Overview
History Demographics Different forms of vegetarianism Why do people choose this diet? Health advantages Effect of this diet on exercise performance Nutrients of concern Diet for vegan athlete Healthy food choices
Brief history
Vegetarianism is first mentioned by the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras of Samos around 500 BCE. The first vegetarian society was formed in 1847 in England. Three years later, Rev. Sylvester Graham, the inventor of Graham crackers, co-founded the American Vegetarian Society. In November 1944, a British woodworker named Donald Watson announced that because vegetarians ate dairy and eggs, he was going to create a new term called "vegan" to describe people who did not eat. Veganism is an extreme form of vegetarianism, and though the term was coined in 1944, the concept of flesh-avoidance can be traced back to ancient Indian and eastern Mediterranean societies. November 1 is World Vegan Day, a celebration of people who don't eat meat, eggs, cheese, mayonnaise, honey, whey, gelatin. Nor do they use any clothing, accessory or object made from an animal.
Demographics
In 2006, based on a nationwide poll, approximately 2.3% of the US adult population (4.9 million people) consistently followed a vegetarian diet, stating that they never ate meat, sh, or poultry. About 1.4% of the US adult population was vegan. In 2005, according to a nationwide poll, 3% of 8- to 18-year-old children and adolescents were vegetarian; close to 1% were vegan. According to ADA and dietitians of Canada approximately 2.5% of adults in the United States and 4% of adults in Canada follow vegetarian diets. Close to 1% were vegan. In India, 20-40% of people follow a vegetarian diet (lacto-vegetarian)
Reasons to be a vegetarian
Religious Ethical / Animal Welfare Health Environmental Economical
Types of vegetarians
A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, sh, or fowl or products containing these foods. The eating patterns of vegetarians may vary considerably.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian Does not eat meat, fish or fowl. Eats dairy and egg products
Ovo-vegetarian Does not eat meat, fish, fowl or dairy products. Eats egg products
Lacto-vegetarian Does not eat meat, fish, fowl or eggs. Eats dairy products.
Vegan Does not eat any animal products including meat, fish, fowl, eggs, dairy, honey, Most vegans do not use any animal products such as silk, leather, wool, etc.
Macronutrients of concern
PROTEINS
Food sources: meat, fish & poultry, dairy products, cereals & legumes RDA: 0.8-1.0 g/kg BW/d RDA for athletes -Strength training athletes: Begginer-1.2-1.5 g/kg BW/d Intermediate-1.5-2g/kg BW/d Advanced-2-2.5g/kg BW/d -Endurance athletes: 1.2-1.4g/kg BW/d
ENERGY
RDA-2320Kcal
ISSA cutoffs
ENERGY
Energy
Meeting energy needs is a nutrition priority for athletes. Optimum athletic performance is promoted by adequate energy intake. ENERGY BALANCE Energy intake = Energy expenditure Inadequate energy intake relative to energy expenditure compromises performance and negates the benefits of training. In addition, long-term low energy intake results in poor nutrient intake, particularly of the micronutrients, and may result in metabolic dysfunctions associated with that nutrient
Energy intake
Energy expenditure
www.acsm.messe.org
For a vegan, incorporating energy-dense foods such as nuts, tofu, textured vegetable protein & commercially prepared meat analogues helps increase energy density (the vegetarian athlete, Clinical sports nutrition, Louis Burke)
PROTEIN
Protein
The JISSN position stand exercise training individuals require more proteins than sedentary individuals Exercise
