Being active in sports and vegan at the same time does not fit? Nothing!
The myth “Meat makes you strong” still exists and anyone who removes animal products from their diet is said to be not really full, have less strength or suffer from deficiency symptoms.
One of the most famous vegan extreme athletes – Patrik Baboumian, proves that this is not the case and that a purely plant-based diet actually has many health benefits.
As “Germany’s strongest man”, he holds Guinness records in two strongman disciplines and, as a psychologist, also works to convince people of a vegan lifestyle with his lectures, interviews, books and documentation.
With his help, we have put together a small guide that clears up the most famous prejudices about vegan nutrition, shows you what you should consider when converting and Patrik has some top nutrition tips for you, as you see from a sporty point of view you benefit from a purely plant-based diet.
Prejudice No. 1
Vegans have problems building muscle
On the contrary: if you have a completely plant-based diet and make sure you have enough legumes, soy products and nuts in your diet, you even have advantages over a meat eater.
Because vegetable protein can be absorbed more quickly by the body and thus converted more effectively into essential amino acids, which are important for muscle building.
Prejudice No. 2
Vegan food is unhealthy
This myth can also be quickly dispelled, as most vegans are much more conscious of their diet and what they consume on a daily basis. While many others do not give much thought to what they are consuming, vegans mostly look for healthy and wholesome products.
The assumption that soy is unhealthy is also incorrect. 90% of the criticized GM soy is recycled for the pet food industry. So who ends up taking it in indirectly? Right, the meat consumers.
Prejudice No. 3
Eating a purely vegetable diet is complicated and expensive
Anyone who deals with an exclusively plant-based diet for the first time will find themselves confronted with things that can be a bit confusing at first. But that is primarily due to the fact that you don’t know your way around well and have not eaten consciously until now.
Of course, vegan foods are usually a bit more expensive, but only if you mainly use substitute products such as imitation meat, vegan cheese, etc. Once you’ve gotten to know the variety of flavors in vegan cuisine, you need less and less of these substitute products and instead discover completely new, exciting alternatives.
Entry into the vegan diet
Whatever reasons you have to change your diet to a purely plant-based diet: avoiding animal suffering, getting fitter, building muscles, losing weight or generally living healthier – for changing your diet it is essential to get closer to the Deal with nutrition topic. This is essential to prevent potential deficiency symptoms and to stay healthy and fit as a vegan.
Cola and chips are theoretically vegan too, but you don’t have to be a nutritionist to realize that this is not what a healthy plant-based diet looks like. So start by looking at nutrition tables and getting to grips with a balanced diet.
Positive health effects
Above all, the acid-base balance is brought back into balance with a vegan lifestyle. Animal products such as eggs, milk, etc. contain a high proportion of sulfur-containing amino acids and these, similar to foods containing sugar, ensure that the body can over-acidify. In addition, dairy products can also interfere with the absorption of iron, which is reflected in a too low ferritin level in the blood.
Even if you have previously struggled with high blood pressure, a vegan diet can reduce it significantly. Whether Patrik Baboumian, Venus Williams or Lewis Hamilton – there are plenty of top athletes who are convinced of their vegan diet and all of them report a significant increase in performance and faster regeneration in the training breaks.
3 top nutrition tips for vegan athletes
As a physically active person, you wonder how you can ensure that your muscles are adequately supplied with protein. Here are Patrik’s ultimate tips:
- Liquid calories
Shakes and smoothies with vegetable protein powder can be made quickly and are simply perfect for athletes and anyone who wants to save time. - Legumes
Make sure you have enough legumes in your eating plan. For example, if you look at the nutritional content of peanuts, they have 25g of protein per 100g, that’s more than a steak. - Single protein source soy
Due to its high biological value, soy is ideal for ensuring a sufficient supply of protein for physically active people and also works perfectly without the need for further protein sources.
If you have even more to the topic want to experience vegan nutrition in combination with sport, just follow Patrik Baboumian on Instagram, subscribe to his YouTube channel or be inspired and motivated by the Netflix documentary “The Game Changers” to switch your diet to a purely plant-based diet and thereby yours Pushing sporting limits further and further.
