Vegan Power Foods For Long Cardio Sessions?!
Vegan Power Foods For Long Cardio Sessions?
I am doing 2 hours of cardio a day. I am going to go vegan, but I am wondering how I can make up the protein difference AND what foods I can eat to keep my stamina up. Even with my current meat and dairy included diet I get tired in the middle of the second hour. I need to know what to eat to keep me lively and perky!
I hate synthetic products (powders and such) and I don't like meal replacement bars (they actually make me more tired). Any good fresh fruits and veggies known to pack a punch?
2 months ago
*** Everyone had great answers and a few of you were VERY informative - thanks so much!****
Answers:
2 months ago
*** Everyone had great answers and a few of you were VERY informative - thanks so much!****
I am doing 2 hours of cardio a day. I am going to go vegan, but I am wondering how I can make up the protein difference AND what foods I can eat to keep my stamina up.
-It really isn't that hard to get enough protein.You don't need more protein speciffically,you need more calories.
Even with my current meat and dairy included diet I get tired in the middle of the second hour. I need to know what to eat to keep me lively and perky!
-Meat and dairy has actually been shown to slow you down.I run for an hour a day at a 6 mph pace,and that is easy for me.I wouldn't call that cardio but it is decent.
I hate synthetic products (powders and such) and I don't like meal replacement bars (they actually make me more tired). Any good fresh fruits and veggies known to pack a punch?
Brandon Brazier makes vegan energy bars,I heard they are good,maybe you hould at least give those a try.Personally,I like beans and brown rice.I try and eat carbs that are slower burning.I also always have a strawberry and banana(the banana makes up most of the smoothie) smoothie with flax oil and alittle bit of soymilk because it is a slowly absorbed protein.
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Vegetarian and vegan athletes are at the top in their sports. Carl Lewis, the runner, won nine Olympic gold medals. Lewis says that he had his best performance as an athlete after he adopted a vegan diet.
Ruth Heidrich, a vegan Ironman triathlete and marathon runner has racked up more than 700 first-place trophies and set several performance records. She was also named One of the 10 Fittest Women in North America.
At Yale, Professor Irving Fisher designed a series of tests to compare the stamina and strength of meat-eaters against that of vegetarians. He selected men from three groups: meat-eating athletes, vegetarian athletes, and vegetarian sedentary subjects. Fisher reported the results of his study in the Yale Medical Journal.His findings do not seem to lend a great deal of credibility to the popular prejudices that hold meat to be a builder of strength.
"Of the three groups compared, the...flesh-eaters showed far less endurance than the abstainers (vegetarians), even when the latter were leading a sedentary life."
Overall, the average score of the vegetarians was over double the average score of the meat-eaters, even though half of the vegetarians were sedentary people, while all of the meat-eaters tested were athletes. After analyzing all the factors that might have been involved in the results, Fisher concluded that:
"...the difference in endurance between the flesh-eaters and the abstainers (was due) entirely to the difference in their diet.... There is strong evidence that a...non-flesh...diet is conducive to endurance."
A comparable study was done by Dr. J. Ioteyko of the Academie de Medicine of Paris. Dr. Ioteyko compared the endurance of vegetarian and meat-eaters from all walks of life in a variety of tests. The vegetarians averaged two to three times more stamina than the meat-eaters. Even more remarkably, they took only one-fifth the time to recover from exhaustion compared to their meat-eating rivals.
In 1968, a Danish team of researchers tested a group of men on a variety of diets, using a stationary bicycle to measure their strength and endurance. The men were fed a mixed diet of meat and vegetables for a period of time, and then tested on the bicycle. The average time they could pedal before muscle failure was 114 minutes. These same men at a later date were fed a diet high in meat, milk and eggs for a similar period and then re-tested on the bicycles. On the high meat diet, their pedaling time before muscle failure dropped dramatically--to an average of only 57 minutes. Later, these same men were switched to a strictly vegetarian diet, composed of grains, vegetables and fruits, and then tested on the bicycles. The lack f animal products didn't seem to hurt their performance--they pedaled an average of 167 minutes.
Wherever and whenever tests of this nature have been done, the results have been similar. This does not lend a lot of support to the supposed association of meat with strength and stamina.
Doctors in Belgium systematically compared the number of times vegetarians and meat-eaters could squeeze a grip-meter. The vegetarians won handily with an average of 69, whilst the meat-eaters averaged only 38. As in all other studies which have measured muscle recovery time, here, too, the vegetarians bounced back from fatigue far more rapidly than did the meat-eaters.