Changes in a.a metabolism Role in endurance performance: Serious endurance athletes do need considerable amounts of protein, far above the normal adult RDA, because maintenance, repair, and growth of lean muscle mass all depend on it, as well as optimum immune system function. Low dietary protein lengthens recovery time, causes muscle weakness, and suppresses the immune system Role in strength training : Strength athletes, who are interested in gaining muscle size and function, require more protein in the early stages of very intensive resistance exercise Decades of research exist supporting protein's role in enhanced muscle protein synthesis, both when considered as daily intake and when timed close to resistance exercise (Lowery et al,2012)
For vegetarians avoiding all animal foods, the Institute of Medicine (2000) states that total protein intakes may need to exceed protein recommendations to meet amino acid metabolism. This is linked with low digestibility of vegetable proteins
Micronutrients of concern
Iron
RDA:17mg/dsedentary man For athlete:1518mg/d
Calcium
RDA: 600mg/d RDA for athlete: 13001500mg/d
Zinc
RDA: 12 mg/d
For athlete:1115mg/d
Vit.B12
RDA:1.2 g For vegan athlete:6g
IRON
Effect on performance
When Hb concentration is low, the amount of oxygen transported by blood is reduced Reduces endurance capacity & aerobic capacity (Hilton et at. 2000;Brownlie et al .2002, 2004)
Fe repletion restores maximal oxygen uptake & hemoglobin conc. faster than muscle enzyme activity & endurance which follow similar patterns
Vegetarianism & Fe
The bioavailability of Fe from individual plant foods & from a total vegetarian diet is much lower than in meat- based diet because of the presence of naturally occurring inhibitors in plants that bind Fe from plant sources (non heme Fe) in the gut & reduces its absorption ( Hunt 2003) Also, the absence of meat, an enhancer of Fe absorption from Fe rich plant sources, further reduces Fe bioavailability
diets, but iron supplementation is not essential except in cases of iron insufficiency marked by a very low ferritin or anemia, or in women with heavy menstrual bleeding (McClung JP, et at.2009).
CALCIUM
www.acsm-msse.org
Vegetarianism & Ca
Main sources: Other than dairy products, cereal grains, dglvs, Ca fortified foods Ca bioavailability : decreased due to phytates & oxalates in plant foods Ca balance: high salt foods & high protein foods increase Ca excretion
Vegan females had significantly lower mean Ca intakes compared tp lacto-ovo-vegetarians & omnivores(578, 875 and 950mg Ca /d ) ( Janelle & Barr,1995) However, this was not evident in another study of untrained vegans where there was no difference in mean Ca intakes between vegan males & females compared to non-vegetarian control groups (Haddad et al)
VIT.B12
ZINC
Mid-morning Khakra chaat or Crackers (wheat, oats etc) Lunch Roti (w/o ghee) Sabji Dal Salad Veg. rawa idli (w/o butter & cheese) Soy milk Same as lunch
Snacks
Dinner
CASE STUDY
Case Study
Name: Venkatraman Pichumani Age: 56 yrs Medical history: CABG Diet history: Previously a lacto-ovo vegetarian Converted into a Vegan 3 yrs back Physical Activity: Half Marathon (21 kms)/ month) 6-10 kms, 2-3 / week Reasons to turn Vegan: Nutritional Ethical
Diet chart
Meal timings Early morning Post work-out Menu 1 bowl of Nuts 1 med. glass Vegetable juice + spirulina Amonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, methi, raisins. Spirulina 2tbsp (60g)
Breakfast
Dosa / idli/ oats upma/ cereal+ soy milk/ bread+ homemade peanut butter + green tea
Salad + fruit Fruit + sunflower seeds (30g)
Lunch Snacks
Dinner
Other foods preferred: Coconut water, sesame crackers, alfa alfa, brown rice, avacado juice, soy pacchadi , beet root juice
Ref value
187-883 4-6 0.6- 1.4
Case 2
Short term effect: 2 months on vegan diet.
There was no significant differences in the lipid parameters. No weight changes were noticed.
Conclusion
POSITION STATEMENT:
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the lifecycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.
Bibliography
www.vrg.org www.veg-soc.org www.vegansociety.com www.acsm-msse.acsm.org www.vegsoc.org/health Clinical Sports Nutrition - Louis Burke Trace Minerals and Exercise- Ira Wollonsky
Thank you!
Vegan athletes
Serena williams and venus williams Carl lewis (9 olympic gold medal winnermarathoner) John salley (NBA star)