The term vegetarianism is used loosely with many athletes from those who just do not eat red meat to those who do not eat any animal products at all. Here are some of the more common categories of vegetarian diets:

Lacto-vegetarian: no animal foods at all but includes milk and milk products (yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese)

Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: no animal foods at all but includes eggs, milk and milk products.

Vegan: no animal foods at all.

I have met some athletes who fall into a couple of the different categories and those who also eat fish but no other meats. It doesn’t really matter what type is followed or for what reasons. What is important is how this can affect your health and performance.

Effects of Vegetarianism

When you are fueling up for your next training session, remember that you want to choose foods that will enhance your health and improve your performance. Athletes who follow any type of vegetarian diet seem to have a lower risk of developing diseases such as diabetes and heart disease when they get older and while there isn’t too much support about improving performance, since vegetarian diets are usually high in carbohydrate, performance is typically improved.

Here are some specific concerns for endurance athletes who are following the vegetarian way of eating:

Total energy. Most vegetarian diets are high in carbohydrate rich foods such as fruits, vegetables and grains and have a lot of fiber which are very filling. This could result in not eating enough calories to support training and competition. Good strategies to include more calories in your eating program are to eat nuts, peanut butter, soy products and meat substitutes.

Protein. Protein intake could be low if no meat or dairy products are eaten. Endurance athletes need an adequate amount of protein to support their higher training loads throughout the year. Good sources of non-meat protein foods include nuts, tofu, soy milk and some whole grain cereals.

Iron. Vegetarian athletes are at greater risk for having low iron stores. Because iron is needed to help the muscles get oxygen, it is crucial for endurance athletes to monitor this through routine blood tests. Female athletes more than males are affected because of the monthly blood loss from menstruation (if they are menstruating). Be sure to include good non-animal sources of iron including spinach, broccoli, almonds, oatmeal and iron fortified cereals. Drinking orange juice (or another source of vitamin C) with these foods can help the body absorb more iron.

Calcium. For those vegetarian athletes who do not drink milk or any dairy foods, calcium will be low. Calcium is very important for younger endurance athletes to improve bone mass but is also crucial in muscular contractions. Alternate sources of calcium rich foods include fortified cereals, tofu and soy milk and green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin B12. There is no active form of this vitamin in any plant foods and because vitamin B12 is involved in the breakdown of foods to energy, low amounts can be detrimental for performance. Vegan athletes are at risk of developing anemia from deficiency of this vitamin and this can lead to fatigue. Fortified foods are the top choice and include cereals and soy products.

It is very possible to following any type of vegetarian eating program and still be healthy and perform well. The trick is to add more variety and choose many options of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, soy products and meat alternatives.