I know of many other studies in the medical literature which report similar findings. But I know of not a single one that has arrived at different results. As a result, I confess, it has gotten rather difficult for me to listen seriously to the meat industry proudly proclaiming "meat gives strength" in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
The achievement of vegetarian athletes are particularly noteworthy considering the relatively small percentage of vegetarian entrant. Athletes, after all, are not immune from the cultural conditioning that meat alone gives the required strength and stamina. Yet some have adopted vegetarian diets and the results invite scrutiny.
Dave Scott, of Davis, California is universally recognized as the greatest triathlete in the world. He has won Hawaii's legendary Ironman Triathlon a record four times, including three years in a row, while no one else has ever done it more than once. The event consists, in succession, of a 2.4-mile ocean swim, a 112-mile cycle, and then a 26.2-mile run.
Dave calls the idea that people, and especially athletes, need animal protein a "ridiculous fallacy." There are many people who consider Dave Scott the fittest man who ever lived. Dave Scott is a vegetarian.
I don't know how you might determine the world's fittest man. But if it isn't Dave Scott it might well be Sixto Linares. This remarkable fellow tells of the time:
"when I became a vegetarian in high school, my parents were very very upset that I wouldn't eat meat... After fourteen years, they are finally accepting that it's good for me. They know it's not going to kill me."
During the fourteen years that Sixto's parents begrudgingly came to accept that his diet wasn't killing him, they watched their son set the world's record for the longest single-day triathlon, and display his astounding endurance, speed, and strength in benefits for the American Hearth Association, United Way, the Special Children's Charity, the Leukemia Society of America, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. So deeply ingrained, however, is the prejudice against vegetarianism that even as their son was showing himself possibly to be the fittest human being alive, his parents only reluctantly came to accept his diet. Sixto says he experimented for awhile with a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet (no meat, but some dairy products and eggs), but now eats no eggs or dairy products and feels better for it.
It doesn't seem to be weakening him too much. In June 1985, at a benefit for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Sixto broke the world record for the one-day triathlon by swimming 4.8 miles, cycling 185 miles, and then running 52.4 miles.
Then there's Edwin Moses. No man in sports history has ever dominated an event as Edwin Moses has dominated the 400-meter hurdles. The Olympic Gold Medalist went eight years without losing a race, and when Sports Illustrated gave him their 1984 "Sportsman of the Year" award, the magazine said, "No athlete in any sport is so respected by his peers as Moses is in track and field." Edwin Moses is a vegetarian.
Paavo Nurmi, the "Flying Finn," set twenty world records in distance running, and won nine Olympic medals. He was a vegetarian.
Bill Pickering of Great Britain set the world record for swimming the English Channel, but that performance of his pales beside the fact that at the age of 48 he set a new world record for swimming the Bristol Channel. Bill Pickering is a vegetarian.
Murray Rose was only 17 when he won three gold medals in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. Four years later, at the 1960 Olympiad, he became the first man in history to retain his 400 meter freestyle title, and he later broke both his 400 meter and 1500 meter freestyle world records. Considered by many to be the greatest swimmer of all time, Rose has been a vegetarian since he was two.
You might not expect to find a vegetarian in world championship body-building competitions. But Andreas Cahling, the Swedish body builder who won the 1980 Mr. International title, is a vegetarian, as has been for over ten years of highest level international competition. One magazine reported that Cahling's "showings at the Mr. Universe competitions, and at the professional body-building world championships, give insiders the feeling he may be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger."
Another fellow who is not exactly a weakling is Stan Price. He holds the world record for the bench press in his weight class. Stan Price is a vegetarian. Roy Hilligan is another gentleman in whose face you probably wouldn't want to kick sand. Among his many titles is the coveted Mr. America crown. Roy Hilligan is a vegetarian.
(J.Robbins,Diet For a New America)
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I have read that 95% of athletes feel better after eating a vegetarian diet.
This e-mail is from one of the toughest and most talented athletes on this planet, Paul Chetirkin. He is 100 percent vegan and competes several times a year in EXTREME SPORTS competitions, including the Eco-Challenge, the world's most intense race, bar none.
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Chetirkin [[email protected] ]
Sent: Friday, May 07, 2004 6:57 PM
Concerning a vegan diet for athletes, first I really have to tell everyone that
I no longer even pay attention to my vegan food as it is more of a way of life
now because I have been doing this for 15 years. However, not to be cavalier
about it, it is very important that people pay attention to what they are eating
at least when you are first starting out.
If you are a student, one thing that will most affect your choices is the
availability of veg food at the school dining hall. If there is an absence of
such food choices, talk to the dining hall director about bringing in veg food.
Since a lot of schools are catching on with healthy eating, this shouldn't be
too difficult.
