Vegan diet - briefly explained
When you eat a vegan diet, you not only don't eat fish and meat products like vegetarians, but you also do without any kind of animal products. This eliminates some of the things that others consider essential: Milk, cheese, the breakfast egg or the piece of chocolate that you treat yourself to every day.
But for many vegans, their diet is not a renunciation. There is usually more to it than just not liking meat. Ethical motives often play a role. For some, frightening pictures of caged, injured pigs gave the final impetus. For others, it is the overfishing of the oceans or the mere thought that animals deserve a better life and are simply not suitable for consumption.
Today, vegan diets are becoming easier as the market responds to demand and there are more and more products for vegetarians and vegans. 10 years ago, you wouldn't find oat milk in any supermarket. Now it's hard to imagine the shelves without it.
Veganism in sport
Whether you are a runner, boxer or football player. If you want to be successful in sport or achieve your personal goals, you can't avoid paying attention to your diet. It is often not only important that the food is healthy, but also that you eat enough nutrients and proteins. Because without proteins, muscle growth cannot take place.
You can get most of the nutrients you need from a varied diet that also includes meat and other animal products. Do vegans stand a chance at all in sport? The answer is clear: Yes!
This is proven by high-ranking athletes who are among the best in the world. One example is the martial artist Nate Diaz. He won the legendary fight against top fighter Conor McGregor. The fight went down in history, among other things, because a vegan managed to defeat a well-known meat eater. The latter had previously made fun of his opponent's diet.
Nate Diaz has been eating a vegan diet since he was 18. His brother Nick is also successful in martial arts and became a vegan at the age of 15. The Netflix documentary "The Game Changers" by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan and James Cameron goes into more detail about their reasons for changing their diet.
The Game Changers" shows, among other things, in a scientific way what a vegan diet can do for the body and for sports. The documentary should be watched by anyone who does competitive or hobby sports or is thinking about switching to a vegan diet. Because even though this type of diet has its advantages, there are also disadvantages that you should be aware of.
vegan muscle building
In order to have enough strength for sports or to be able to build up muscles, proteins are essential. A distinction can be made between animal and vegetable proteins. Animal proteins, as the name suggests, can be obtained from foods such as meat, fish and eggs. But since vegans do not eat these types of food, they need other sources. And there are plenty of these.
Especially legumes like lentils or products made from soy contain large amounts of vegetable proteins. Therefore, they are a must for anyone who wants to eat a vegan diet, build muscles and do sports. Other nutrients, like vitamin B12, the body can normally get from meat and fish. Here, vegans need to take special care to get the vitamins from other plant products. It is usually also worth including food supplements.
Vegan nutrition is not only possible, but also brings a whole range of positive effects. As this is a complex topic, there will be a second blog post on vegan nutrition in sports.
Our recommendations for vegan athletes
Vegan chickpea masala
Bulgur with Lentil Spinach Vegetables & Butter Beans
Perfect for those who don't want to give up muscle mass despite a vegan diet. Our vegan chickpea masala contains a whole 37 grams of protein and thus helps to build up muscle in a plant-based way.
This bulgur dish contains pure health. No additives, good vegetables and bulgur and lentils as a vegetable protein source. A delight, not only for vegans.
Bulgur with Lentil Spinach Vegetables & Butter Beans
This bulgur dish contains pure health. No additives, good vegetables and bulgur and lentils as a vegetable protein source. A delight, not only for vegans.