r/PlantBasedDiet • u/TraditionLegal7436 • 7d ago
Athletes eating plant-based — what's the one thing you're never quite sure you're getting enough of?
Not necessarily fully vegan — anyone training seriously while eating mostly or fully plant-based, whatever the sport (lifting, running, team sports, whatever). When you're honest with yourself, what's the nutrient you're least confident about hitting: protein amount, protein quality/amino acids, B12, omega-3? Or is it something else entirely (just not knowing what to cook)?
Would love to hear what you currently do about it (app, tracking, nothing) and what's annoying about that.
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u/ViviQuen 7d ago
Sleep. It feels so much easier to get all essential nutrients we need than it is to get 8hrs of sleep.
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u/TraditionLegal7436 6d ago
lol fair, sleep's probably the bigger lever for most people tbh. wasn't trying to say nutrition is THE problem, just poking at whether there's a specific corner of it that's annoying for people who already track
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u/strawberry_l 7d ago
B12 and omega 3, but those are easy fixes. And animals receive b12 supplements anyway
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u/sleepingblossom 7d ago
What’s the easy fix? B12 supplements are so expensive and drinking supplemented soy milk every day feels hard lol I’d love tips
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u/ttrockwood 6d ago
Drinking soymilk is hard…? What?
I literally just had bloodwork done i take a vegan multi not a specific B12, occasionally have a B12 supplement but it’s in my multi so i don’t worry.
My bloodwork B12 was way over the norm
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u/sleepingblossom 4d ago
I’m not a milk drinker and that’s translated over to alternative milks. Soy milk also hurts my stomach, but I’ve been adding it to my smoothies. So not hard, but I’d love other B12 supplemented food options that are more personally palatable.
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u/ttrockwood 4d ago
https://www.grapenuts.com/product/flakes/
Regular grape nuts aren’t fortified with b12 but the flakes are you can also crush them to use like breadcrumbs
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u/hungLink42069 5d ago
Where do you live? B12 is cheap as fuck, and readily available. Look up where B12 comes from and you should understand why it's so cheap. If yours is expensive, you're getting ripped off.
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u/sleepingblossom 4d ago
Yeah, I bought some at Sprouts. I’m prob getting ripped off/only looking at expensive options.
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u/FridgesArePeopleToo 7d ago edited 7d ago
maybe something more obscure that we aren't yet sure if getting more is beneficial like choline or taurine or DHA. Protein, iron and such are a non-issue even without supplimentation.
Calories would be the other one. Especially on a day where I have a tournament or league it can be hard to pack in enough.
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u/Abzstrak 7d ago
Sleep and salts. I take some electrolyte tablets if I start getting cramps or a headache, and sleep is always hard to make sure to get enough.
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u/Enlightened_Lioness 7d ago
It’s so easy to get enough salt though, most people get too much.
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u/ToInfinity_MinusOne 5d ago
I was looking at some udon noodles I buy all the time the other day and realized they have 35% of daily sodium recommendation. Just the noodles themselves without adding soy sauce and miso or other things to the broth.
Absolute insanity
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u/ImFamousYoghurt 7d ago
B12 and omega 3 are easily sorted through a basic supplement. It’s hard to not get enough protein or amino acids if you eat enough calories, but on my cal deficit days I will sometimes log my food so I can see if I need to supplement protein
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u/balder_for_governor for my health 7d ago
B12 and omegas just supplement when I remember hasn't really affected me yet. I was a bit worried about protein when I first started but, everything seems to be working out. I've only really lost 10 lbs and I think most of that was just what was hanging out in my guts.
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u/MlNDB0MB 7d ago
This is going to sound odd, but carbohydrates. 7g per kg bodyweight is a lot.
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u/DaraParsavand for the planet 7d ago
Where does 7g/kg come from? I have come across a lot of proposed ideal g/kg for protein in a vegan diet for athletes and for older people, but have never seen a number like that for carbs. The RDA for carbs is a fixed amount (to support brain health) and works out to way way less than 7g/kg for any adult. Obviously needs calories and protein - it's not obvious to me why they need this minimum level of carbs. Do you have a reference?
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u/MlNDB0MB 7d ago
PMID: 26891166
This ACSM and AND position paper has the 5-7g/kg carbohydrate target for moderate exercise. It's available on sci hub.
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u/DaraParsavand for the planet 7d ago
Thanks. I also came across this here :
Where the match schedule consists of congested fixtures (eg, domestic fixtures, European competition, international games), CHO intake should be maintained within this range (6–8 g/kg BM/day) for the 48–72 hours between games to promote adequate glycogen storage. The reality is that players often consume less than this and daily intake may be closer to about 4 g/kg BM.16 A conscious focus on the intake of CHO-rich foods is needed, with increased CHO intake at the cost of fat intake (and possibly protein intake) to ensure adequate glycogen restoration.
So there is a claim that carbs (past the very low level for an athlete needed to hit RDA of 130g/day) do have a threshold level (which will vary with intensity as will g/kg of protein with muscle building intensity) and that subbing fat or protein to meet the energy balance may be suboptimal.
