Running on a Plant-Based Diet
By: Felicia Atkinson
Tags: Running, Food, Fitness, Health, Sports

Running on a Plant-Based Diet

You can be a successful runner as a vegan.

Photo by Pradeep Javedar on Unsplash

I’ve been running for the past ten years, and I never ate meat growing up. At the age of five, I became a vegetarian, and a little over three years ago, I became vegan. I ran cross-country, track, and played basketball throughout high school and college, and had great success following a plant-based diet.

You can get sufficient nutrients without eating meat.

Something I have personally heard over and over again from many people is that you can’t get sufficient nutrients as a vegan, but it’s simply not true. While it may seem difficult to do without eating meat and dairy, it’s actually quite simple.

Here are some vegan options that are rich in essential nutrients.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is one food that I genuinely love, and it’s a great source of healthy fats and protein. I have it on oatmeal or toast every morning, and it’s a food that has great nutritional value.

2. Tofu

Like peanut butter, tofu is rich in protein. It may be a little intimidating, as it comes in a box and is a squishy, white block in it’s raw form, but it’s actually really delicious — you just have to add the right spices and cook it thoroughly in a pan.

One of my favorite dishes to make is vegan tofu breakfast scramble. It’s seriously delicious and I make it almost everyday.

3. Nutritional Yeast

Another nutrient people often claim is hard for vegans to get is nutritional yeast. While vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal products, one serving of nutritional yeast fulfills the recommended amount of vitamin B12 that you are supposed to have daily. Some people take vitamin B12 supplements, but I choose to eat a serving of nutritional yeast daily in replace of additional vitamins.

It’s a substitute for cheese and is delicious on pasta. I use it in my vegan Alfredo pasta recipe.

There numerous other sources of foods that are rich in protein, calcium, and iron, including almond milk, nuts, seeds, lentils, beans, and so on.

Focus on eating nutrient-rich foods that are unprocessed.

If you’re going to become vegan or vegetarian, you need to be eating natural foods that are unprocessed. It’s ok to have an occasional meal from the freezer section or to have some vegan donuts, but the bulk of your meals should come from healthy and nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, beans, lentils, tofu, and so on.

If you become vegan but are only eating processed foods that have little to no nutritional value, you won’t excel as an athlete. However, that goes for meat eaters as well. If you’re mainly eating foods that are essentially empty calories, your diet may prevent you from reaching your potential.

At the end of the day, being vegan will not deter you from having a successful running career. Rather, the root of the problem will be that you’re diet is lacking nutritional value.

Don’t be strict, but it’s important to be conscious of what you’re eating.

If you’re a high school or college runner, you shouldn’t become obsessive about what foods you’re eating. Rather, incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet and eat a little less sugar if you’re always gravitating towards a bowl of candy after practice.

If you make a conscious effort to incorporate foods into your diet that are nutrient rich rather than empty calories, you won’t have difficulty getting sufficient nutrients as a vegan.

Don’t be scared to follow a plant-based diet as an athlete. As long as you’re eating foods that have nutritional value, you’ll have no problem getting sufficient nutrients as a vegan.