For Athletic Performance, Can Plant-Based Diets Compete?

There are, of course, health risks that come with eating meat. See for example: The Whys and Hows of Cutting Meats Out Of Your Diet

But, it’s very reasonable to be wary of making big changes! For this reason, we have previously asked (and answered) such questions as: Do We Need Animal Products To Be Healthy?

The short answer to that question, by the way, is that by nature, humans are quite versatile generalists when it comes to diet:

• Most of us can live healthily and happily on just plants if we so choose.
• Some people cannot, and will require varying kinds (and quantities) of animal products.
• As for red and/or processed meats, we’re not the boss of you, but from a health perspective, the science is clear: unless you have a circumstance that really necessitates it, just don’t.
  • Same goes for pork, which isn’t so red in color and may not be processed, but metabolically it’s associated with the same problems and is generally classified as “red meat” for the purposes of studies.
• The jury is out on poultry, but it strongly appears to be optional, healthwise, without making much of a difference either way
• Fish is roundly considered healthful in moderation. Enjoy it if you want, don’t if you don’t.

The longer answer, of course, can be found in the link we gave up top 🙂

We have also previously tackled the quite general question of: Plant vs Animal Protein

But what about the more specific question of “for athletic performance”?

Science has the answer

When it comes to muscle-building specifically, it has already been established that assuming a broadly healthy balanced diet, and getting sufficient protein from your chosen source, it doesn’t make too much of a difference if you include animal products or not:

• Vegan and Omnivorous High Protein Diets Support Comparable Daily Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Rates and Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy in Young Adults
• A mycoprotein-based high-protein vegan diet supports equivalent daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates compared with an isonitrogenous omnivorous diet in older adults: a randomised controlled trial

(both studies showed that both dietary approaches yielded results that showed no difference in muscle synthesis between the two)

More recently, researchers (Dr. Chloe Raygoza et al.) did an experiment in which the participants were runners or resistance trainers (i.e. athletes who did resistance training, not necessarily that they were training someone else), who were normally omnivorous, and exercised 3–4 times per week. The plant-based phase replaced meat with foods such as beans, tofu, and plant-based meat alternatives, and each participant followed both diets for four weeks in random order, serving as their own control.

Quick note on diet quality: compared with the omnivore diet, the plant-based diet provided more carbohydrates, fiber, iron, and calcium, while the omnivore diet contained more saturated fat, cholesterol, and vitamin B12. Calorie intake was similar between diets.

As for the results? In few words:

• Endurance results: no significant difference
• Strength results: no significant difference

Sometimes, the correct and useful answer doesn’t have to be exciting!

If you’d like to read the paper in full, here it is: Plant-Based vs. Omnivore diets for athletic performance outcomes among recreational athletes in university dining halls: a randomized crossover study

Want to learn more?

For a much more in-depth exploration and comprehensive guide, you might like these books we reviewed:

• High-Protein Plant-Based Diet for Beginners – by Maya Howard with Ariel Warren
• The Plant-Based Athlete – by Matt Frazier and Robert Cheeke
• Be A Plant-Based Woman Warrior – by Jane Esselstyn & Ann Esselstyn

Enjoy!