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Even runners get plenty of protein on vegan diets
So much for “Vegan Before Six.” With the help of a Today Show nutritionist, Mark Bittman has decided that he is protein-deficient. This celebrity chef, in an attempt to eat more healthfully without giving up the foods he loves, devised a plan to eat vegan meals up until dinner time—at which point he could eat whatever he liked, including meat, dairy and eggs.
But while training for the New York City marathon, Bittman noticed he was feeling more fatigued than usual. The problem, he was told, was that he was not getting enough “complete proteins.” Bittman claims he feels better now that he is adding concentrated proteins—like tofu, sardines and eggs—to his post-workout meals.
Athletes do have higher protein needs, but they also consume more calories. And when the calories come from healthful whole plant foods, protein intake is automatically increased. There are plenty of full time vegan athletes, including elite athletes, who have no trouble meeting protein needs. So it’s curious that Bittman couldn’t get enough protein on a diet that was only partially “vegan.”
In addition to boosting his protein intake, he started having energy-rich snacks before his work outs. I suspect that those meals were more likely the reason he began to feel better during his runs than the eggs he ate afterwards.
I don’t really want to pick on Mark Bittman. I appreciate any effort to get people more focused on plant foods. And I know, too, that most people still don’t get it that protein is not an issue on vegan diets.
But when vegans eat a variety of whole plant foods and consume enough calories, it is easy to meet protein needs. And those who are committed to a vegan diet for the right reasons—ie, as part of a lifestyle to eliminate animal suffering—will always find a healthful and responsible way to make that diet work.
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| Check out my blog The Vegan Dietitian to learn more about vegan diet and lifestyle! |
Comments
He should read Brendan Brazier's "Thrive". There's plenty of information for the vegan athlete.
I thought the whole "complete" protein thing was a myth?
I think "complete proteins" are a reality - i.e. proteins that contain 9 essential amino acids that the human body can use to synthesize all of the other proteins that it needs.
I thought the myth was that it's impossible or difficult to get enough complete proteins on a vegan diet. As a competitive vegan cyclist, I strongly disagree with this myth (if it is in fact a myth). :-)
I am a personal trainer & sports nutritionist who works with some of the top vegan strength athletes in the world. I've found that the only time you need to think about adding quantities of extra protein is when you want to add size as a bodybuilder or on very restricted calories.For most you don't need to worry.Sure you can add a protein & carb shake after working out if it's easier than cooking (I do) & certainly have a complex carb meal that contains a reasonable amount of protein an hour or 2 before training to fuel your workout,but that certainly doesn't have to be from animal products.
A lot of trainers these days are starting to 'try-out' going vegan for 30 days,being cynical,that does show they believe a market is beginning to appear & are gearing up to 'tap-in' to it.Most have said positive things about their experiences as a vegan athlete.
If you have any worries feel free to check out www.veganbodybuilding.org & see the many vegan athletes there
Having read some of the interviews with Bittman, he clearly wasn't motivated by a desire to reduce animal suffering. I think it was just a fad that for whatever reason (perhaps because it was a dumb idea!) fizzled out.
I really love your column. It's the most factual nutritional column on vegan nutrition I've seen. Anyway, my recipe for getting enough protein is simply eating whole foods based on % calories of protein.
Based on my caloric requirements (~3800/day) and my body mass (70kg). I simply do the math
(70kg x 0.8g/kg x 4cal/g) = 224cal/day of protein. 224cal/3800cal x 100% = 6%.
So I just eat foods in any combination that provide at least 6% of their calories as protein. This is every bean, grain, vegetable, and many fruits. Really, only avocados have less than that. In reality, I get about 80-100g protein/day without supplements, powders, etc...
Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. The "complete protein" issue is real from a biological standpoint. It's just that from a practical stance, we don't need to worry about it. We automatically get complete proteins by eating a variety of plant foods throughout the day as long as calorie needs are being met.
I wish Mark Bittman had talked with some of the people here about how easily they are meeting their protein needs!
Since I wrote this entry, I ran my 1st marathon (the Chicago Marathon). With only 20 weeks of training and zero previous long distance experience, I finished in 4hrs:08min:37s, a time that place me in the top 25% of all entrants. Not bad for a 40 year old bag of plant based bones.
Mark Bittman's fatigue was probably him just being a wimp.
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