Athletes And Nutrition Needs: Roman Gladiator
Vegetarian Athletes
Strength, endurance, hardcore training and deadly fighting skills the Roman Gladiator conjures up images of astonishing demigods. Would you be shocked to find out that it’s possible that Roman Gladiators were vegetarian athletes? (Fornaris & Aubert 1998) Athletes are considered to be the best of the best in their given sport. They dedicate countless hours to the pursuit of one goal and many base their entire lifestyle around that pursuit. However, a small group of high level athletes chose to forgo conversational wisdom and pursue a vegetarian lifestyle. In this paper we will define what it is to be an athlete. We will discuss the vegetarian lifestyle. We will examine the unique macro nutrient needs of the athlete, and …show more content…
further discuss the positive and negative effects of this lifestyle. Next, we will make some recommendations based on our research. Finally, we will answer the fundamental question. Can vegetarians perform as well as their carnivorous counterparts in high level athletic events? How is the term athlete defined? According to Webster’s dictionary an athlete is “a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength”. While a professional athlete is commonly defined as making their primary income from playing a particular sport.
So what is a vegetarian? A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons. The top two reasons subjects gave in a recent survey on why they become vegetarians were health concerns and living more balanced. Many vegetarians self-reported feeling leaner and clean inside. Yet this is more than likely a mental benefit rather than a physical manifestation.
An important consideration of any athlete is diet. It is essential to the success of the athlete that they reach their macro nutrient goals. Well-nourished athletes have better disease resistance and enhanced cardiovascular function. Of the six classes of nutrients, protein may be the hardest macro for vegetarians to fulfill. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, athletes should consume 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. In comparison, average adults are typically suggested only .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Simply put this number would suggest athletes need to double the normal macro protein needs over their more sedentary neighbors.
Protein is an essential part of a diet to maintain balanced nutrition. It performs many important functions, such as building lean body tissue and creating digestive enzymes. There are nine amino acids that are considered essential. They are referred to as essential because they cannot be synthesized by the human body. Of those nine, Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine are branch chained. Branched-chain amino acids stimulate the building of protein in muscle and possibly reduce muscle breakdown (Shimomura et al., 2006). Not all protein is created equal, however. Protein sources can be broken into two categories: complete and incomplete proteins. A complete protein contains an adequate amount of all of the essential amino acids that should be incorporated into a diet. Some protein contains all the amino acids needed to build new proteins, which generally come from animal and fish products. A complete protein must not lack even one essential amino acid in order to be considered complete. Some examples of complete proteins are meat, fish, poultry, and eggs. Complete proteins pack large amounts of protein in relatively small servings. An incomplete protein is any protein that lacks one or more essential amino acids in correct proportions. These can also be referred to as partial proteins. Even if the protein contains all the essential amino acids, they must be in equal proportions in order to be considered complete. If not, the protein is considered incomplete. Examples of incomplete proteins are grains, nuts, beans, and seeds.
An example of this would be a 10oz skirt steak. According to MyFitnessPal, a 10oz skirt steak will be 570 calories with 70 grams of protein. In comparison, 3 cups of black beans would be 570 calories with only 21 grams of protein. In this example the vegetarian ate the same amount of calories but took in only one third of the protein levels. Moreover the steak is going to supply all essential amino acids, while the black beans will need to be complemented with other proteins for the vegetarian
So is being a vegetarian healthier?
Published in the Forum of Nutrition, Leitzmann 2005 looked at the positive effects of a vegetarian diet. He stated that a growing body of scientific evidence indicates that wholesome vegetarian diets offer distinct advantages compared to diets containing meat and other foods of animal origin. The benefits arise from lower intakes of saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein as well as higher intakes of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C and E, carotenoids and other phytochemicals. Since vegetarians consume widely divergent diets, a differentiation between various types of vegetarian diets is necessary. In the past, vegetarian diets have been described as being deficient in several nutrients including protein, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin B12 and A, n-3 fatty acids and iodine. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the observed deficiencies are usually due to poor meal planning. Well-balanced vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, the elderly and competitive athletes. In most cases, vegetarian diets are beneficial in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, renal disease and dementia, as well as diverticular disease, gallstones and rheumatoid …show more content…
arthritis.
The reasons for choosing a vegetarian diet often go beyond health and well-being and include among others economical, ecological and social concerns. But it takes discipline and dedication to stay true to a vegetarian lifestyle. Proper vegetarian planning is physically, emotionally and financially demanding. Not only does the vegetarian face the normal daily stressors but additionally their nontraditional lifestyle can be extremely demanding. Many vegetarians find long term success to be difficult especially when they are in non-vegetarian social environments.
