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. 

      You can follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn 

Beauty Marketers: How natural beauty brands can make a greater ‘social’ impact

As a beauty marketer, you are witnessing a major shift from traditional media to social to connect with the beauty conscious woman. As a marketing and communications graduate student at Northwestern University passionate about living a healthy lifestyle, I have found two articles which provide interesting insights into social media and the marketing of beauty brands. 

In an interesting article in Forbes Magazine titled, How Social Media is Fueling The Next $1B Beauty Brand, entrepreneur Jane Park discusses how she uses social media to create, test and sell new products. Since many of the businesses in this industry operate on a small scale, social media is the best tool to create awareness and generate mass appeal. In addition, there's a growing mistrust in mass-produced products, where consumers are avidly reading labels and demanding chemical free alternatives. Therefore, social media is a good tool for organic/ naturally based beauty brands to offer consumers reassurance.

Another article recently printed in the New York Times, entitled Younger Skin Through Exercise, emphasizes how running can help keep you skin looking younger. Consumers making the commitment to invest in natural products often want ideas on how to live naturally in other aspects of their life. For example, many beauty enthusiasts are constantly looking for ways to improve their appearance overall without having to resort to chemicals or surgery. It’s not enough to just be on social media to grow your customer base; it’s important to continually aggregate content that appeals to this audience.  Who wouldn’t choose to work out over paying thousands of dollars for Botox? 

Based on my analysis of the two articles, here are three action items I recommend you consider in developing you future social strategies.

• Think multi-channel- Sometimes video is more impactful than text or pictures bring your product to life. Whatever the case, be sure to explore and evaluate the best social media platform(s) you think will help consumers connect with your product.

• Think beyond your product- When deciding to invest in naturally based products, the decision doesn’t usually just apply to one aspect of their life. A lot of times they might want to start eating healthier, exercising more or even using chemical-free cleaning products. Establish your company as a thought leader on adopting a healthier lifestyle so you can serve a resource to learn more about natural ways of living.

•  Engage in social communities- People like to share their ideas and receive recommendations from those that are like-minded. Participating in social communities is a great way to see what people are talking about and trending topics.

Of course, there are many more ways to connect to this growing customer base through social and digital media. You can use social media to take a legislative stand against the labeling of organic products, which is currently a hot topic right now. Another idea, since many companies in this industry are locally based, would be to use social media to tap into other geographical markets that might not have direct access to your product. There’s no doubt social media can help your business stand out amongst mass-produced chemically based products and will help you guide consumers to leading a healthier, more fulfilling life. 

      

Jennifer Marzett previously worked in the Global Marketing Organization for AT&T Inc where she served as Lead Corporate Communications Manager and Associate Director of Executive Operations. Jennifer is currently pursing her M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and holds a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Oklahoma.

Twitter Contact: @Miamarzett
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