Vegan nutrition is almost on everyone's lips right now. In particular, more and more top athletes seem to be discovering meat abstinence as a means of improving their performance.
Whether Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton or tennis superstar Novak — they all sometimes blame the fact of “plant fuel” for their high performance.
GAMECHANGER DOCUMENTARY — VEGANISM IN SPORT
Since 2018, the film has also been “The Game Changers” A documentary by Hollywood director James Cameron is available on Netflix — another indication that the topic Veganism in sport in the mainstream moves. In contrast to the Hollywood documentary, which unfortunately argues unilaterally in favour of plant-based nutrition without exception and fatally with false facts has been researched, do we want the controversial issue of vegan nutrition for soccer players something illuminate more precisely. Without a raised index finger. Without dogmas. Without missionary work.
The abstinence from animal products is considered as most climate-friendly of all diets. How also hamilton More and more people are therefore choosing a plant-based diet out of empathy for animals or out of compassion for the planet.
Many other competitive athletes have also switched over. In the Bundesliga, more and more soccer players swear by a vegan diet. Among them, the national players Luca Waldschmidt or Serge Gnabry. He too experimented with a purely plant-based diet in summer. And even DFB chef Holger Stromberg only used plant milk and barely any more meat during the 2014 World Cup. In addition moral arguments, which is often used for a Dietary change are mentioned, many athletes report positive physical effects: faster regeneration; less muscle soreness; lack of bloating after eating.
Vegan or plant-based diet is often accompanied by many health benefits This is probably also due to the very high nutritional density of plant-based foods.
They are rich in Dietary fibers, folic and vitamins. Consuming less saturated and therefore more unsaturated fatty acids also allows athletes in particular to benefit from this type of diet.
The second advantage of veganism is the abundance of carbohydrates, which, for example, are also found in the notorious Banana halftime break occur.
This macronutrient is an important source of energy, particularly during peak sporting activity. One accelerated regeneration phase It should be mentioned here, but scientific studies dispute the validity of this statement.
Basically, it's about the one caused in sport oxidative stress in our cells. You must rebuild and renew yourself after training. According to some studies, secondary plant substances help us with this. Especially valuable protective substances called antioxidants Could therefore for full-fledged Vegans in sports be of great use.
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Whoever has the Christmas goose stuck in their throats right now can be assured of the following: These positive effects — Nutrition experts also admit this — Can you even with a balanced, well balanced eating habits received.
In Cameron's blockbuster documentary, this is Unfortunately not the speech. Despite all the benefits of a meatless diet for the body, the environment and animal welfare, certain things must still be considered. Simply completely removing certain foods from the diet makes little sense. In the beginning, there should always be a combination of the right foods first. And that's where two potential risks come into play: too little protein and far too little vitamin B12.
Let's start with the macronutrient protein first. Do you sit down with the topic “vegan diet for soccer players” Too little apart, it can happen quickly to no longer be able to meet personal protein requirements. Athletes in particular should be aware of the nutritional values of nuts, beans, lentils inform, etc. In a purely plant-based diet, it can then also lead to a Vitamin B12 deficiency come. This micronutrient is produced from microorganisms in the intestinal flora of herbivores themselves and absorbed through food.
Too little B12 could cause fatigue or muscle weakness. But there is also a dispute here at the moment. The reason: animals now also often have to synthetic vitamin B12 be added — with controversial effect.
But let's get to the point: Anyone who opts for a vegan diet should actually do it as a matter of course and not because it recommends a questionably researched Hollywood documentary without dissenting votes or because it is currently en vogue in urban lifestyle. Of course, we would rather people not stuff meat into themselves than their lives depend on it. But what we find just as borderline: penetrating vegans. Please stop constantly pointing this out and raising your index finger, it's annoying.
However, we welcome everyone who deals with the topic of “avoiding meat” and tries it out with sense and reason, for the benefit of themselves, the animals and our environment. By the way, the author of this article has been vegan himself for many years — out of conviction.
If you're hungry for more information on the topic, we recommend the (very) detailed article about vegan nutrition and athletic performance.
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