Being a vegetarian is hard enough, but could you imagine trying to balance your diet to meet all of the daily needs while being a vegetarian? Could you picture trying to plan what meals you need so that you can meet all the macronutrients, vitamins, and mineral needs of your body without the use of any meat products? This is a significantly hard problem that many vegetarians have. Being a vegetarian athlete only makes things even more difficult as they are not able to eat typical high protein meals such as chicken, turkey, and beef. Therefore it is generally recommended that vegetarians that are looking to remain physically active should consider working with a dietitian. Vegetarian athletes can obtain their protein and amino acid needs primarily with plant based sources but this is not an easy task to complete for your normal person. It is also shown that vegetarian athletes have lower creatine levels when compared to non-vegetarian athletes; because of this vegetarian athletes may have to introduce supplementation to reach the optimal levels of nutrients. As stated before, reaching protein and amino acid needs is obtainable through a strictly vegetarian diet by effectively planning and adding a variety of different plant sources. These athletes are recommended to supplement a creatine source into their diets in hopes that the muscle creatine levels will be up to par with a non-vegetarian athlete. The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians have stated that increasing the amount of complex carbohydrates and lowering simple carbohydrates is an essential way for vegetarian athletes to get the most nutrient dense diet and to have the most energy levels when compared to an omnivorous diet.
Another major concern for vegetarians is Rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle tissue breaks down rapidly. Exercise-induced muscle damage is commonly experienced after physical activity, and different studies showed that the amount of protein consumed seems to affect its magnitude. In this regard, some concern has been raised about vegetarian athletes. In a recent research study, Borrione et al. 2009, looked at a young athlete suffering from a poorly planned vegetarian diet. The subject experienced progressive weakness and intermittent muscle aches particularly in their legs along with malaise, episodic tachycardia, and nausea. The controlled introduced of a planned amount of protein allowed the subject to return to athletic competition without any further issues. In their conclusion, researchers suggested that vegetarian diets are not associated with detrimental effects for athletes, but that careful planning was required with an emphasis on protein rich plant foods.
Although many people would assume that protein would be the hardest thing to obtain through a vegetarian diet, an underlying issue is more prevalent among vegetarians. Micro nutrient deficiencies are a major issue for athletes who aren’t taking in the recommend daily vitamins and minerals. According to a study done by the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada in 2003, "vegetarians are most commonly at risk for having lower levels of vitamin B-12, vitamin D, calcium, riboflavin, and iron" (Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2003) to name a few; these are significant nutrients that we need to be able to function daily. One of the other disadvantages of a vegetarian diet is that the iron content in plant sources is not as easily processed in the body as iron is through meat sources, because of this it is common to see vegetarian athletes with significant iron deficiencies. Eating iron and zinc enriched foods such as legumes, nuts, cereal, and seeds are essential when it comes to reaching the vitamin needs. Leafy greens are the essential foods that a vegetarian athlete would need to consider having a high intake of to reach sufficient iron levels; so it is possible to obtain the recommended iron levels through the plant sources, however most vegetarians still fall short on iron levels. Zinc, Iodine, Vitamin B-12, Taurine and Vitamin D are the main vitamins and trace minerals that the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) would recommend for a vegetarian to get through supplementation. Whether that is through a multi-vitamin or other means, however, it is recommended as well that the intakes of these through supplementation should not be over 100% to reduce the risk of the body becoming less efficient at absorbing these nutrients as is a common issue in vegetarian athletes.
It is not impossible to be a successful athlete while sticking to a vegetarian diet. It is possible through correct diet and planning as well as supplementation when needed for the additional support. There are many vegetarian athletes that have done extremely well in their sport, such as Dave Scott, the world record holder with 6 Ironman Triathlon wins all while being a vegetarian athlete. Tony Gonzalez (NFL), Billie Jean King (Tennis), Venus Williams (Tennis), Mike Tyson (Boxing), Ricky Williams (NFL), and Carl Lewis (Track and Field) are all well-known vegetarians that have won many championships or gold medals multiple times in their careers. Carl Lewis put it best when he said, “I 've found that a person does not need protein from meat to be a successful athlete. In fact, my best year of track competition was the first year I ate a vegan diet.” Mike Tyson known for his eloquent speeches and savagery in the ring said, “It 's been eight months with this vegan stuff, but I get these explosions of energy. I don 't know how long they last, but they 're like explosions. So powerful. I ate, like, the tiniest piece of meat, and I woke up violently sick. It was vicious pain. I was throwing up. And I realized meat 's become a poison for me now.” Going back to meat makes the body have to adjust to it again, especially when you been away from it for a long period of time. It seems like vegetarians feel more in-tune with their body and feel like they can do more than when they were not on the vegetarian diet.
