Vegan + Long Distance Training?

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dee_thurman
dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Currently I am not Vegan. I am a little over 200 days of healthier living (exercise + healthier food) I feel so much better than what I did before. My taste buds have changed from eating a different diet. I really enjoy eating veggies and fruits and nuts etc... I currently eat turkey, chicken, egg whites etc... However I am interested in changing my diet some more but I am afraid that I will not be able to consume enough calories throughout the day. I am between 3500 and 4500 calories a day because I am training for a 1/2 ironman. I just want to maintain weight and fuel my body well and eat a nutritious diet. I was wondering if anyone else out there who is vegan and also training? Is there a place where I can do more research on it? A book, website, articles? I would love something that gets pretty detailed about what to eat and how to cook it. My other concern is if I have enough time to prepare all of the food if I would choose to eat this way. In reading some books and having changed my diet I really believe that I would like to do it. I am just looking for a little guidance...

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  • Wicked_Seraph
    Wicked_Seraph Posts: 388 Member
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    YES

    Go check out No Meat Athlete's website: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/

    Matt Frazier also published a book of the same name and it's fantastic. I'm a baby runner, but still found it incredibly inspiring and helpful. The first part of the book focuses on the running ON PLANTS part; the second half focuses on the RUNNING aspect.

    I think you might truly love it. :smile:
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I'm vegan and I run 25-40 miles a week, plus resistance training. I have no problem getting enough calories -- there are plenty of calorie-dense plant foods available to us.

    There are several vegan endurance athletes. Ultra-runner Scott Jurek just set a record running the Appalacian Trail and he's vegan. The website listed above is a great resource. Jurek's book "Eat and Run" also has some details on his approach to training/eating. Brendan Brazier's "Thrive" cookbooks have lots of recipes focused on the vegan athlete although I find his approach too low fat for my personal tastes (I still use the recipes, just mix them with other things).
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Wicked_Seraph wrote: »
    YES

    Go check out No Meat Athlete's website: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/

    Matt Frazier also published a book of the same name and it's fantastic. I'm a baby runner, but still found it incredibly inspiring and helpful. The first part of the book focuses on the running ON PLANTS part; the second half focuses on the RUNNING aspect.

    I think you might truly love it. :smile:

    This (he also has a podcast I enjoy, although I am an omnivore who simply cuts out meat from time to time). Also check out Brendan Brazier (his stuff is a little too new age-y for me, but he's an impressive example that you can succeed on a vegan diet), Rich Roll (another fun podcast), and Scott Jurek (http://scottjurek.com/). I read and enjoyed Jurek's book Eat & Run.
  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
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    dee_thurman wrote: »
    Currently I am not Vegan. I am a little over 200 days of healthier living (exercise + healthier food) I feel so much better than what I did before. My taste buds have changed from eating a different diet. I really enjoy eating veggies and fruits and nuts etc... I currently eat turkey, chicken, egg whites etc... However I am interested in changing my diet some more but I am afraid that I will not be able to consume enough calories throughout the day. I am between 3500 and 4500 calories a day because I am training for a 1/2 ironman. I just want to maintain weight and fuel my body well and eat a nutritious diet. I was wondering if anyone else out there who is vegan and also training? Is there a place where I can do more research on it? A book, website, articles? I would love something that gets pretty detailed about what to eat and how to cook it. My other concern is if I have enough time to prepare all of the food if I would choose to eat this way. In reading some books and having changed my diet I really believe that I would like to do it. I am just looking for a little guidance...

    You don't really need to overwhelm yourself too much. You simply just need to eat more calories. Endurance athletes tend to opt for more carbs.

    If you like fruit, eat more melons. Water rich and quick digesting carbs aka SUGAR :smiley:.

    Eat more potatoes, rice, pasta.

    I know that Kenyan distance runners love drinking tea with milk and a liberal amount of table sugar. It's a calorie bomb.

    So as you see, it's very simple to up the calories in your diet with very simple foods. Don't be too concerned with preparation and cooking techniques.


  • tinywonder25
    tinywonder25 Posts: 148 Member
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    I believe if it's a diet that agrees with your body you'll probably do better at your training than the diet you currently have. The only way to know for sure is to try it!
  • HealthierRayne
    HealthierRayne Posts: 268 Member
    edited May 2016
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    there are a few great youtubers out there as well that are bodybuilders showing vegans can make gains in the gym and get enough calories out of plant based foods. I realize your goal is endurance but you might get some ideas on meals that are high in calories.

    Jon Venus

    Brian Turner (aka Humerusfitness)
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    This is awesome! I've been wondering the same.
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
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    Though not aimed at vegan athletes, Matt Fitzgerald's book "Racing Weight: Getting Lean for Peak Performance" contains a chapter focused on nutritious foods for endurances athletes who require enough calories to maintain high energy during workouts while also driving for the lean body composition that leads to improved performance. The book also contains a chapter called "What the pros eat" with a daily menu from a bunch of pros in various sports: rowing, triathlon, mountain biking, marathoners, swimmers, etc. Each page shows one days worth of foods: breakfast, lunch, dinner, pre workout and post workout foods consumed by the athlete featured. There are also some recipes included in the book.


  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Wicked_Seraph wrote: »
    YES

    Go check out No Meat Athlete's website: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/

    Matt Frazier also published a book of the same name and it's fantastic. I'm a baby runner, but still found it incredibly inspiring and helpful. The first part of the book focuses on the running ON PLANTS part; the second half focuses on the RUNNING aspect.

    I think you might truly love it. :smile:

    This (he also has a podcast I enjoy, although I am an omnivore who simply cuts out meat from time to time). Also check out Brendan Brazier (his stuff is a little too new age-y for me, but he's an impressive example that you can succeed on a vegan diet), Rich Roll (another fun podcast), and Scott Jurek (http://scottjurek.com/). I read and enjoyed Jurek's book Eat & Run.

    Was going to mention Jurek.

    There are quite a few vegan ironman athletes, just google - John Joseph, Brendan Brazier, Dave Scott and Thad Beaty. While not my way of eating (omnivore4life), these guys can be interesting or a bit nutty when they discuss their nutrition.
  • brvanisi
    brvanisi Posts: 3 Member
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    I would look at Nancy Clark's "Sports Nutrition Guidebook". I have finished 3 IM races and her books should be in every Ironman library. If i remember correctly she does have some info on vegetarian/vegan diets and athletes. If you are making diet changes be sure that you make the changes long before your race. You do not want to be trying out new foods without having a good idea on how they will affect you while you exercise. Good luck!
  • dee_thurman
    dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
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    I tried quinoa for the first time yesterday. I loved it! I am still not totally comfortable about giving up meat without trying an adding more foods where I can get the calories, nutrients, etc... from more new food. Quinoa is one small step in the correct direction. I have never been a huge oatmeal fan but I have added oatmeal to my diet lately and I enjoy that as well now. I am going to try to ease in more and more food and ease out some of the food that I can afford to ease out. Currently I am increasing my training miles so as I add more food, I am still struggling to subtract others. I do not agree with just eat more of the same stuff. I think that I would like to have a variety of food that provides me with a healthy way to eat, not just a way to get calories. I think there is a difference.
  • Vladimirnapkin
    Vladimirnapkin Posts: 299 Member
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    Jurek is the most well-known vegan ultra-runner, but there are a number of them. I was a vegan for years (just started eating some eggs a few years ago.), and ran high mileage and raced many ultra-distance races. It's not challenging to get enough calories. Just up the fatty foods (nuts and avocados) if you are having trouble getting enough.

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