Plant Based Diet For Runners

A plant-based diet is often considered an excellent platform for people wanting to explore the benefits of living a more mindful lifestyle. Many people think it’s the same as Veganism... No animal products, limiting dairy products, etc. which leads to very less choices when selecting proteins. In a runner’s context, it’s also important to reflect, on 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

The following are the 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,s 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, pumpkin, hemp, flax, and chia seeds. Olive, pumpkinseed, sunflower, soybean, canola, avocado sesame oil, and others. 
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• 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 the runner’s lifestyle, where proteins, iron, B6 and B12 vitamins, energy superfoods, and calcium need to be taken care of very precisely under the Dietician’s remarks.