ANSWER
Veganism is a form of vegetarianism that prohibits the consumption of animal products. Several high-profile athletes, such as former world heavyweight champion boxer David Haye and ladies tennis champion Venus Williams, have reportedly adopted vegan diets in recent times (Rogerson, 2017; Kaushik et al., 2015). It has been showed that vegetarians possess better health and suffer fewer from illness. Additionally, they have a higher self-respect concerning their proper eating habits than those eating a traditional diet (Pilis et al., 2014).
According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), a well-balanced vegetarian diet is able to meet recommended daily nutrition requirements and is nutritionally adequate for athletes (Kaushik et al., 2015; Fuhrman & Ferreri, 2010). By carefully choosing complementary protein sources and monitoring overall intake, vegan athletes can consume adequate amounts of protein to boost their performance (Gerard, n.d).
From another perspective, the benefits of a vegan diet vary depending on the athlete’s respective sport and type of training. Creatine phosphate is a great source of energy during high-intensity exercise. Supplemental creatine can attenuate low muscle creatine stores in vegetarians, who will then experience greater improvements in fat free mass and attain maximal strength. That premise makes Creatine supplementation an important ergogenic aid for vegan athletes to consider and compensate for reduced muscle creatine stores experienced as a result of their diet choice (Rogerson, 2017). Another reason a vegan diet may suit endurance athletes is that plant based eating is naturally higher in carbohydrates and fibre, ideal in sustaining energy levels while being lower in fats (Rogerson, 2017).
A properly designed vegetarian diet that focuses on the content of macro- and micro-nutrients contents can aid the performance of athletes. It is alleged that a vegan diet could probably offer potential performance benefits due to the antioxidant (polyphenol), micronutrients (vitamin C, E) and carbohydrate-rich foods of plant-based diets which assist in training and enhancing recovery (Rogerson, 2017).
Veganism is fast becoming a hot diet trend in sports nutrition as well as in the health and fitness industry. In a nutshell, a vegan athlete can effectively compete at high levels by focusing the diet on micronutrient-rich whole plant foods and avoiding potential deficiencies by properly incorporating necessary macro- and micro-nutrients supplements into the diet (Fuhrman & Ferreri, 2010).
References
Cooper, R., Naclerio, F., Allgrove, J. & Jimenez, A. (2012). Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9(1), 33.
Fuhrman, J. & Ferreri, D. M. (2010). Fueling the vegetarian (Vegan) Athlete. Indianapolis, Indiana: American College of Sports Medicine.
Kaushik, N. K., Aggarwal, A., Singh, M., Deswal, S. & Kaushik, P. (2015). Vegetarian Diets: Health Benefits and Associated Risks. IAIM, 2(3), 206-210.
Pilis, W., Stec, K., Zych, M. & Pilis, A. (2014). Health Benefits and Risk associated with adopting a vegetarian diet. National Institute of Public Health, 65(1), 9-14.
Rogerson, D. (2017). Vegan diets: practical advice for athletes and exercisers. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(36). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0192-9
