vegan runners?
vegan runners?
Are there any vegan distance runners out there? I'm planning on doing a vegan month in January, and then potentially 3-4 days a week of veganism after that (not sure if I could become fully vegan, but hey, you never know). I'm just wondering what people eat pre and post run, and during the run as well? I'm planning on doing a lot of distance next year and I want to make sure I'm properly fueled and not lacking energy.
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Re: vegan runners?
There have been a few pieces about Scott Jurek's diet, as he is a vegan ultrarunner... google around for it and I'm sure you'll find some helpful info. :)
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Re: vegan runners?
I am pretty much vegan (I try to eat as vegan as possible). I train for the Half Ironman distance. I eliminated meat/dairy due to stomach issues - it has been almost 4 months and I haven't noticed any negative effects in training. Actually, my recovery has been much better from training since I changed my diet (granted, I have also started doing yoga lately).
I found a really good, vegan protein powder - hemp protein. http://www.manitobaharvest.com is the company, you can order on-line or it is available in a lot of health food stores. I currently use the Hemp Pro 50 in my morning smoothie. I also use smoothies as a recovery drink.
It is fairly easy to eat well and vegan at home - going out is the challenge.
For training, I used Clif Shot Blocks (on the bike and long runs), for racing I will use GU gels for the run (still eat the blocks on the bike). A whole wheat piece of toast/english muffin with all natural peanut butter with something to drink is my usual pre-workout snack.
I found a really good, vegan protein powder - hemp protein. http://www.manitobaharvest.com is the company, you can order on-line or it is available in a lot of health food stores. I currently use the Hemp Pro 50 in my morning smoothie. I also use smoothies as a recovery drink.
It is fairly easy to eat well and vegan at home - going out is the challenge.
For training, I used Clif Shot Blocks (on the bike and long runs), for racing I will use GU gels for the run (still eat the blocks on the bike). A whole wheat piece of toast/english muffin with all natural peanut butter with something to drink is my usual pre-workout snack.
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Re: vegan runners?
Don't be scared of going vegan. Its not that big a deal. Meat protein is not all its cracked up to be.
I use spirulina/chorella super food plus eating tofu or other tvp products. Sometimes I drink EAS Soy Protein drink because it also has carbs in it. Soymilk in the coffee. Even bread has protein.
I fuel runs with caffeine, power bars and gels. Maybe a piece of bread or two before hand if it is a long run.
I use spirulina/chorella super food plus eating tofu or other tvp products. Sometimes I drink EAS Soy Protein drink because it also has carbs in it. Soymilk in the coffee. Even bread has protein.
I fuel runs with caffeine, power bars and gels. Maybe a piece of bread or two before hand if it is a long run.
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Re: vegan runners?
I guess my biggest fear is not consuming enough calories. Not that I have that problem right now, as my waistline will show I think I just have this idea in my head that by cutting out cheese, eggs and fish (I'm currently pescetarian) I'm suddenly not going to be eating enough. I guess I'm being naive. Dropping meat didn't have this effect on me, so I'm not sure why I think dropping eggs and dairy will...
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Re: vegan runners?
hezzy wrote:I guess my biggest fear is not consuming enough calories. Not that I have that problem right now, as my waistline will show I think I just have this idea in my head that by cutting out cheese, eggs and fish (I'm currently pescetarian) I'm suddenly not going to be eating enough. I guess I'm being naive. Dropping meat didn't have this effect on me, so I'm not sure why I think dropping eggs and dairy will...
Not going to be a problem. I haven't really lost any weight (but my stomach is much happier).
I have noticed better muscle tone since going veg - possibly due to the type of protein that I am taking in.
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Re: vegan runners?
Thanks for all the replies folks. I do have the thrive book, and Alicia Silverstone's cookbook. I'm planning on doing some reading over the xmas holidays and pulling out some good recipes to start using. I guess the most important thing for making this work is being prepared and planning ahead.
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Re: vegan runners?
hezzy wrote:Thanks for all the replies folks. I do have the thrive book, and Alicia Silverstone's cookbook. I'm planning on doing some reading over the xmas holidays and pulling out some good recipes to start using. I guess the most important thing for making this work is being prepared and planning ahead.
A good place for recipe ideas is: http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ The next 21 day Kickstart begins on January 3rd. I didn't follow it per say, I just used the recipes that I liked, but it was a good resource (I saved the recipes to use later).
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Re: vegan runners?
hezzy wrote:Thanks for all the replies folks. I do have the thrive book, and Alicia Silverstone's cookbook. I'm planning on doing some reading over the xmas holidays and pulling out some good recipes to start using. I guess the most important thing for making this work is being prepared and planning ahead.
Well, I don't cook so I'm no help with this.
I eat fruit and pita or WASA bread during the day. Salad for supper.....and thats about it!
