during athletic training is the best way to prepare for the main event Eating well consistently every day ensures a better outcome for your future athletic goals Hundreds of professional athletes have used a plant-based diet to increase their intake of truly energizing foods Preparing your diet before an athletic event Getting ready for a physical competition requires both mental and physical focus Choose your foods for physical focus as wisely as you choose your thoughts to get psyched up for your event Beware of the naturally high fiber content in vegan foods Too much soluble fiber can lead some athletes to experience stomach cramps or other digestive problems like diarrhea You don’t want the runs while you’re running! If you know you have a more sensitive stomach (or a nervous stomach before competitions), reduce your fiber intake 24 to 48 hours before the big game or meet Instead, try choosing other high-calorie foods, such as potatoes and whole-grain pasta, that will fuel your energy needs A larger meal of about 800 to 1,000 calories can be eaten about four or five hours before the start of an event, and a smaller, high-quality snack of 150 to 200 calories, such as cereal and soymilk, can be eaten an hour or two before You want to give your digestive system time to absorb the nutrients and energy from the meal, while giving the stomach time to empty out The most important aspect of nutrition that athletes need to consider is their water intake Staying hydrated before and during training and competitions can make or break your record Some athletes rely on artificially flavored and sweetened sports energy drinks These drinks provide electrolytes, or salts, that the body sweats out during exercise The artificially flavored drinks have too many chemicals and too much unneeded sugar 311 312 Part VI: Veganism for All Walks of Life Looking for a natural electrolyte drink to guzzle during your next game or meet? Try R.W Knudsen’s Recharge sports drink, made with natural fruit juices, or electroBlast’s Power Concentrates, which come naturally flavored with essential oils and stevia Young coconut water, naturally rich in electrolytes, can also be found in delis, health food stores or on the Internet Looking at long-term nutrition goals The success of many vegan athletes in the professional sports arena proves that a plant-based diet can lead to goal-setting performances Brendan Brazier, a vegan professional triathlete, and 2003’s Ultra Marathon National Champion, has proven that this diet works well for even the hardest-working human bodies The amazing Dr Ruth Heidrich also has proven that a vegan diet can be a part of healthy, long-term nutrition goals Dr Ruth has completed six Ironman Triathlons and has won more than 900 gold medals in various distance races She also has completed more than 60 marathons and holds world fitness records Ruth has been vegan for more than 25 years What you eat is as important as what you avoid eating Stay away from empty calories that many athletes rely on for quick energy Slurping down energy drinks full of sugar and chemical colorings won’t truly support long-term health Crunching salty, fried meals may make you feel full, but they still can clog the arteries of someone who trains every day Instead of wasting valuable energy eating junk, focus on eating natural, vital foods that give you more healing energy than a dozen donuts or a bottle of soda Chapter 24 Aging Gracefully and Veganly In This Chapter ▶ Understanding the nutritional needs of vegan senior citizens ▶ Maintaining a healthy metabolism as you age ▶ Using a vegan diet to heal your body ▶ Eating veganly without complication H aving watched grandparents, and now parents, retire and settle in to the golden years, many people realize that senior nutrition is vitally important to creating a high quality of life While most vegan books and Web sites tend to focus on nutrition and lifestyle advice for infants, children, and families, mature adults definitely shouldn’t be left out The health benefits available to aging adults through a vegan diet can address most of the illnesses and woes they develop as time marches on As the baby boomers are now entering retirement, the vegan diet and lifestyle becomes even more popular with those fabulous folks over 40 Adults of the baby boomer generation are showing signs of being less healthy than their parents as they enter retirement Even though they smoke less, this new crop of seniors has a higher rate of obesity, more chronic illnesses like hypertension and diabetes, and a more sedentary lifestyle The American dream of owning a house in the suburbs and driving a big car to the office has been realized, but now many older citizens also are living the nightmare of health complaints and higher stress levels In this chapter, I discuss the nutritional needs of people over 40 as well as the best ways to make the vegan transition later in life I make suggestions for simple food plans that can help guide you through a dietary shift, perhaps on a smaller budget This shift will improve the quality of your life as you enjoy your middle and later ages The beauty of taking on the vegan ethos later in life is that the resulting health benefits can help you feel years younger A well-planned vegan diet supports decades of good health and even provides insurance against our country’s top three killers: heart disease, cancer, and stroke According to the American Dietetic Association, vegans have lower rates of heart disease, type diabetes, ...310 Part VI: Veganism for All Walks of Life Magnesium Magnesium is one mineral that athletes need to focus on when designing their diets for performance Magnesium helps the body... a day with good food choices Vegan sources of zinc include fortified cereals, fortified nutritional yeast flakes, wheat germ, legumes, nuts, tofu, and miso Eating for Excellence in Your Sport... Gracefully and Veganly In This Chapter ▶ Understanding the nutritional needs of vegan senior citizens ▶ Maintaining a healthy metabolism as you age ▶ Using a vegan diet to heal your body ▶ Eating veganly