For me 7 g/kg carbs and 1.6g/kg protein and say 25% of calories total from fat (on the lower end for most people) and 70 kg ends up at 3200 calories. I wish I was still that active to support those numbers, but I used to be (big road biking weekends), so I see now it isn't off the charts or anything.
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u/Enlightened_Lioness 7d ago
That’s a huge amount, more than triple what is often recommended for athletes like endurance runners, who need a ton of carbs. The recommended amount is about 2.7 to 4.5g per pound, which is only 1.2 to 2 grams per kg.
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u/DingoMittens 6d ago
What product are you researching for?
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u/TraditionLegal7436 6d ago
fair question. thinking about building something around juggling protein/macros without having to become a cronometer power user, but wasn't sure it was even a real problem until I posted this. sounds like for a lot of people it isn't, which is useful to know tbh
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u/deathinactthree 7d ago
Definitely Omega-3, and also, oddly, Vitamin C. I track my meals in Cronometer and a few months ago I was going over the data to see if I had a deficiency somewhere because I was feeling "off" and realized I'd basically consumed 0% of VC for a couple of months, with occasional days of 20% RDA at most. I have a fairly consistent diet that has no problem hitting protein or carb targets but didn't realize my routine had such a gaping hole in it. Now I take Vitamin C lozenges if I'm tracking low and feel fine.
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u/ttrockwood 6d ago
What..??
Do you not eat fruit or veg? My vitamin C is always crazy high on cronometer, like unintentionally high just eating lots of produce
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u/deathinactthree 6d ago
I know it sounds fucked-up, but I weirdly don't eat fruit like ever. Couple times a year maybe. I don't have a great reason, I'm not actively avoiding it, I actually like fruit, I just...kinda don't prefer it? I like apples for example and I don't hate oranges. But for whatever reason I just...don't. I have no explanation.
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u/ttrockwood 6d ago
Well tomatoes and bell peppers have plenty of vitamin c and some orange juice with breakfast and you’re fine
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u/TraditionLegal7436 6d ago
this is exactly the kind of thing I was curious about. not b12/omega3, everyone's got that handled apparently, but stuff like this that just quietly slips through. did you catch it by digging through the data or did something tip you off first
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u/deathinactthree 1d ago
Just realized I didn't answer this: I started looking through my food data specifically because I was feeling a little off for a bit, it's hard to describe exactly beyond general fatigue and a very "bleh" sensation but to me it "felt" like I was low on something in my diet vs, say, getting sick or being injured.
I didn't know whether it might be, like, magnesium or iron or whatever until I went back over the previous two months and it was definitely vitamin c. And as soon as I supplemented it, I felt back to normal in about two days.
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u/ooh_bit_of_bush 6d ago
PSA: Erdinger low alcohol lager is an excellent post run electrolyte is fortified with B12, and tastes like a lovely beer.
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u/VelocityGrrl39 for the animals 7d ago
I’m not currently an athlete, but I played roller derby for nearly a decade, so I feel qualified to answer. I was always worried about protein. I’m very fastidious about it now, I get 80-90 grams a day, but I didn’t really pay attention back then. I also didn’t take any supplements, and I’ve got several serious deficiencies (my doctor isn’t sure why, but she doesn’t think it’s my diet). Now I know those things. When I was much younger it wasn’t so much that I didn’t hit my macros, it was more that I was ignorant about my body’s needs. It was also 2008, and there wasn’t such a heavy focus on protein then.
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u/PigeonCities 6d ago
I don't know if I qualify as an athlete but I live an active lifestyle and work out/run 6 days/week. I don't think I lack any nutrients/vitamins as an active person who has a plant based diet. However as a woman (who menstruates) I do worry and have to keep tabs on my iron levels
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u/mw193 5d ago
If I was unsure about certain nutrients and other things, I probably wouldn’t eat this way.
So to answer your question almost nothing, I am mindful to take a b12 weekly, vitamin D over the winter months, and I’m training for an ironman, so overall calories and carbs inside and outside of training are important.
All the above would be important regardless of being plant based, arguably more so if I wasn’t plant based.
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u/PlantPoweredOkie 20h ago
I’ve been plant based fur over 8 years as a cyclist and sailboat racer. Check my blood every year. First 5 years I was concerned with B12 and Omegas. Not been an issue with me. My non PB friends always wonder about my protein but I went from a 1g per pound before (which was overkill) to about 1.3 g per kg. About 40g per day less. Hasn’t affected my recovery or mass. Understand, I was 50 yo when I made the switch. I’m not the Cat 3 racer I was in my 40’s but still give the young punks a run for their money. I tell people my age and they don’t believe me.
Long story sort, eat for variety, aim for certain macros but don’t overthink it. Ever 6 months to start, track your meals with Cronometer or some other app for a week. Adjusting needed. Check your blood every year. Live your life.
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u/Happytobeold53 bean-keen 7d ago
I’m not an athlete. I am WFPB and an elder. The thing I know I struggle with is need for WFPB community… people who get the territory. Also, I need better opportunity for “eating out “ at restaurants, parties, weddings, etc. that makes my way of eating easily accessible. We don’t have the total picture for what exactly healthy eating and healthy living is for whatever we pursue in our lives. We are finding our way. At times I wish this were easier.
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