PS livestrong.com/myplate has a great calorie tracker which adds up your protein for you.
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Re: vegan runners?
Been vegan for about three or four years now and have been doing ultras for five. Since going vegan I have recovered better, both from hard training and from races. I have also ran every day for almost three years, average of 5.9 miles per day.
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vegan runners?
I have heard a lot about vegan runners who claim their recovery is better. I wonder what the physiological reason is for that, assuming you're comparing healthy diets both ways. I've been thinking a lot lately about going vegan but I think I'd have a hard time giving up dairy (personally- not for health reasons).
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Re: vegan runners?
Jwolf wrote:I have heard a lot about vegan runners who claim their recovery is better. I wonder what the physiological reason is for that, assuming you're comparing healthy diets both ways. I've been thinking a lot lately about going vegan but I think I'd have a hard time giving up dairy (personally- not for health reasons).
I swear by spirulina/chorella as super foods. But, I don't think there are scientific studies which would satisfy you. I also think my system is less gunked up with animal protein. I have no scientific study for that either. But, I seem to be doing great....right?
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vegan runners?
HiPerformanceSpirit wrote:Jwolf wrote:I have heard a lot about vegan runners who claim their recovery is better. I wonder what the physiological reason is for that, assuming you're comparing healthy diets both ways. I've been thinking a lot lately about going vegan but I think I'd have a hard time giving up dairy (personally- not for health reasons).
I swear by spirulina/chorella as super foods. But, I don't think there are scientific studies which would satisfy you. I also think my system is less gunked up with animal protein. I have no scientific study for that either. But, I seem to be doing great....right?
True, but there are a lot of runners who do well on non-vegan diets too. I'm also a bit worried about my iron which used to be an issue when I was a vegetarian, before I added meat back to my diet.
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Re: vegan runners?
If you've been thinking about it, maybe something inside you wants you to investigate and experiment further (I am a believer in intuition and inspiration). But, do what works for you.
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Re: vegan runners?
Jwolf wrote:I have heard a lot about vegan runners who claim their recovery is better. I wonder what the physiological reason is for that, assuming you're comparing healthy diets both ways. I've been thinking a lot lately about going vegan but I think I'd have a hard time giving up dairy (personally- not for health reasons).
I think it was Brendan Brazier who said that eating a more alkaline diet made recovery from the inflammation of running faster. Some foods cause inflammation, and some foods combat it. So it's not just a question of becoming vegan. Sugar is super-inflammatory, as is caffeine.
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Re: vegan runners?
Agent Provocateur wrote:Jwolf wrote:I have heard a lot about vegan runners who claim their recovery is better. I wonder what the physiological reason is for that, assuming you're comparing healthy diets both ways. I've been thinking a lot lately about going vegan but I think I'd have a hard time giving up dairy (personally- not for health reasons).
I think it was Brendan Brazier who said that eating a more alkaline diet made recovery from the inflammation of running faster. Some foods cause inflammation, and some foods combat it. So it's not just a question of becoming vegan. Sugar is super-inflammatory, as is caffeine.
Interesting. The people I know that have switched to vegan diets have definitely not given up sugar and caffeine, but they do claim that the recovery is much faster. But they have also lost a lot of weight in the whole process (one person about 70 pounds, from obese to very lean), so perhaps that has more to do with it than actually going vegan.
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Re: vegan runners?
Some of the health claims may be for people who are vegan and raw. Raw food-ists make very big claims.
I gave up sugar except when I'm having a rare splurge. Because a) I'm addicted and always have to have more, b) I think it reduces immunity.
I'd also like to put out this warning: study the nutrition, don't just quit eating meat and dairy. To be a healthy vegan, you need to cover the nutritional bases.
I gave up sugar except when I'm having a rare splurge. Because a) I'm addicted and always have to have more, b) I think it reduces immunity.
I'd also like to put out this warning: study the nutrition, don't just quit eating meat and dairy. To be a healthy vegan, you need to cover the nutritional bases.
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Re: vegan runners?
Agent Provocateur wrote:I think it was Brendan Brazier who said that eating a more alkaline diet made recovery from the inflammation of running faster. Some foods cause inflammation, and some foods combat it. So it's not just a question of becoming vegan. Sugar is super-inflammatory, as is caffeine.
I've read about foods being assigned different pH values and that a more alkaline diet is preferred, but invariably the next thing I read is a response saying that the stomach is such a huge pH buffer, that it doesn't matter what pH class of food we eat, what is important is variety and portion size. Has this buffer theory changed?
I'm not trying to start something. I really want to know. This is relevant to me because I consume a low fat, high carbohydrate diet (which sometimes includes a LOT of sugar, very little meat and almost no dairy).
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Re: vegan runners?
