Vegetarian Vigor

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Vegetarian Vigor

 

Do vegetarians have a weight-training edge?

.. . .

by Bill Pearl (bio) Bill started his strength training at

that early age. When he was 11 and working at his father's

restaurant, he would take gallon cans of corn or green

beans and press them overhead like dumbbells. Another

favorite muscle-building activity required him to lie on

the floor with a gunny sack full of potatoes ...

 

 

Q: I am considering becoming a vegetarian. I'm a

31-year-old female who has been exercising regularly for

18 months. Do you see any advantages to a vegetarian diet

for serious weight trainers? - A.T., Boise, ID

 

A: Most nutritionists recognize five basic kinds of

vegetarians:

 

Semi-vegetarians eat chicken, fish, eggs, milk and other

dairy products.

Pesco-vegetarians eat fish, eggs and dairy products.

Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat dairy products and eggs.

Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs.

Vegans eat no animal foods.

I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian and have been for 35 years. I

see a lot of advantages to my way of eating, the best one

being that I feel I'm much more pleasant to be around than

when I was a meat eater. There is enormous scientific

evidence that people who eat lots of fresh fruits and

vegetables, and little or no meat, reduce their risk of

disease. This diet protects against heart attacks,

strokes, cancer and other diseases.

 

The protective effect is not just a matter of avoiding

cholesterol and saturated fat in red meat, or getting more

vitamin C from fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruits and

vegetables also are packed with plant chemicals called

phytochemicals. These natural compounds seem to have a

direct, separate effect in protecting against heart

disease and cancer. Vegetable foods have many other

benefits. They are high in dietary fiber, which is

indigestible material. Fiber-rich foods make you feel

full, yet typically contain few calories.

 

While there are a lot of good reasons to consider being a

vegetarian, I've found that too many female athletes avoid

eating meat in an effort to reach or maintain an ideal

weight; i.e., they think meat is fattening. This is not a

step toward true vegetarianism for health, religious,

moral, or environmental purposes, but a sign of distorted

beliefs about food, body weight, and nutrition. A meatless

diet for a female athlete typically sends up a red flag

for physicians, trainers, and other healthcare

professionals because it may raise potential problems.

These can include inadequate levels of nutrients such as

iron and zinc and unchecked dietary deficiencies that can

result in amenorrhea (loss of menstrual period) and

serious eating disorders.

 

In addition, diets that do not include animal food such as

meat, chicken, and fish tend to be low in protein. In a

study of adolescent female runners who underwent dietary

analyses twice in three years, limiting consumption of

beef, milk, and cheese resulted in a decrease in their

daily protein intake from 1.6 grams per kilogram (g/kg) of

body weight to 1.1 g/kg. While these values are higher

than the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Recommended

Dietary Allowance (RDA), the RDAs are based on average

needs. The subjects' daily protein intakes were lower than

those recommended for endurance athletes (1.2 to 1.7

g/kg).

 

The study also noted that the runners' daily energy intake

decreased from 2,150 kcal to 1,647 kcal over the three

years. Given their average height, weight, and activity

level, these female adolescent runners should have

consumed closer to 2,500 kcal. Insufficient energy intake

actually increases protein requirements, since more

protein is needed to maintain nitrogen balance when energy

intake is low.

 

Athletes who adhere to meatless diets can perform as well

as their meat-eating counterparts, but only if they pay

close attention to planning healthful and nutritious meals

to ensure adequate intake of protein. Protein is essential

for bodily structures, repair of muscle tissue and the

construction of enzymes and hormones that are critical for

optimal performance. High-protein vegetarian food choices

include eggs, cottage cheese, beans, tofu, and yogurt.

 

The bottom line: Don't become a vegetarian on a whim.

While a plant-based diet may help you feel stronger and

healthier, you have to become knowledgeable about

nutrition to make sure you are consuming enough daily

carbohydrates and proteins. An excellent book for

vegetarian athletes is The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition

Guide by Lisa Dorfman (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).