Here Are The Nutrition Supplements You Need As A Vegan Athlete
Lewis Hamilton, Alex Morgan, Tia Blanco, and Hannah Teter are some famous athletes who swear by a plant-based diet.
It shows that you can achieve athletic excellence without consuming meat or dairy products.
As a vegan sportsperson, your nutritional requirements are different from regular people.
The long hours of training, the importance of muscle recovery, and consistently achieving top performance won’t happen without solid nutrition.
And that is why you must consider taking vegan sports nutrition supple
For instance, you must ensure your body receives an adequate quantity of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats while maintaining a perfect balance.
What are the top supplements you should consider taking, and how can they help you?
What supplements should vegan athletes take?
Since athletes exert their bodies repeatedly for months and years, they naturally have special dietary requirements.
Their diet should include zinc, iron, vitamin B12, calcium, iodine, and Vitamin D.
Getting these from natural food items might be challenging, making supplementation necessary. Each of these components fulfills a specific purpose.
Calcium
It is indispensable for muscular health and strong bones. Vegans, including sportspersons, abstain from dairy products high in calcium.
Although foods like broccoli, mustard greens, turnip greens, and chickpeas contain calcium, they fall short of the recommended amount.
To meet the requirements, you should take the best plant-based protein powder.
Protein
All vegans should include protein in their diet, but for sportspersons, it is indispensable.
You cannot perform well in any athletic activity without supplying your body with sufficient amounts of this macronutrient.
Protein supplements are available as vegan protein powder and bars.
You can select from the two depending on which you find more comfortable.
Plant-based powders contain rice, green or yellow peas, hemp, and soy isolates.
You will even find some that combine these substances into a single product. Each of these has its distinct advantages, making it ideal for sportspersons.
Bars are ideal for those athletes who are constantly on the move and might not have the time or means to prepare protein shakes.
They usually contain between 21 and 25 grams of protein and re-energize you immediately after a workout.
Amino acids
Next to protein, omega amino acids play a vital role in a vegan athlete’s diet.
They supply the body with energy, prevent mental tiredness, help the body manufacture muscle protein, and help you avoid the side effects of overtraining. Lucine, one of the amino acids, is crucial for muscle-building and tissue recovery.
Natural food like soybeans, lentils, and nuts contain some amounts but not enough for athletes’ requirements.
Some omega amino acid supplements you must include in your dietary plan are chia seed oil (rich in alanine, serine, and glycine), borage oil (which has gamma-linolenic acid), and flaxseed oil (which contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids).
Multivitamins
You should include multivitamins in your diet because they contain essential vitamins and minerals like selenium, magnesium, and Zinc.
Each vitamin and mineral contributes to your overall performance.
Nutrition supplements for a vegan athlete: what should you check before buying?
However, before buying these supplements, you should ensure they are free from animal-based ingredients and derived entirely from plant sources.
You will find them in small bottles containing 90 tablets each.
You cannot achieve top performance as an athlete without including vegan sports nutrition supplements in your diet. Each substance contributes to your overall performance while keeping you healthy.
