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Click to view jayrnunnerxk1's profile Amateur 25 posts since
Oct 18, 2006

Feb 15, 2007 1:06 AM

veganism

i recelty decided to switch to a vegan diet...im worried about my dietary and health needs as a runner though, any tips or warnings?
Click to view merigayle's profile Legend 1,586 posts since
Aug 15, 2007
1. Feb 15, 2007 6:44 AM in response to: jayrnunnerxk1
Why are you worried? What are you eating? Many top runners and atheletes are vegan, it is definitly doable if you know how to do it correctly. You should probably start logging your daily food intake on Fitday.com or some like program to track the balance of food and nutrients. There is a big difference in a well balanced vegan diet and a diet of bagels, pasta, and french fries.
Click to view merigayle's profile Legend 1,586 posts since
Aug 15, 2007
3. Feb 15, 2007 11:58 AM in response to: jayrnunnerxk1
I generally have no problem on my diet, which is almost all vegan. I eat oatmeal for b-fast, you can even stir some peanut butter into it. For lunch, i usually have two soy bologny or other like sandwich (i eat two small lunches throughout the day) or hummus wraps, and then for dinner i eat vegetables, some sort of protein, and some sort of grain. I eat veggie burgers, Quorn patties, bean dishes, couscous, rice, quinoa, and much more. I occasionally eat Barilla Plus pasta and sauce for dinner with soy "meatballs". For snack i eat bananas, apples, protein or granola bars, dry cereal, choc soy milk.

Go to a Whole Foods or trader joe's near you. They will have a lot of soups, frozen and prepared foods that are vegan.
Click to view Cora5K's profile Legend 326 posts since
Nov 24, 2007
4. Feb 15, 2007 3:35 PM in response to: jayrnunnerxk1
Barilla Plus is not vegan, is it? Seems like it has egg whites in it. I love Barilla Plus, but my daughter, who is vegan, won't eat it...
Click to view markc7079's profile Pro 197 posts since
Sep 7, 2002
5. Feb 15, 2007 3:38 PM in response to: jayrnunnerxk1
As long as you're getting a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans, you'll probably be fine. Soy milk and many other milk substitutes are fortified with most of the essential nutrients you need, such as B12.

A great resource is "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. It's got answers to just about any nutritional questions you might have, including a chapter about vegan athletes.

Another suggestion would be to check out some vegan discussion forums where people can answer any specific questions about nutrition, as well as provide suggestions and ideas for new foods. www.veganfitness.net[/URL" target="_blank"> is a good one, as is www.veganbodybuilding.com[/URL" target="_blank"> (it's not all bodybuilding, it's mostly general fitness/nutrition).

Good luck!

------------------
Mark

My User Profile[/URL" target="_blank">
Click to view merigayle's profile Legend 1,586 posts since
Aug 15, 2007
6. Feb 15, 2007 3:58 PM in response to: jayrnunnerxk1
quote:<HR>Originally posted by Cora5K:
Barilla Plus is not vegan, is it? Seems like it has egg whites in it. I love Barilla Plus, but my daughter, who is vegan, won't eat it...<HR>


you are right! I am not vegan anymore and did not even look at the ingredients. It does have egg whites in it
Click to view crazyjim's profile Rookie 6 posts since
Feb 12, 2007
7. Feb 16, 2007 11:19 AM in response to: jayrnunnerxk1
I second Mark's recommendation that you pick up the book "Becoming Vegan." It's the best book out there on vegan nutrition, period. It is very well researched, and presents both the pros and cons of a vegan diet, backed up by science.

Another good resource is online here:
http://www.veganhealth.org/[/URL" target="_blank">