The first thing I must really stress for a complete diet is VARIETY. Gary will
back me up on this. In fact, when Gary recently visited, we went shopping and
he did the rainbow routine at the produce section. He got something red
(strawberries), blue (blueberries), green (grapes), orange (cantaloupe), yellow
(bananas), etc.
Basically, I keep a variety of foods going into my body to get the greatest
cumulative effect. In my case, I usually try to find something different. I
like to shop at Asian groceries because you can bet they have things in there
that are good for you and they are usually a hell of a lot cheaper than major
retailers. I eat a ton of dark leafy greens or just dark green veggies -
steamed, raw, in vegan pot-pie, whatever. This is the anchor to my diet. It's
good and useful protein minus the cholesterol and other animal derived chemistry
which strips your body of other precious elements and nutrients (calcium being
one - and important for you as you work on your strength). So, eat the greens
for the best calcium along with soy, tofu or sesame seeds which are abundant
in calcium. DO NOT RELY on dairy for calcium. Dairy is the worst source of
calcium as the protein found in cow milk is too acidic for our bodies to digest.
And the acidic protein forces our kidneys to excrete calcium not only from the
cow milk but from our bones as well. Good calcium intake is key to your bone
recovery time as much as protein is to muscle after heavy workouts. Trust me,
when my team does 24-hour non-stop training sessions for adventure racing
(trekking over 30 miles, biking 100 miles, and kayaking 20 miles), we always
recover with lightning speed because veganism is the best diet for the human
body.
The protein concern is a myth. It's based on modeling done by scientists who
were hired by the meat and dairy industry. Gary is right - you can get mad
protein from tofu, beans and lentils, and even veggies. Always remember this -
what isn't a fat or a carb, is a protein. So eat veggies because they are mostly
carbs and protein. But they don't slow you down like cholesterol-laden animal
protein.
I approach this all from a very big-picture perspective. One other thing to
think about concerning your body and your workout regimen is not just what you
put into it, i.e. - how much protein, etc. - but what it does to you once you
have it. The thing about meat is, it is dead, and I am not being dramatic here.
Dead food - meat - is highly acidic - because decomposition occurs right away.
Microbes began to break down the matter and it becomes concentrated with acids.
When you put gobs of acidic foods into your body, you are telling your system
that there is decomposition going on here which is the wrong signal to give
muscles that are really being tested during training.
Now take the opposite - living foods are alkaline - high energy yield and output,
healing effects, etc. Alkaline foods are more regenerative and have a more
positive impact on your system during and after strenuous activity. Living foods
like leafy green spinach salad with a big block of tofu that you marinated in
soy sauce and sesame oil with all the other veggies - is much more useful to
you than a big hunk of steak. The presence of alkaline foods in your body will
give you more endurance while working out, restore sore muscles faster, and
also keep you young longer - meaning - your level of performance will peak
faster and stay there longer. I am 33 now and the strongest, fastest, with the
most endurance I ever had. And I also played rugby for 10 years. Veganism has
really helped to actually reverse a lot of the damage I did to my body and
bones while I played.
So key is variety! If it's too difficult to buy fresh produce then even canned
veggies are okay. I eat a ton of canned beans, garbanzos, black beans, kidney
beans, etc. Throw those on the salad too.
Also, fresh living (alkaline) foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds,
legumes and grains - as opposed to dead foods which are heavy and processed
(acid) like meat, cheese, lots of sugar, etc.- are key to sustainedathletic
performance. I really think it's critical for people to experiment and see what
foods work best based on your tastes and other factors such as availability,
funds, etc.
I will give you an example of my diet though. I get up and run about 6-8 miles
on the beach, followed with lifting (for maintenance only) and lots of cals/
stretch work. Most of what I do I use my own body weight like tons of pushups,
pull-ups, crunches, etc.
I drink a soy protein shake right after comprised of 8 ounces of apple juice,
2 scoops of Trader Joe's soy protein powder (its about 25 grams protein),
cinnamon, and a little water. I usually have a banana with that, too. Then a
bowl of grape nuts with raisins and cranberry juice or soy milk. I walk to work
(just a couple of miles) and walk home for lunch and that's when I have that
beastie salad. Spinach leaves, romaine lettuce, kidney beans, marinated tofu,
artichoke hearts, onions, Bacos (hell yeah they're vegan), broccoli, peas, corn.
Whatever isn't tied down, I throw it in.