So after reviewing all the information, the available evidence supports neither a beneficial nor a detrimental effect of a vegetarian diet on physical performance capacity, especially when carbohydrate intake is controlled for.
There is no convincing evidence, however, that vegetarian athletes suffer impaired nutrient status from the interactive effect of their heavy exertion and plant-food based dietary practices to the extent that performance, health, or both are impaired. Although there has been some concern about protein intake for vegetarian athletes, data indicate that all essential and nonessential amino acids can be supplied by plant food sources alone as long as a variety of foods is consumed and the energy intake is adequate. The key to success as a Vegetarian athlete is twofold. First the athlete must have a proper understanding of complete versus incomplete proteins. Secondly the athlete must plan accordingly more so than his non vegetarian
counterpart.
Work Cited
American Dietetic Association. "Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: vegetarian diets." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 103.6 (2003): 748.
Borrione, P., Spaccamiglio, A., Salvo, R. A., Mastrone, A., Fagnani, F., & Pigozzi, F. (2009). Rhabdomyolysis in a young vegetarian athlete. American Journal Of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation / Association Of Academic Physiatrists, 88(11), 951-954.
Fornaris, E. and Aubert, M. (1998) The Roman legionnaire, the misunderstood athlete. Histoire des Sciences Médicales 32, 161-168.
Hanne N, Dlin R, Rotstein A. Physical fitness, anthropometric and metabolic parameters in vegetarian athletes. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 1986;26:180–5.
Leitzmann, C. (2005). Vegetarian diets: what are the advantages?. Forum Of Nutrition, (57), 147-156
Rodriguez, Nancy R., Nancy M. DiMarco, and Susie Langley. "Nutrition and athletic performance." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 41.3 (2009): 709-731.
Shimomura, Y., Murakami, T., Nakai, N., Nagasaki, M., & Harris, R. A. (2004). Exercise promotes BCAA catabolism: effects of BCAA supplementation on skeletal muscle during exercise. The Journal Of Nutrition, (6)
Venderley, A. M., & Campbell, W. W. (2006). Vegetarian diets: nutritional considerations for athletes. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 36(4), 293-305.
Strength, endurance, hardcore training and deadly fighting skills the Roman Gladiator conjures up images of astonishing demigods. Would you be shocked to find out that it’s possible that Roman Gladiators were vegetarian athletes? (Fornaris & Aubert 1998) Athletes are considered to be the best of the best in their given sport. They dedicate countless hours to the pursuit of one goal and many base their entire lifestyle around that pursuit. However, a small group of high level athletes chose to forgo conversational wisdom and pursue a vegetarian lifestyle. In this paper we will define what it is to be an athlete. We will discuss the vegetarian lifestyle. We will examine the unique macro nutrient needs of the athlete, and …show more content…
further discuss the positive and negative effects of this lifestyle. Next, we will make some recommendations based on our research. Finally, we will answer the fundamental question. Can vegetarians perform as well as their carnivorous counterparts in high level athletic events? How is the term athlete defined? According to Webster’s dictionary an athlete is “a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength”. While a professional athlete is commonly defined as making their primary income from playing a particular sport.
So what is a vegetarian? A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons. The top two reasons subjects gave in a recent survey on why they become vegetarians were health concerns and living more balanced. Many vegetarians self-reported feeling leaner and clean inside. Yet this is more than likely a mental benefit rather than a physical manifestation.
An important consideration of any athlete is diet. It is essential to the success of the athlete that they reach their macro nutrient goals. Well-nourished athletes have better disease resistance and enhanced cardiovascular function. Of the six classes of nutrients, protein may be the hardest macro for vegetarians to fulfill. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, athletes should consume 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. In comparison, average adults are typically suggested only .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Simply put this number would suggest athletes need to double the normal macro protein needs over their more sedentary neighbors.
