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
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
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