im a vegetarian and im fairly fast but eating meat has anything to do with it. there is no way it could. in fact im guessing that meat is probably better fuel just because it takes much longer for the body to digest it therefore making the energy more spread out.

quote:<HR>Originally posted by BWrunbabe09:
I've read somewhere that becoming vegetarian improves your race times. Does eating plant protein instead of animal really improve speed?<HR>

I'd be interested in seeing any scientific (read: peer-reviewed) article that backs this up. I suspect you'd be hard-pressed to find one.
You might also want to look at a list of world record holders as a quick sanity check.

Here's a nice article about Paula Radcliffe's diet, for example, with the title:
'Red meat keeps me on my feet'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2003/03/31/hiron31.xml[/URL" target="_blank">

After a quick scan of the posts, I was surprised to see that the iron topic did not come up. I think that the Paula Radcliffe red meat article probably alluded to that, but I admit I did not read it.

I am a non-meat eater myself, so don't take this the wrong way.

Animal protein sources (especially red meat and organ meat) contain a form of iron (heme iron) that is more bioavailable than what you'll find in vitamins, supplements, and iron-fortified foods (breads, pastas, cereals, granola bars, etc). Iron is absolutely important concerning running performance.

I do not think there's a difference in where you obtain your protein. Vegans may have a bit of difficulty obtaining enough protein to fuel a running lifestyle, but as a vegetarian, I have no problem at all obtaining 1.5 grams per kilo BW on a daily basis. I don't even use a lot of soy protein. I am a dairy and peanut butter lover, however! As far as essential amino acids are concerned, vegans/vegetarians should have no trouble assembling a diet with complementary proteins unless they eat only a very monotonous diet (the same single food, all day every day, for instance).

Getting adequate iron is by far the larger issue when comparing veg and meat. I'd advise any active, vegetarian, of the age when they should be menstruating to have their iron status checked.

------------------
...on your left![/URL" target="_blank">
Positive thoughts--negative splits!

I became a vegetarian at age 13, vegan at age 16, now mostly vegan, but not strict. I am 28yo now. Not unusual.

SUper Ultrarunning star Scott Jurek is vegan and he shatters world records left and right. It all depends on how you do your diet. There is a right way and a wrong way. there are many non-animal sources to get iron and most of the negative comments made about a vegetarian or vegan diet are made by people who are ignorant of the facts, or people who themselves failed at a proper vegan or vegetarian diet. beans are probably the best source of iron in a vegan diet, as well as leafy dark greens. See the below link for a chart of vegan foods that contain iron.

Here is a good link:
Dried beans and dark green leafy vegetables are especially good sources of iron, even better on a per calorie basis than meat. Iron absorption is increased markedly by eating foods containing vitamin C along with foods containing iron. Vegetarians do not have a higher incidence of iron deficiency than do meat eaters.
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm[/URL" target="_blank">

quote:<HR>Originally posted by reboot:
It is inappropriate for a 15 year old female to be encouraged to pursue a Vegan diet, particularly one making the enquiry on a running forum and expressing absolutely no purpose in the pursuit.

<HR>

She expressly said she was disturbed by meat market practices, which would be her purpose. There is certainly nothing wrong with that purpose. With family support (which she won't know if she has until she talks to her family), there is no reason why a 15 year-old can't pursue a healthy vegan diet. If she was living on the streets alone, perhaps I would have a different answer. Just becuse she is only 15, doesn't mean she lacks judgment to make decisions on her own.

To the OP, if you do decide to explore further, I would encourage you to speak with your family as well as a nutritionist. Get a panel done of your nutrient levels now and make sure everything is ok. Get advice and read a lot! And ignore negative comments...you need to decide what is best for you, whichever path that may be.

B-12 you pretty much have to get from supplements; there are no reliable plant sources for this.
As for protein, I regularly top 70 g per day by eating tofu, gardenburgers, beans and whole grains. If you aren't interested in being vegan but just vegetarian, you have eggs and dairy as options as well: eggs are a great protein source, and when I was vegetarian I used to eat a cup of plain yogurt every day (on cereal with a banana - yum!).
I rely on a supplement to round out my iron since I've had a tendency to anemia in the past. You can get good vegetarian multivitamins at most health food stores (or places like Whole Foods, Wild Oats, New Seasons - if there are any vegetarian groceries in your area run by 7th Day Adventists, those are great. Most 7th Day Adventists are vegetarians, so those stores are goldmines of vegetarian products.).