In the evening, I usually hop on my versaclimber for a half hour to keep the
metabolism up and for dinner I usually have something meaty. I am a meat and
potatoes kind of guy. So I kill those Riblets on a big hoagie roll. The Riblets
have tons of protein and it tastes like the real thing. Plus, I snack all day
on fruit, especially dried fruit like nuts (trail mix).
There it is. No big secret. Keep it varied and there is no need to worry, I
don't take vitamins because I don't need to. They are in all the fruit and
veggies.
When I was in college, starting out as a vegan, I didn't always have time or
money to really give it my full attention. And for that I say Taco Bell. Yes,
Iknow fast food usually suck, but there's not a hell of a lot you can do to
demonize a bean burrito. It's complete protein, fast and cheap. And I lived
off those bad-boys for about a year and a half.
But do yourself a favor and get into the kitchen and get crazy. Make some rice,
some curry sauce (get some coconut milk and curry powder or paste), throw some
tofu, onions, potatoes, into it and you will not only have yourself a healthy
meal, but it will be damn tasty. If there is anything specific you want to
discuss, please feel free to ask away. As Gary mentioned, I do adventure racing.
I do it to show the world that you can take part in the most extreme sporting
events and more than that, and that you can kick *** as a vegan, not just
survive.
Source(s):
http://vegkitchen.com/tips/vegan-athlete...
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2000jan/200...
http://www.vegfamily.com/articles/statis...
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.ht...
Nuts and seeds. Tahini, peanut butter. Try having something with ground flax seeds for fiber to slow the digestion. Tofurky slices.
The only thing that might even come close is Spirulina.
I can't offer much concerning a good vegan diet, but I can offer you this little energy boosting trick:
This is great for that mid-afternoon lull that affects so many of us...
A tablespoon of honey sprinkled with cinnamon and ground ginger...
Cinnamon raises your metabolism
Ginger stimulates your brain
Honey boosts energy....the level is longer sustained as opposed to a caffeinated drink that causes sugar levels to spike and then drop quickly.
A good snack is a handful of almonds. Great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. If you eat some almonds about 20 minutes before a meal, you'll eat less because the almonds cause a heightened sense of fullness.
Get some flax oil (Trader Joe's) and drizzle a little on some steamed veggies and rice. This is the best source of omega-3 and stimulates your liver to flush toxins from your system. You'll see great improvement in your skin too. Don't bother with the gelcaps, you'd have to take 20 per day to get the effects of a couple tablespoons of the oil.
Well, I'm a distance bicycle racer (15 years, 10 vegan) and cut out the animal products to increase my performance as I was researching each and every thing I ate. If something I ate didn't enhance or hindered my performance, I stopped eating it and found something else. Eventually many of those second choices became 4th and 5th and I ended up being a healthy vegan (although I'd never heard the term before at that point). I won't tell you any of the personal food choices I have for before, during , and after exercise, for off season weight lifting etc. simply because everyone is different. You will try my food, and it may not work for you for many different reasons. But, think of those Shaolin monks who eat rice and veggies, and train really hard all day. Sure, they grew up on Chinese food (which is mostly vegan anyway) but it just goes to show that we can extract enough from veggies and rice and be fast, strong, accurate, and with incredible endurance. I say, try to eat a very simple plain diet focusing on quality organic whole foods. It may seem very bland at first (took me a year to be able to taste things such as fresh veggies after growing up on typical N. American diet), but eventually you will adjust and discover the flavours, and your digestion will adjust and purge itself of your former diet etc. When changing my diet I was gorging myself on pasta to keep my energy up for racing and training. It works, to a certain extent, but I've found that whole unprocessed foods work best. Diet helps a lot, but one still has to put in a lot of training. Doing a 10 hour ride was nothing for me, then I'd go home, eat, play tennis, or whatever. Drink lots of water before, during, and after exercise. Basically carry water everywhere you go and drink all the time. It's most important, more than any special diet. For me, I eat after every two hours. Usually organic dried fruit. Even if you are going flat out for two hours, no need to eat before the two hour mark. If you are burning out, try more water, eat an apple 40min before you start, or try some dried fruit at the one hour mark. Anyway, getting into further details would be like trying to convey 20 years + of experience, so all you need to know is that the vegan diet is not 'special' it is 'normal' and 'natural'. Ask Carl Lewis or Dave Scott or any of those other vegan winning athletes. Just think of your diet as you would fuel and oil for your car.... you want everything to flow with ease and not get clogged up at all... you want your blood to be thin and clean and fast, not full of fat and salt and slow... OK, I could go on and on, but ... the end.
Read this article:
http://www.vegparadise.com/otherbirds510...
And various other articles here:
http://www.brendanbrazier.com/articles/i...
Brendan Brazier is a vegan Triathlete.