Protein is an essential part of a diet to maintain balanced nutrition. It performs many important functions, such as building lean body tissue and creating digestive enzymes. There are nine amino acids that are considered essential. They are referred to as essential because they cannot be synthesized by the human body. Of those nine, Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine are branch chained. Branched-chain amino acids stimulate the building of protein in muscle and possibly reduce muscle breakdown (Shimomura et al., 2006). Not all protein is created equal, however. Protein sources can be broken into two categories: complete and incomplete proteins. A complete protein contains an adequate amount of all of the essential amino acids that should be incorporated into a diet. Some protein contains all the amino acids needed to build new proteins, which generally come from animal and fish products. A complete protein must not lack even one essential amino acid in order to be considered complete. Some examples of complete proteins are meat, fish, poultry, and eggs. Complete proteins pack large amounts of protein in relatively small servings. An incomplete protein is any protein that lacks one or more essential amino acids in correct proportions. These can also be referred to as partial proteins. Even if the protein contains all the essential amino acids, they must be in equal proportions in order to be considered complete. If not, the protein is considered incomplete. Examples of incomplete proteins are grains, nuts, beans, and seeds.
An example of this would be a 10oz skirt steak. According to MyFitnessPal, a 10oz skirt steak will be 570 calories with 70 grams of protein. In comparison, 3 cups of black beans would be 570 calories with only 21 grams of protein. In this example the vegetarian ate the same amount of calories but took in only one third of the protein levels. Moreover the steak is going to supply all essential amino acids, while the black beans will need to be complemented with other proteins for the vegetarian
So is being a vegetarian healthier?
Published in the Forum of Nutrition, Leitzmann 2005 looked at the positive effects of a vegetarian diet. He stated that a growing body of scientific evidence indicates that wholesome vegetarian diets offer distinct advantages compared to diets containing meat and other foods of animal origin. The benefits arise from lower intakes of saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein as well as higher intakes of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C and E, carotenoids and other phytochemicals. Since vegetarians consume widely divergent diets, a differentiation between various types of vegetarian diets is necessary. In the past, vegetarian diets have been described as being deficient in several nutrients including protein, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin B12 and A, n-3 fatty acids and iodine. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the observed deficiencies are usually due to poor meal planning. Well-balanced vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, the elderly and competitive athletes. In most cases, vegetarian diets are beneficial in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, renal disease and dementia, as well as diverticular disease, gallstones and rheumatoid …show more content…
arthritis.
The reasons for choosing a vegetarian diet often go beyond health and well-being and include among others economical, ecological and social concerns. But it takes discipline and dedication to stay true to a vegetarian lifestyle. Proper vegetarian planning is physically, emotionally and financially demanding. Not only does the vegetarian face the normal daily stressors but additionally their nontraditional lifestyle can be extremely demanding. Many vegetarians find long term success to be difficult especially when they are in non-vegetarian social environments.
Being a vegetarian is hard enough, but could you imagine trying to balance your diet to meet all of the daily needs while being a vegetarian? Could you picture trying to plan what meals you need so that you can meet all the macronutrients, vitamins, and mineral needs of your body without the use of any meat products? This is a significantly hard problem that many vegetarians have. Being a vegetarian athlete only makes things even more difficult as they are not able to eat typical high protein meals such as chicken, turkey, and beef. Therefore it is generally recommended that vegetarians that are looking to remain physically active should consider working with a dietitian. Vegetarian athletes can obtain their protein and amino acid needs primarily with plant based sources but this is not an easy task to complete for your normal person. It is also shown that vegetarian athletes have lower creatine levels when compared to non-vegetarian athletes; because of this vegetarian athletes may have to introduce supplementation to reach the optimal levels of nutrients. As stated before, reaching protein and amino acid needs is obtainable through a strictly vegetarian diet by effectively planning and adding a variety of different plant sources. These athletes are recommended to supplement a creatine source into their diets in hopes that the muscle creatine levels will be up to par with a non-vegetarian athlete. The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians have stated that increasing the amount of complex carbohydrates and lowering simple carbohydrates is an essential way for vegetarian athletes to get the most nutrient dense diet and to have the most energy levels when compared to an omnivorous diet.
Another major concern for vegetarians is Rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle tissue breaks down rapidly. Exercise-induced muscle damage is commonly experienced after physical activity, and different studies showed that the amount of protein consumed seems to affect its magnitude. In this regard, some concern has been raised about vegetarian athletes. In a recent research study, Borrione et al. 2009, looked at a young athlete suffering from a poorly planned vegetarian diet. The subject experienced progressive weakness and intermittent muscle aches particularly in their legs along with malaise, episodic tachycardia, and nausea. The controlled introduced of a planned amount of protein allowed the subject to return to athletic competition without any further issues. In their conclusion, researchers suggested that vegetarian diets are not associated with detrimental effects for athletes, but that careful planning was required with an emphasis on protein rich plant foods.
