Athletes often worry about eating enough protein to fuel the body during hard training. On the contrary, the problem is the opposite—the traditional American diet has too much protein, about 20 to 40 percent of daily calories. The recommendations for optimal health and longevity are 8 to 12 percent of daily calories.
An active adult needs about 0.4 to 0.6 grams of protein per pound of body weight. A muscle-building or hard training athlete needs about 0.6 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound. In other words, a 160- pound athlete needs about 64 to 96 grams of protein per day, while a hard training muscle-building athlete at the same weight needs about 96 to 160 grams per day.
These numbers are easily and perfectly achieved from a whole foods, plant-based diet. Eating a variety of plants, grains and legumes will deliver all the sufficient and easily digestible protein that a hard training athlete needs for strength, growth and recovery.
More: 8 Vegan-Friendly Nutrients for Athletes
What is a Whole Foods, Plant-Based Diet?
Very simply put: You eat all possible plants in their whole, unprocessed forms.
- Eat all varieties of vegetables: leafy, root, colorful, green and be creative. There are no restrictions.
- Eat all varieties of fruits, without worrying about the sugar in them. Before you eat too much sugar (compared to a few Cokes or a donut) you will be full from all the fiber. Fruits are an amazing and easy snack.
- Eat all the legumes you can find. There are so many different variations of beans: black, aduki, red, white, pinto and garbanzo. Add green peas, lentils or edamame. You can never get bored with so much variety. The legumes are an excellent source of protein.
- Eat all the kinds of grains, preferably unprocessed: barley, wheat, buckwheat, rice, quinoa, oats, etc. Soak and sprout them if you want to get maximum nutrition.
- Eat all the seeds, nuts and nut butters. Just be careful to not overeat because they are calorie-dense.
This sounds so simple that it's almost hard to imagine how powerful plants are for our health and performance. There are no rules: eat them cooked, steamed or raw. The closer to raw, the more nutrients you'll get.
Vary as much as you can. Make smoothies with raw fruits and vegetables. Cook your grains and legumes with vegetables into stews and soups. Sprout the grains and legumes and mix them with raw vegetables into nutritious salads. The combinations are endless and the preparation time is super short, between 5 and 10 minutes. Spice up your meals with fresh herbs and they will taste differently and delicious each time.
Give yourself a week or two to experiment with the plant-based lifestyle, and you will feel the best ever. Your training intensity, recovery and performance will improve and you will have just made a huge important step toward your long-term health.
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