Vegan athletes

Any athletes out there? I have been athletic for most of my life and been vegan for three years. I am just starting to see a drop in my energy levels. Had to back off and recuperate a little longer than usual.
Any one try Vega meal replacement mix? I have had great energy from that, but the flatulence is getting to be too much. Is there anyway to eat something with it to keep the flatulence down? Maybe probiotics may be an answer, but that is expensive also. Maybe miso or some other fermented stuff to help digest the hemp/pea/brown rice or maybe it is the maca that is hard to digest.

I would avoid this product Vega. It has supplemental iron and preformed Vitamin A -- you really don't want to be taking either of these two things on a consistent basis. It is possible that the flatulence is coming from the supplemental iron (very hard on your digestive tract).

As a vegan athlete, it is important to make sure you are getting sufficient fat in your diet. I don't recommend oils, but whole raw nuts, seeds and avocados. At least three ounces a day if you are active, and maybe up to 6 or 7 ounces a day if you are exceedingly active.

I always recommend a good multivitamin also.

Best,
Josh

The vegan fitness forum at veganfitness.net would be a great place to start. Most vegan athletes see an improvement in thier performance, especially with a well-balanced vegan diet. Have a search on their you're bound to find something :)

I use 90+ vegan pea protein. I do some weight lifting, sit-ups and push-ups and find that my recovery is very fast.

Where do you get that from Nervine, and in what form?

I heard that you get more energy after turning vegan...

I, myself, am a runner (I run about 30 miles or so a week). Should I be taking in extra protein because of this or does it not matter?

When I first went vegan I got alot of energy. I would say at the fifth month, there was a dip in the energy level and even in the well being part. I told myself that it would past (perhaps toxins being released) and to look at my diet and add more stuff to it. And to get rid of processed food with all the perservatives (even if it was vegan). In two weeks, I was back to normal (any longer and I would have gone to the doctor asking for tests to see what was the matter), and had added flaxseed (raw and the oil), seaweeds, and more different grains (quinoa, amaranth, millet, kamut, and teff), legumes (chili with four different kind of beans - usually chickpeas, kidney, red, and black beans. But adzuki, turtle, and lentil are alternatives), and rice (from arborio (risotto), basamati, jasmine, to wild rice (which is really a grain)) to my diet.
Now I am feeling a slight dip in the energy level again after 3 years of being vegan. I have added the B12 vitamin supplement (actually VegLife's methyl- B12) and feel a little better. I've also incorporated running back into my workout (which is weightlifting). Not as much as I usually do during the summer (5 miles, four times a week), but 30 minutes on the treadmill (2 1/2 miles) every other day. Seems I need to keep the blood flowing in my body (with cardio) to keep my energy level up. Just need to get some advice on recuperating from lifting weights.
The newest info was drinking some juice after workout to spike the insulin level in the blood and then follow up with a protein drink (Vega is out, and now I am on to Peaceful Planet's mix) in order to get the protein into the cells fast.

Basically an athlete needs about 1g to 1.5g of protein per kg of weight. So if you weigh 75kg you need 75g of protein (or between 0.02oz and 0.03oz per pound of your body weight).

As for vit B12, your liver holds a reserve of about 4 to 8 years of vit B12. This vitamine has, among other functions, a major role in creating red blood cells. A vit B12 deficiency will most likely cause an anemia ergo fatigue. This only concerns those who have been a strict vegan for a number of years without taking any B12 supplements.

A vegan diet will not cause fatigue. Energy is just sugar and oxygen !!!

If you feel that after 3 years of being a vegan you don't have as much energy as before it could be :
- anemia if you have not taken any B12 supplements
- the unavoidable clock of life, no one is getting any younger, after 30 it is a downhill ride :(

cheers,
Lionel

A downhill ride after 30 is it? Wow, I didn't know that. At 40+, I will say that I feel about as great as I did in my late 20's. The fatigue is from working out and not snapping back as fast as I use to, probably due to age factors yes. But as a consciencous athlete I do have to listen to my body and make sure it is OK. Since I don't take any medications to cover up any symptoms that I may be having (although a good cup of green tea at this point in my ageing years gives me some energy to get my blood moving in my arteries in the morning:p ) I can feel everything.
I have started to take the B12 supplement now and feel a little better. Now that I think about it, I'll have to pay more attention and notice if it is my mind that is just saying I don't have the energy to do the 3 mile run today, or in fact it is my body that is saying it. I can't recall right now since I'm feeling great (funny how the mind just forgets? maybe it is my senility settling in too :p with my old age).

I don't think it matters what age you are, you can be fit at any age and unfit at any age. I know people in their 20's who can't climb stairs without getting out of breath!

Hi I'm new to the forum, and I have only been eating vegan for 6 weeks today. As an avid cyclist (~150 miles/week) I've found that my energy levels are higher than previously. Especially after meals. No more of the lethargy I usually experienced after eating. As I head into the "off season" I'll be doing some strength training. It w/b interesting to see if the results in the gym drop off with substantially less protein in my diet.

There doesn't have to be less protein. I am a bodybuilder and I am taking protein powders (just as before, it is just not whey) in between my meals. There seems to be pea, hemp, brown rice, and spirulina protein sources for the powders (that I have found so far) and with all kinds of other phytonutrients to help you rebound back (antioxidants, super good foods, etc.).
I am in off season now and enjoying eating alot again. In fact, I am going to have a Good Karma rice dream bar now! Yum!

you could be overtraining, you overtrain and you will suffer, i've dont it myself a few times :( you decide to push it that little bit harder and wham, the next day you have to push the pedles so hard to move you feel like your going up the alps!

I have found that, since going veggie and then vegan, my athletic performance has really improved.