Plant Based Diet For Runners

A plant-based diet is often considered as an excellent platform for people wanting to explore the benefits of living a more mindful lifestyle. Many people think it’s same as Veganism.... No animal products, limiting dairy products etc. which leads to very less choices while selecting proteins. In a runner’s context, it’s also important to reflect, how to structure nutrition plans for running and fitness activities, to ensure we are getting the right balance of nutrients and portions to fuel our runs, races, workouts and adventures. Many runners and other endurance athletes have seen performance and health benefits resulting from changing how they eat towards more whole foods and eating mostly plants to fuel runs and adventures.

You may like to read: Plant-based Protein for Runners

Following are advantages of being on a plant based diet:

1. Energized and more alert
2. Reduces inflammation in the body
3. Improves performance
4. Improves digestion process

Overview of the major food categories in a plant-based diet, with examples

• Fruits: Any type of fresh, frozen, or dried fruit including berries, apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits, avocado etc. Dried fruits including figs, dates, raisins, apricots and others.

•  Vegetables: Plenty of veggies including peppers, broccoli, corn, asparagus, avocados, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, collards, and others.
• Tubers: Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, beets, and others.
• Whole grains: Grains, cereals, popcorn and other starches in their whole form, such as quinoa, brown rice, millet, whole wheat, oats, barley, and others.
• Nuts, Seeds & Oils: Walnuts, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, peanuts, and pumpkin, hemp, flax and chia seeds. Olive, pumpkinseed, sunflower, soybean, canola, avocado and sesame oil and others. 

• Legumes: Beans of any kind, lentils, pulses, and soy

A plant-based diet plan should consist of all food groups well balanced in the meal which is sustainable also at the same time. In specific it needs to be customized as per runner’s lifestyle, where proteins, iron, B6 and B12 vitamins, energy superfoods, calcium needs to be taken care of very precisely under Dietician’s remarks.