Athletes: 3 Recommendations to Improve your Sports Performance Using Plant-Based Diets

Plant-based diets are a growing trend that many athletes are crediting to their success in competition. As a Division 1 Cross Country athlete at Northwestern University, I am constantly looking for ways to gain a competitive edge and use food as a tool to fuel my rigorous training. I have found two interesting articles for athletes looking to improve their performance by switching to a plant-based diet. Both have great stories as to why plant-based eating works, tips for fueling during heavy training periods, and delicious recipes.

Scott Jurek has conquered nearly all of ultrarunning’s elite trail and road events, holds the Appalachian Trail speed record (in which he averaged about 50 miles a day over 46 days), and the United States all-surface record in the 24-Hour Run, with 6.5 marathons in one day- all fueled with a plant-based diet. In his interview with Runner’s World, he chats with Steve Friedman about the misconceptions of fulfilling nutrient and protein requirements while competing as a vegan athlete. Jurek's narrative juxtaposes his incremental successes in trail running with his discovery of plant based eating, which makes for an inspiring read. Jurek's story makes it easy to see the positive effects that vegetarianism, and later, veganism, had on Jurek's career. Most importantly, this running legend spoke to me on significance of food as a fundamental aspect of his training, but also a source of joy. 

Image courtesy of Well and Full

If you’re looking into plant-based cooking as a way to improve your athletic performance, you’ll want to visit Sharon Palmer’s blog, The Plant-Powered Dietician. She’s a RDN with an MS in Sustainable Food Systems. She interviewed Matt Frazier, author of the No Meat Athlete. This incredible duo covers many of the FAQs of plant-based eating: Do plant-based athletes get enough protein? What are some personal tips for eating a plant-based diet for fitness? What are some common misconceptions for athletes when it comes to plant-based eating? It's very important to understand the implications of changing diets before implementing them into a training regimen. This article is a great place to start to answer basic questions about plant-based eating from an athlete's perspective and get lots of great tips. Plus, she includes a breakfast recipe from the No Meat Athlete! 

Based on my reading of these two articles, experience as long-distance runner, and the work I'm doing at Northwestern as an Economics major concentrating in marketing, particularly in the food and fitness industries, I recommend thinking about these three things if you are an athlete considering a plant-based diet.

• Inform yourself: Know the benefits, as well as the challenges of adhering to a plant-based diet by educating yourself on the quantity and nutritional quality of food required to fuel an active lifestyle.

• Be mindful: View food as a gift that fuels you to accomplish the incredible goals you have set for yourself; treat it that way by listening to its needs and cravings. 

• Have a plan: Plant-based meals are not as high-calorie, so it’s important to acknowledge that eating every 2-3 hours is okay- meaning that always having food on hand is essential. 

      My name is Sarah Nicholson, I'm a senior studying Economics at Northwestern University. Next year, I'll be pursuing my MS in Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern as well. I plan to graduate in 2020. I compete on the women's cross country team, which facilitated my passion for nutrition and fitness. My career goal is to work in the marketing industry to promote brands geared toward encouraging active lifestyles. 

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