Poor Recovery with Plant Protein

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dmz1983
dmz1983 Posts: 32 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I wasn't quite sure where to post this but I have noticed that whenever I try to eat more plant based I have a terrible time recovering from workouts. I'm beyond sore. I make great effort to eat the best sources of plant proteins and I do use plant protein powders. I am not a vegan but I have some vegan days and try to stick with fish 3-4 times a week. Has anyone had this experience? Are some people less able to absorb plant proteins for proper recovery? It's a dramatic difference for me. I've tried this way of eating several times throughout the years and I always have the same result-even though I'm not 100% plant based. The other thing is too-I'm not an extreme exerciser. I will do pilates 1 time a week, walk, do youtube videos that are maybe 20 minutes with some light hand weights a few times a week.

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  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
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    I have GI problems, and I can't eat most plant based protein food without feeling a lot of pain the next few days.

    Maybe start slow, a meal or 2 a week (not all in one day), and see where you are at. Try one plant based protein at a time, then record how you feel after.

    Also make sure you stay hydrated.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    Are you eating enough calories?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,950 Member
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    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Are you eating enough calories?

    Wondering this as well.

    OP - how tall are you, how much weight do you have to lose before you reach your goal weight, and what is your weekly weight loss goal set to?
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
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    dmz1983 wrote: »
    Are some people less able to absorb plant proteins for proper recovery?

    I would say yes. Some people have trouble absorbing a lot of things from only plant sources, actually. From what I have read, it tends to depend on your gut health and if you have any issues in the body that might impact your ability to absorb either plant proteins, or food in general.

    Like, while heme iron is more easily absorbed than non-heme iron generally, a gut lacking a certain bacteria strain can make iron absorption even more difficult, because that bacteria preferentially eats oxalates and that helps keep the iron available. Other bacteria WILL break down oxalates, but only after they have already broken down their preferred food, so it's not as helpful as one would think.

    Certain people can have a harder time breaking down certain molecules, as well (like some folks with fructose malabsorption can't properly break down certain chains of molecules, one of which is found in legumes).

    Also, plant protein can take LONGER to break down, so if you are having any issues with not getting enough protein, this just draws that out. Issues with not getting enough protein could include not managing to consume enough variety in protein to make enough complete protein, potentially. Amaranth, quinoa, and soy are complete plant proteins in and of themselves, though - having them and seeing if it is still an issue might at least help determine if 'complete proteins' was part of the issue, you know?

    You could have malabsorption issues from something that could make it difficult to digest plants more than meat (celiac disease can be one of these - a good 1/3 of folks with it don't have any gut symptoms, but may have issues with not absorbing enough of their food). If it was something like this, once the problem is taken care of, it could resolve itself.
  • dmz1983
    dmz1983 Posts: 32 Member
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    Thank you ALL because these are all really great things for me to take into consideration. I eat a LOT of vegetables so I may need to eat less non starches and add more dense calories. Also, I do have absorption issues. Years ago I almost had to have a blood transfusion for hemoglobin sitting at a 7-at that time I also was not a vegan but ate similarly to how I do now. I was hoping fish and yogurt a few times a week would help cover my bases but I think I need to get more diligent with documenting and eating more and possibly adding in more meat products if things don't improve to see if there is a difference. I'm not looking to loose weight-just maintain at this point. I'm 5'4 about 115lbs.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    @dmz1983 I’m coming off a year of WFPB for this exact reason. My recovery from lifting, running, hard-core Pilates’s and even power walking is terrible. The first 6 months were great, but it went downhill fast after that.
  • dmz1983
    dmz1983 Posts: 32 Member
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    @nowine4me Were you eating 100% WFPB? I have not been. Yesterday I added more animal proteins into my diet-greek yogurt, salmon and a hard boiled egg. I had been trying to have only fish and occasionally greek yogurt, egg whites or something else if we were eating out. I'm going to experiment to see what the right balance is-have you found one now that is helping? Thanks for sharing-helpful!!!

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