Vegan Diets for Marathoners

Are you a vegan training for your first marathon? Or perhaps a runner trying out veganism?

Check out today’s podcast as Coach Claire (founder of The Planted Runner) shares some tips on how to fuel your training on a vegan diet!


Audio Transcript

Claire Bartholic: Hey everyone. I’m back again with the Runners Connect Run to the Top Extra Kick podcast.

We have question today from Mary Kate about something that is near and dear to my heart.

Mary Kate sent in her question by email. She says, “I’ve been considering trying out a vegan diet for a long time but hesitate, as I’m afraid it will affect my running.

Any tips on plant-based diets for runners? Should I make the transition during my marathon build up or wait until I’m taking a break? Thanks.”

Claire: Great question Mary Kate, and you’ve come to the right person for this.

Obviously, this is something that is very important to me because I am a 100% plant-based marathon runner myself.

Yes, you can become vegan during marathon training, and it very well could affect your running for the better.

But let’s be sure we are talking about the same thing here. Vegan simply means that you choose not to consume or use any animal products.

This lifestyle can have health benefits, but animal welfare and or environmental issues, are the primary reasons behind the choice.

Being a vegan is defined by what you don’t eat, not what you do eat, and that means that you can be entirely vegan and subsist on potato chips, margarine and white bread, not exactly rocket fuel for a marathoner.

Now, if you are talking about a 100% whole foods, plant-based diet, that also just happens to be better for the planet and certainly better for the animals.

You’ll be creating an eating pattern that focuses on what you do eat, and that has very little to do with what you don’t eat, so there’s a big difference there.

Despite whatever any militant vegan plant-based whole food advocate out there says, there is simply zero evidence that a 90% plant diet is healthier than a 100% plant diet.

You don’t have to be 100% plant-based to get the benefits. Eating more plants is good for everyone, and most certainly for your running.

Focus on the rich variety of foods that you include on your plate, like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and less on the foods that you’re trying to eliminate.

Most athletes are afraid of plant diets because they think that they just won’t’ have enough fuel to run well, and this can happen as you transition to eating just plants, but it’s very unlikely to be coming from the food that you are eating.

It’s far more likely to happen because most people naturally eat fewer calories when they fill up on salad, black beans, and sweet potatoes, instead of cheese and bacon.

The key to avoid under-fueling is to eat more. Sounds awesome, right? For me, this is a huge benefit to eating this way.

I have a big appetite and I am much happier with a full belly than constantly trying to cut back and eat less, and don’t eat as much, so plants are perfect for this.

Plants naturally are micronutrient dense, full of fiber, and with the exception of nuts and seeds and oils, they have fewer calories by volume than meat and dairy.

You can eat a larger volume of food for fewer calories. The flip side to that is, if you are someone who struggles to eat enough while training, that means you will have to make sure that your meals are filling, and that you eat often enough.

Liquids are great for cramming in a lot of nutrition and calories, without your brain realizing it, so a veggie and fruit packed smoothie can be very helpful in meeting your recovery and calorie needs quickly, after a long run.

Once you tell the world that you are no longer eating meat and dairy, be prepared to answer the number one question you’ll face. Where do you get your protein?

All whole, unprocessed plants have protein. We eat food, not macronutrients.

Nuts, seeds, legumes and grains, have lots of protein, as well as soy products like tofu and tempeh, and you don’t need to specifically combine proteins like rice and beans in the same meal to get all your amino acids, as long as you’re eating a variety throughout the day.

Without much thinking about it, you’ll naturally consume anywhere from 50-60% unprocessed carbohydrates, 10-20% healthy fats, and 10-20% protein a day.

That is well within the U.S. recommended daily allowances as well as what most sports nutritionists recommend for endurance athletes.

For reference, elite Kenyan athletes typically eat a mainly vegetarian diet, with meat only a couple of times a week, and it’s reported that their diets are about 75% carbohydrate, so there’s definitely something to be said for.

Some examples of a typical, whole-plants breakfast, is a bowl of steel-cut or rolled oats, mixed with non-dairy milk, some fresh fruit, some chia or flax seeds.

A good snack would be fresh or dried fruit with a small handful of cashews or almonds, lunch could be a big hearty salad with lots of veggies, avocado, chick peas, zucchini, potatoes, whatever you want in there.

A banana with peanut butter on toast makes a good snack or breakfast, and of course the standard veggies and humus is a classic vegetarian snack for a very good reason.

Dinner could be almost anything. It could be a veggie burrito or chili on corn bread, there’s way too many choices for me to go into here.

The point is, when you fill your plate with plants, you are doing more for your body and for your running, regardless of whether you choose to go 100% or not.

I personally find it simpler to be 100% herbivore because it helps me continually make better choices without as much temptation. I’m a black and white person, so going 100% makes the most sense for me.

One thing all vegans need to supplement with is vitamin B12.

In fact, many meat eaters are short on this nutrient as well, but the sources in a plant-only diet are limited to a few fortified foods, so taking a chewable, sublingual B12 pill, once a day or once a week, depending on the dosage, is essential.

Other than that, if you are eating your greens every day, as well as all the rest of the colors, you’re most likely doing a great job, getting everything your body needs.

Most people find that they recover better and have more energy when they eat this way. I know I do.

And if you simply need some electrolytes after a run without all the sugar and calories, of course you can check out today’s sponsor, Enduropacks. Go to runnersconnect.net/enduropacks to get your own.

I could go on all day on this subject and I appreciate you sending in the question, Mary Kate.

If you are interested in learning how you can improve your nutrition and your running, and you have a question for one of the coaches, go to runnersconnect.net/daily and record your question there. We’d love to hear from you.

That’s it for today’s episode, join me tomorrow. Have a great run today.

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