I don't think it's the alkalinity of the foods specifically. Using caffeine as example-- yes, it's basic, but we consume it in milligram quantities, so as you say it's going to be acidified very quickly in our stomach. Many phytochemicals (plant-based compounds) are also alkaline and are known to have beneficial health effects, including on immunity and inflammation. A better scientific explanation is the hormonal response caused by the various combinations of foods you eat, especially things like excess sugar. Fat tissue itself is also hormonally active and can have effects on the immune system and inflammation.
Last edited by Jwolf on Tue Dec 28, 2010 12:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: vegan runners?
Jwolf wrote:I don't think it's the alkalinity of the foods specifically. Using caffeine as example-- yes, it's basic, but we consume it in milligram quantities, so as you say it's not going to be acidified very quickly in our stomach. Many phytochemicals (plant-based compounds) are also alkaline and are known to have beneficial health effects, including on immunity and inflammation. A better scientific explanation is the hormonal response caused by the various combinations of foods you eat, especially things like excess sugar. Fat tissue itself is also hormonally active and can have effects on the immune system and inflammation.
Now you are saying some very interesting things. Can you say more about hormonal responses?
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Re: vegan runners?
HiPerformanceSpirit wrote:Jwolf wrote:I don't think it's the alkalinity of the foods specifically. Using caffeine as example-- yes, it's basic, but we consume it in milligram quantities, so as you say it's going to be acidified very quickly in our stomach. Many phytochemicals (plant-based compounds) are also alkaline and are known to have beneficial health effects, including on immunity and inflammation. A better scientific explanation is the hormonal response caused by the various combinations of foods you eat, especially things like excess sugar. Fat tissue itself is also hormonally active and can have effects on the immune system and inflammation.
Now you are saying some very interesting things. Can you say more about hormonal responses?
I don't know much more than just in general terms, but hormones regulate everything in our body including metabolism, immunity, and growth. All these things are tied in with recovery from workouts and how our body responds to hard work and training. It makes sense that hormonal responses from the foods we eat and their metabolism would affect the other systems.
Largely it's about balance and finding what works for your body. I can certainly see how excess of simple carbs and/or protein and/or fat can cause hormonal responses that can upset the balance. I personally think you anyone can do well with any healthy diet if you find the right balance - you can be vegan but still eat fairly unhealthily, just as you can eat healthily with some animal products in your diet. My theory is that those that switch to vegan diets and experience better recovery have made their diets and health better in general, but not necessarily specifically from the vegan diet. It's just that the changes they made along the way made their diet better than it was before. A move toward more whole foods and less protein can definitely be beneficial. Personally I think I'm going to cut out the meat and limit the eggs and dairy but not completely eliminate them and see how it goes.
ETA: I was just reading a bit about how levels of cortisol (a stress hormone which impedes recovery) when more amino acids are released and when more sugar is metabolized. This may be what AP was referring to when she quoted Brazier's switch to a more alkaline diet. Interesting.
[Hezzy- sorry for the semi-hijack. ]
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Re: vegan runners?
May I recommend a couple of books that really are informative:
Becoming Vegetarian and Becoming Vegan. I gave you the links to Google Books so you can take a look. It's really worth picking up or taking a look at these. There's a chapter on athlete nutrition in both. They both go into the nuts & bolts on nutrition in an easy to refer to kind of way.
ETA: I put the Becoming Vegetarian book in there because it's the much more comprehensive book.
Becoming Vegetarian and Becoming Vegan. I gave you the links to Google Books so you can take a look. It's really worth picking up or taking a look at these. There's a chapter on athlete nutrition in both. They both go into the nuts & bolts on nutrition in an easy to refer to kind of way.
ETA: I put the Becoming Vegetarian book in there because it's the much more comprehensive book.
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Re: vegan runners?
ETA: I was just reading a bit about how levels of cortisol (a stress hormone which impedes recovery) when more amino acids are released and when more sugar is metabolized. This may be what AP was referring to when she quoted Brazier's switch to a more alkaline diet. Interesting.
Yes, this cortisol effect is true although I'm not sure that's necessarily what I was referring to. I can't claim to know all of the science behind it, I just have read bits and pieces here and there, combined with mine and Dwayne's direct experience.
Narr, you may want to grab a look at the book Sugar Shock. Without knowing your particulars, I don't want to make predictions or say that the ratio you are eating is completely out of whack. But I did learn a lot from that book and have made some major adjustments to my own carb and sugar intake since that book.
On Hormones, there is a great book called The Hormone Diet with a ton of information. Dr. Natasha Turner has lots of information on this website: http://www.thehormonediet.com/ There's a link to her health blog there too.
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vegan runners?
Natalie- I know your intentions are sincere but I can assure you that Narr is exaggerating when he says he eats a lot of sugar.
Carrie- thanks for those book recommendations.
Carrie- thanks for those book recommendations.
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