is your Instagram page packed with fitness influencers who eat lots of chicken, rice, and broccoli, and drink multiple cups of protein shakes daily? When thinking about your next meal, you may ask yourself if that is the only way to achieve your fitness goal? Maybe you want to lose weight, gain muscle or just get fit. -What if you do not want to eat chicken and broccoli only? What should you eat when you are on a vegan diet plan? You may wonder: “How do I achieve my goals?” Don´t worry, Fit & Feat. got your back. As veganism is becoming more and more popular in society, and the fitness industry is growing, we summarized all the important facts for you. Spoiler alert: You can reach any imaginable goal with a plant-based diet. Here are our five Tips for fitness enthusiastic vegans:
Tip 1 – Know your veggies
With any diet, it is essential to inform yourself about the nutrients your body needs and their availability in foods. When talking about muscle gain, it is crucial to supply the body with all important amino acids and proteins. Meat, eggs, and dairy products contain the largest proportion of proteins, according to common belief. However, plenty of plants are great sources of protein, too. You just need to know your Veggies. Plant-based protein sources even contain additional vitamins and other important macronutrients, which is a big advantage. The most common vegan protein sources are legumes like lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas, and soy (which can be found in tofu, seitan, and tempe), cereals, nuts, and mushrooms, and many more (Petre, Link, & Chin, 2021). You can find these at every supermarket.
When optimizing your protein supply, combining different kinds of plant-based proteins, to increase bioavailability is key (Gesund Leben, 2022). This way you support your body in making use of the protein by supplying all necessary amino acids. Examples of perfect combinations are cereals and legumes, or legumes and nuts.
If you are still unsureabout covering your body´s need for proteinor are looking for an easier solution during busy weeks, you can always incorporate protein powder into your meals. There are lots of options for vegan protein powder available.
Tip2 – It’s all about the macros
Know what you need and track what you eat! That is the secret to finally reaching your fitness goal. This means you should calculate the nutrients you need based on your age, weight, and activities. Then track the macronutrients in your meals, which will help you to get an overview of what you eat, so you know if you supply your muscle with enough protein to get stronger.
If you are new to the fitness world check out our workshop about macronutrients. Fit & Feat. created this personalized workshop for you so you can achieve your goals in no time.
Tip 3 – Create a meal plan
You do not want to think about your meals every day and your busy lifestyle does not allow you to track everything you eat? If that sounds familiar to you, a meal plan can be the solution. You can find plenty of vegan fitness meal plans online. If this is still too time-consuming, contact one of our Fit & Feat. nutritionists who can create a personalized meal plan just for you.
Tip 4 – Get your blood checked regularly
When you decide to go fully vegan, it is important to make sure your body is nourished. As everyone has different needs, we recommend you to consolidate a doctor at least once a year. They can check your blood to make sure you are supplied with all important nutrients, especially the critical ones like Vitamin B12. It is best if you tell your Doctor about your vegan diet, so he will know what to check for. Besides that, not only vegans but everyone should get checked regularly to ensure their body can function best during workouts.
Tip 5 – Find a Buddy
Finding like-minded vegan fitness enthusiasts can help you stay motivated. Additionally, you can exchange your knowledge about vegan-friendly restaurants or recipes with your buddy. So don´t forget to mention your plant-based diet in your Fit & Feat. profile.
. There are plenty of other Vegans in our community that will be thrilled to get to know you, and exchange their favorite recipes and workouts with you!
As you can see, being Vegan and a Fitness enthusiast pairs very well! At Fit & Feat. it is our mission to support you and all the other vegan women out there to reach your fitness goal. So what are you waiting for? How to get started towards reaching your goal is described directly on our website – So go check it out and see you soon!
Your Fit & Feat. team!
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