Plant-Based Diet in Rock Hill SC

A whole-food, plant-based diet in Rock Hill SC will result in optimal health and athletic performance. The key to performance is to make sure that you eat enough calories with plenty of protein and carbohydrates to keep performing at peak levels. A well-planned plant-based diet can help you reach your fitness goals and feel great. Here's what athletes need to know about nutrition for peak performance on a plant-based diet.

Foods to Best Fuel Your Fitness in Rock Hill SC

For long-lasting fuel, vegan athletes and non-athletes alike need to center their diets around the more calorically dense whole plant foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, beans, lentils, squash, brown rice, oats, quinoa, and other starchy vegetables, legumes, and grains. Fruits are also an excellent source of fuel; especially right before exercise, because they digest quickly and will not weigh heavily in your stomach during exercise.

Consume protein and good quality fat as part of each meal and snack. Good quality protein sources include: quinoa (cooked), buckwheat (cooked), hemp seed, chia, nuts, tofu, beans (kidney, black, garbanzo, soy, adzuki), hemp or brown rice protein powder, unsweetened soy milk, Ezekiel bread. Good quality fat sources include: extra virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, hemp seed oil, avocado, and non-roasted nuts and seeds.

Tip: If you make bread, muffins, or any baked goods, leave out some of the flour and replace it with soy protein powder, hemp flour, or bean flour. Use hemp seed oil as a base for salad dressing.

An athlete who consumes calcium-rich foods at each meal will benefit by developing flexible, limber muscles. Calcium rich foods include: almonds, beans, dark leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Add non-roasted sesame seeds to cereal, salads, and anything else you can think of. Sesame seeds are very high in calcium with 1 cup yielding 2900 mg of calcium. In comparison, 1 cup of cow's milk contains 300 mg of calcium. Of course, it's much easier to down a cup of milk than a cup of sesame seeds, but once you include them as a staple in your diet, they add up quickly. To maximize the absorption of calcium from sesame seeds, grind them in a coffee grinder. Try grinding a mixture of sesame seeds and flax seeds and keeping them in the fridge for convenient, daily use.

The more active the person, the more dietary iron is needed. Constant impact activity, such as running, reduces iron levels. With each foot strike a small amount of blood is released from damaged capillaries. In time this can cause anemia if the athlete does not pay close attention to diet. Iron-rich foods include: spirulina, pumpkin seeds, lentils, fortified cereal, dried peas and beans (kidney, lima, lentils), split pea soup, bran, soybean nuts, prune juice, raisins, peanut butter, apricots, green beans and nuts like walnuts, cashews, pecans, almonds. Iron rich foods are best consumed on a daily basis with vitamin C to help with absorption. If running mileage is greater than 50 miles, an iron supplement is recommended. Also, if training occurs in a warm climate (excessive sweating) year round, or training consistently exceeds 15 hours per week, an iron supplement is recommended.

Vegetarians, especially vegan athletes should pay special attention to vitamin B12, a key nutrient found mostly in animal-derived and fermented foods. B12 is needed for the production of red blood cells, which transport oxygen to the muscle tissues. If not a lacto-ovo vegetarian, supplementing with vitamin B12 is recommended.

When you consume an abundance of whole, unprocessed plant foods, you consume not only fuel (carbohydrates), but also amino acids (protein), fatty acids (fat), fiber, water, and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, and other important phytochemicals) in the right proportions for promoting good health and optimal performance. If you want to be precise about how many calorie and how much protein you need to support your athletic lifestyle on a plant-based diet, you can schedule a consult with a registered dietitian who can help you do some simple calculations to ensure you're meeting your body's needs.