Get the Vegetarian Advantage!

Every day, more and more endurance athletes are incorporating a plant-based diet into their training and competition. This carbohydrate rich vegetarian diet delivers performance and health benefits, including enhanced muscle recovery and optimal heart and bone health. Vegetarian eating is fantastic for runners training for the Spring 2013 Ottawa Race Weekend, as this style of eating gives extra energy stores to push performance to the limit!

Here are a few things to be aware of to make sure that your diet provides all the nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy and fit. 

·         To ensure that your carbohydrate intake is topped up – make sure that you include carbohydrate rich foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans) with each meal and snack. Legumes also known as BEANS are a key source of starchy carbohydrate and are easy add ins to salads, soups and grain based dishes. All potatoes are a fantastic addition to a runner’s diet – and are especially useful as quick sources of energy in your training runs – pack small boiled potatoes into your running kit and pop them in your mouth for an easy, tasty alternative to expensive and gut bothering gels during your runs.

·         Eat different types of protein rich plant foods (unrefined grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, and vegetables) throughout the day, so that if one food is low in a particular essential amino acid, another food will make up this deficit. Choose small pre-workout meals such as baked beans on toast, or a peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole grain breads. Refuel after running with a tummy warming vegetable based lentil and rice soup. For fast refueling, combine soft tofu or yogurt with fruit and soymilk for a high protein shake.

·         Include alternative sources of calcium such as dark leafy green veggies, fortified soymilk, legumes, peanuts, almonds and seeds. These will be your primary source of calcium, important for a normal heart rhythm, strong bones and teeth, and general health.

·         Include iron rich plant foods every day – this is most important for non-meat eaters, especially active, menstruating women. Plant sources of iron are not absorbed as well as animal sources but consuming foods rich in vitamin C with any iron rich food will improve its’ absorption. Mix legumes, whole grains, and iron-enriched breads and cereals with dark leafy green veggies and dried fruits to maximize iron absorption.

·         Include zinc rich plant foods every day and your immune function gets a boost as well. While red meat and poultry supply the meat eaters amongst us with most of our zinc intake, some seafood, whole grains, dry beans, and nuts also provide zinc.

·         Eat vitamin B-12 fortified foods or supplements to ensure adequate intake!  Vitamin B-12 is only found naturally in animal products and fermented foods such as miso and tempeh have small amounts of B-12 but generally not enough.  

WHAT SHOULD I EAT?

 

The Power of Carbohydrates

For endurance training of a moderate to vigorous nature, carbohydrates are your body’s major source of energy. Yes, we also use fats for fuel but it is the rather limited storage of carbohydrate that becomes the issue when we start to push our bodies to go farther and faster. Your muscles and liver store carbohydrate – only a limited amount – and this needs to be continually replaced  or you are not going to be able to continue to exert yourself… have you ever wondered how you can avoid “hitting the wall?” To maintain your supply of muscle energy for as long as possible for endurance sports such as skiing, running and cycling, follow an eating plan that includes plenty of carbohydrate rich foods. Use a sports drink during training sessions to keep blood sugar levels topped up and eat a carbohydrate rich snack after each training session when your muscles are most receptive to refueling their depleted carbohydrate stores.

Step 1 - Calculate your daily carbohydrate (CHO) needs.

Find the training program that best describes yours and multiply the range of CHO needs by your body weight. 

 

Step 2 – Power fuel your plate at every meal and snack with carbohydrate rich foods.

Calculate your meal and/or snack needs. Plan to have ¼ of your daily CHO needs at each meal and 1/8th at each snack. Check the Carbohydrates in Food: Quick Rule of Thumb chart and see which food choices will meet your CHO needs. For maximum power fuel, the CHO you eat should come from among the different food groups.

TRAINING PROGRAM (Every day situation)	Daily CHO needs (grams) per kg body weight	X	Your body weight (kg)	=	Daily CHO needs (grams)
Recovery workout (1 – 1.5 hours)	3-4 g/kg	X		=
1 hour /  moderate/high intensity	5-7 g/kg	X
2 hours at moderate/high intensity OR 3-4+ hours of long slow distance	7-8g/kg	X		=
To maximize daily muscle glycogen recovery/to pre-competition “load”	7-10 g/kg	X
Prolonged & intense daily training (5-6 hours of moderate to intense)	10-12 g /kg	X		=

Follow these simple guidelines:

1.         Choose starchy CHO rich foods for long lasting fuel (ex. Oatmeal for breakfast);

2.         Choose simple CHO rich foods (fruits, sweet vegetables, milk products, sugars/sweets) before and during workouts for quickly available fuel;

3.         Choose fiber rich foods (whole grains and cereals, vegetables, fruits and legumes) post workout for your gut’s health and proper function.

Carbohydrates in Food – Quick Rule of Thumb (grams of CHO/serving)
Vegetables ~5 g CHO/serving	1 small vegetable (tomato, pepper, onion); ½ large vegetable (sweet red/green/yellow pepper), ½ cup cooked or raw
Fruits ~15 g CHO/serving	1 medium fruit; ½ large fruit 125 mL fruit juice; 2 tbsp dried fruit 125 mL fresh, frozen, cooked or canned fruit;
Grains & Cereals Starchy vegetables Legumes (kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils) ~15 g CHO/serving	30 g bread or cereal ½ small bagel; ½ English muffin; 2 rice cakes; 2 small tea biscuits; ½ cup cooked  pasta or grains 3 cups popcorn; 6 saltine crackers; 1 small white potato; ½ medium sweet potato 125 mL legumes; 90 mL hummus 40 g cereal bar; 125 mL rice pudding;
Milk and Alternatives ~12-15 g CHO/serving	250 mL milk, or soy beverage 175 mL plain yogurt/ kefir; 175 mL fruit yogurt or flavoured yogurt; 250 mL chocolate milk or sweetened soy; 250 mL fruit flavoured kefir