The rise of vegan athletes and how coaches are adapting
Veganism is becoming more acceptable in the professional and collegiate athlete world by coaches and trainers, and popular among athletes like tennis star Venus Williams.
On the Harvard School of Public Health’s protein table, a steak is first on the list and lentils are fifth. Americans are encouraged to consume animal products in order to achieve their proper protein intake; it is recommended to eat two to three servings of meat and dairy every day, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
But there are people who are not abiding by those guidelines who rely on plant-based protein. Three per cent of the U.S. population is vegan, according to Gallup, and among those people are professional and collegiate athletes like tennis superstar Venus Williams, players on the Major League Soccer (MLS) team New England Revolution and NCAA athletes on the Ferris State University American football team.
“I have coached a vegan player. He was an average college athlete. I would say the thing that was fascinating about him was that you could not tell by his physique that his diet was any different than anyone else on the team,” said Sam Parker, the offensive line American football coach at Ferris State University.
A vegan diet is a diet that excludes food products that come from animals; namely, meat, eggs and dairy.
“I personally haven’t considered a fully vegan diet though there are players on my team that are vegan. I do try to go with meatless meals once or twice a week because I’ve heard the value in that,” said Brandon Bye, MLS player for New England Revolution.
Coaches and trainers usually have an influence on their athlete’s meal plans, according to Bye.
So if their athletes choose to go vegan, what do they think about it?
“Go for it. I think it's incredible for any young man [or woman] to have that discipline and for certain it will help their body a great deal. At the end of the day, anything that is clean eating is going to do incredible things to an athlete’s body. Better than eating fast food and candy,” Parker said.
Veganism in athletes is a growing trend like it is with the rest of us who don’t play sports for a living. So much so that a bakery in the U.K.’s vegan sausage roll went viral during the new year and the hype isn’t over yet. Greggs, the bakery’s Twitter account is still tweeting about it.
It is no doubt that the rise in social media has had an influence on the increase in veganism in the U.S. Aside from professional athletes, celebrities that are vegan and who promote their diet and lifestyle on their social media pages are Ellie Goulding, Jennifer Lopez and Liam Hemsworth, according to The Telegraph.
But even though the vegan diet has become a fad, is it a healthy and feasible one for athletes?
Yes, a nutritive vegan diet can be designed to achieve the dietary needs of most athletes satisfactorily. However, “sport-specific” diets need to be achieved in order to maintain their strength for performing to their high athleticism expectations, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a national library of medicine in the U.S.
Undoubtedly, part of coaches jobs is to ensure that their players are eating right and putting them on a “sport-specific” diet. Naturally, that varies between coaching staff.
On the New England Revolution MLS team, the player’s “body fats are taken periodically throughout the season and if the percentages are staying at a level that's acceptable, the staff isn’t worried about [their] eating habits,” according to Bye. “If percentages are going up then [they] have nutrition meetings to talk about eating habits and ideas for better meals.”
For the Ferris State University American football team, vegan diets have been explored but it is not reasonable to accomplish, especially for a team of over 80 players.
“I have explored vegan diets, but it is very difficult [to get] a budget to acquire vegan food exclusively that matches the right macros of proteins, carbs, and fats. It's very problematic as it relates to getting a giant quantity of food when travelling. My main priority is getting kids just to eat and get enough calories. That's really the top priority for our guys,” Parker said.
So where do vegan athletes get their protein?
Unlike vegetarians who can get their protein from eggs, vegans cannot; they rely solely on animal-free protein like soy products such as tofu and tempeh, as well as lentils, chickpeas and nuts.
Some might find this a challenge, but not for a Coach Dos, the director of speed, strength, and conditioning at College of the Canyons in California. “I don’t have a problem getting enough protein. My daily influx comes from sources like vegan protein powder, peanut butter, vegan ‘sausage’, lentils, beans, and other vegetables,” he said in an interview with Men’s Health.
It is suggested that vegan athletes have a higher protein intake than a vegetarian athlete, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Will coaches be more accepting of vegan diets?
“I believe that [veganism] should and will be an acceptable option if coaches can gain an upper hand on the field. I believe that the more knowledge we gain about veganism will help us move that direction,” said Chris Keenan, a former Indiana University (IU) soccer player, US NCAA women’s soccer and men’s United Soccer League professional coach.
“My IU coach, Jerry Yeagley, back in 1984 did not emphasise nutrition and we were not on any regimen. Back in the 1990s when I coached NCAA women’s soccer, coaches were just starting to look at nutrition and a hydration strategy but not looking at vegan. Even vegetarian was not endorsed.”
“Today, coaches and trainers are taking a very active role in nutrition but I have not seen a vegan emphasis. I also think convenient access to vegan food is another hurdle as teams travel to play and searching for that diet can be more difficult,” Keenan said.