Although many people would assume that protein would be the hardest thing to obtain through a vegetarian diet, an underlying issue is more prevalent among vegetarians. Micro nutrient deficiencies are a major issue for athletes who aren’t taking in the recommend daily vitamins and minerals. According to a study done by the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada in 2003, "vegetarians are most commonly at risk for having lower levels of vitamin B-12, vitamin D, calcium, riboflavin, and iron" (Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2003) to name a few; these are significant nutrients that we need to be able to function daily. One of the other disadvantages of a vegetarian diet is that the iron content in plant sources is not as easily processed in the body as iron is through meat sources, because of this it is common to see vegetarian athletes with significant iron deficiencies. Eating iron and zinc enriched foods such as legumes, nuts, cereal, and seeds are essential when it comes to reaching the vitamin needs. Leafy greens are the essential foods that a vegetarian athlete would need to consider having a high intake of to reach sufficient iron levels; so it is possible to obtain the recommended iron levels through the plant sources, however most vegetarians still fall short on iron levels. Zinc, Iodine, Vitamin B-12, Taurine and Vitamin D are the main vitamins and trace minerals that the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) would recommend for a vegetarian to get through supplementation. Whether that is through a multi-vitamin or other means, however, it is recommended as well that the intakes of these through supplementation should not be over 100% to reduce the risk of the body becoming less efficient at absorbing these nutrients as is a common issue in vegetarian athletes.
It is not impossible to be a successful athlete while sticking to a vegetarian diet. It is possible through correct diet and planning as well as supplementation when needed for the additional support. There are many vegetarian athletes that have done extremely well in their sport, such as Dave Scott, the world record holder with 6 Ironman Triathlon wins all while being a vegetarian athlete. Tony Gonzalez (NFL), Billie Jean King (Tennis), Venus Williams (Tennis), Mike Tyson (Boxing), Ricky Williams (NFL), and Carl Lewis (Track and Field) are all well-known vegetarians that have won many championships or gold medals multiple times in their careers. Carl Lewis put it best when he said, “I 've found that a person does not need protein from meat to be a successful athlete. In fact, my best year of track competition was the first year I ate a vegan diet.” Mike Tyson known for his eloquent speeches and savagery in the ring said, “It 's been eight months with this vegan stuff, but I get these explosions of energy. I don 't know how long they last, but they 're like explosions. So powerful. I ate, like, the tiniest piece of meat, and I woke up violently sick. It was vicious pain. I was throwing up. And I realized meat 's become a poison for me now.” Going back to meat makes the body have to adjust to it again, especially when you been away from it for a long period of time. It seems like vegetarians feel more in-tune with their body and feel like they can do more than when they were not on the vegetarian diet.
So after reviewing all the information, the available evidence supports neither a beneficial nor a detrimental effect of a vegetarian diet on physical performance capacity, especially when carbohydrate intake is controlled for.
There is no convincing evidence, however, that vegetarian athletes suffer impaired nutrient status from the interactive effect of their heavy exertion and plant-food based dietary practices to the extent that performance, health, or both are impaired. Although there has been some concern about protein intake for vegetarian athletes, data indicate that all essential and nonessential amino acids can be supplied by plant food sources alone as long as a variety of foods is consumed and the energy intake is adequate. The key to success as a Vegetarian athlete is twofold. First the athlete must have a proper understanding of complete versus incomplete proteins. Secondly the athlete must plan accordingly more so than his non vegetarian
counterpart.
Work Cited
American Dietetic Association. "Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: vegetarian diets." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 103.6 (2003): 748.
Borrione, P., Spaccamiglio, A., Salvo, R. A., Mastrone, A., Fagnani, F., & Pigozzi, F. (2009). Rhabdomyolysis in a young vegetarian athlete. American Journal Of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation / Association Of Academic Physiatrists, 88(11), 951-954.
Fornaris, E. and Aubert, M. (1998) The Roman legionnaire, the misunderstood athlete. Histoire des Sciences Médicales 32, 161-168.
Hanne N, Dlin R, Rotstein A. Physical fitness, anthropometric and metabolic parameters in vegetarian athletes. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 1986;26:180–5.
Leitzmann, C. (2005). Vegetarian diets: what are the advantages?. Forum Of Nutrition, (57), 147-156
Rodriguez, Nancy R., Nancy M. DiMarco, and Susie Langley. "Nutrition and athletic performance." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 41.3 (2009): 709-731.
Shimomura, Y., Murakami, T., Nakai, N., Nagasaki, M., & Harris, R. A. (2004). Exercise promotes BCAA catabolism: effects of BCAA supplementation on skeletal muscle during exercise. The Journal Of Nutrition, (6)
Venderley, A. M., & Campbell, W. W. (2006). Vegetarian diets: nutritional considerations for athletes. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 36(4), 293-305.