Vegetarian Athletes

The primary concern for vegetarian athletes is protein. As athletes, your protein needs are a little bit higher than your meat-eating teammates because plant protein isn’t digested as easily as animal protein. Don’t worry though, as long as you are eating a variety of high protein sources, you should be able to meet your protein needs for training and competition. Low-fat dairy products and eggs are great sources of protein. If you are avoiding all animal products, some examples of high protein plant foods include:  

• Peanut butter (8 g per 2 Tbs) 
• Pistachios (6 g per 1 oz or 48 kernels) 
• Tempeh (15 g per ½ cup) 
• Falafel (14 g per ½ cup) 
• Soybeans, as edamame (11 g per ½ cup) 
• Lentils (9 g per ½ cup) 
• Quinoa (4 g per ½ cup) 

As with trying any new foods, I would recommend doing an experiment with them not prior to a sporting event. Everyone tolerates foods differently, so try the food and see how you feel after 3-4 hours. If it’s not sitting well or causing some distress, you can eliminate it from your pre-competition meal or pre-practice snack. 
Vegetarian athletes also are at higher risk to be low in iron, especially women. Iron from animal sources is different from iron from plant sources in that it is not absorbed as easily. All iron is better utilized by our bodies when it is eaten with a source of vitamin C such as orange juice, strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, or grapefruit. Some high iron foods include:

• Iron-enriched cereals 
• Prunes 
• Raisins 
• Spinach 
• Broccoli 
• Kidney beans 

More helpful information on eating vegetarian diets can be found at: 

USDA Choose MyPlate – Tips for Vegetarians http://www.choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-tips/tips-for-vegetarian.html 
USDA Lifecycle Nutrition – Vegetarian Nutrition 
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/lifecycle-nutrition/vegetarian-nutrition 
The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom 
http://www.vegsoc.org/health/

Guest Blogger: Jaime Williams, USD Dietetic Intern