Definition for Ladies Spring 2014 Issue 001 April 2014 | Page 48

How Veganism Can Work
for your Athletic Lifestyle
by Emily Segal, MA, CHHC

Be a Fit and Healthy Vegan By Avoiding These Pitfalls
Vegan diets are all the rage. Some people are attracted to veganism because they are concerned
about the ethical or environmental issues implicit in animal agriculture. Others are hoping for
better health or longevity. Many athletes have turned to veganism in search of performance gains
and decreased recovery times that allow them to put in more training than their meat-eating competitors. Whatever the reasons, veganism can promise all of this and more, if you feed yourself
properly and avoid the most common pitfalls.

Pitfall #1:

Not eating enough

The likely number one complaint of ex-vegans might be “I felt weak, tired and hungry as a vegan.”
Most of the time, that concern could have been addressed with better nutrition and simply, more
food! Animal meats, eggs and dairy products are dense, heavy foods that require a long digestion
time. In other words, they keep you full for longer (hence the popularity of low-carb diets). However,
because they are calorically dense, omnivores must pay close attention to portion sizes and often eat
skimpy meals. You must turn this thinking on its head when you go vegan. Plants are nutrient dense,
but calorically light, so you really must eat a larger volume of plant food than you did as an omnivore. Forget individual bowls – you are now going to be eating your salad straight from the giant
serving bowl! Most athletic vegans actually have to make a concerted effort to eat enough food to
fuel their activity demands! Good news for those of us who love to eat!

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