Plant-Based Sports Nutrition

Gain the plant-based advantage! Join the thousands of runners, bodybuilders, and athletes from virtually every sport who rely on foods and beverages made without animal products. Every day an increasing number of athletes, even those who are not fully vegetarian or vegan, incorporate a plant-based diet when training or recovering from competition.

In Plant-Based Sports Nutrition, registered dietitians Enette Larson-Meyer and Matt Ruscigno combine decades of evidence-based research with personal experience working with—and as—vegan and vegetarian athletes to offer you a reliable and complete explanation of how, when, and why you need to plan your nutrient intake to maximize nutrition and get the best results. They will help you make smart decisions about properly fueling your body so you have the energy and stamina to boost your training and excel during competition.

Learn how to get proper amounts of all essential macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals, taking into account your personal caloric needs. Draw inspiration from athletes who share how they succeed in their sports while following a plant-based way of eating. Enjoy plenty of recipes to use for training, event, and everyday nutrition needs and utilize the tailored meal plans and training strategies to properly fuel your body. Understand nutrient timing and relative energy deficiency syndrome (RED-S) as well as how to meet protein and amino acid requirements while doing light, moderate, or intense training for your sport. Get information on keto diets, tips for optimizing bone health and iron intake, and instructions for making your own fluid-replacement beverage.

Whether you are a dedicated vegetarian or vegan looking to add variety to your diet or you are an athlete searching for a plant-based competitive edge, Plant-Based Sports Nutrition will help you maximize your diet for optimal performance!

Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education course  that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes both the book and exam.

Audience

Athletes who choose a vegan, vegetarian, or primarily plant-based way of eating, or athletes who want to gain the plant-based advantage; professionals such as coaches or personal trainers who support such athletes.

Chapter 1. Gaining the Plant-Based Advantage
Chapter 2. Getting Adequate Calories From Plant Sources
Chapter 3. Finding the Right Carbohydrate Mix
Chapter 4. Choosing Smart Fat Over No Fat
Chapter 5. Building Muscle Without Meat
Chapter 6. Optimizing Bone Health
Chapter 7. Boosting Iron Intake and Absorption
Chapter 8. Breaking Free of Multivitamin Dependence
Chapter 9. Prioritizing Food and Fluids Before, During, and After Events
Chapter 10. Choosing Whether to Supplement
Chapter 11. Reducing Muscle Cramps and Inflammation
Chapter 12. Creating a Customized Meal Plan
Chapter 13. Adapting the Plan to Manage Weight
Chapter 14. Whipping Up Quick Plant-Based Meals and Snacks
Chapter 15. Recipes

Appendix A. Energy Costs of Physical Activity
Appendix B. Food Guidance Systems
Appendix C. Foods Containing FODMAPs
Appendix D. Glycemic Index of Common Foods
Appendix E. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamins and Minerals
Appendix F. Metric Conversions for Common Measures

Enette Larson-Meyer, PhD, RD, CSSD, FACSM, is a professor at Virginia Tech and is a well-respected researcher in the area of sports and exercise metabolism. Her research centers on how nutrition influences the health and performance of active individuals at all stages of the life cycle and at all levels of performance—from the casual exerciser to the elite athlete.

Larson-Meyer is the author of Vegetarian Sports Nutrition (Human Kinetics, 2007) and has also authored over 80 scientific journal articles and book chapters. She served on the 2011 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sports Nutrition Consensus Panel and on the IOC Consensus Panel for Supplementation in the Elite Athlete. She is a board certified specialist in sports dietetics, is a former sports dietitian for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and is active in SCAN (the sports, cardiovascular, and wellness nutrition practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) and the American College of Sports Medicine, where she serves as an associate editor for medicine and science in sports and exercise. She is also a past chair of both SCAN and the vegetarian nutrition (VN) practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Personal interests include trail running, flat water kayaking, Irish step dancing, yoga, and being the number-one fan of her one semi-vegetarian and two vegetarian children.

Matt Ruscigno, MPH, RD, is a leading expert in plant-based nutrition and has followed a vegan diet for more than 20 years. He has a nutritional science degree from Pennsylvania State University, a public health nutrition master’s degree from Loma Linda University, and certification as a registered dietitian. He is a coauthor of the No Meat Athlete book with Matt Frazier and Appetite for Reduction with Isa Moskowitz and is lead author of Cacao, Superfoods for Life. He is the past chair of the vegetarian nutrition (VN) practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and currently is the chief nutrition officer at Nutrinic, a start-up health-care company using plant-based nutrition for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Recreationally, he has raced ultramarathons, Ironman races, and 24-hour mountain bike races, and he has bike toured over 15,000 miles. He is a long-time resident of Los Angeles, California.

“Five decades ago, when I won the Boston Marathon as a vegetarian runner, few knew or cared about my diet. Since then, I've encountered increasing interest year after year. At every runner’s clinic, someone asks me: ‘What do you think of a vegetarian diet, and how can I learn more?’ The answer is simple: Vegetarian and plant-based diets are great for your health as well as the health of the planet. And to learn everything you need to know, just read Plant-Based Sports Nutrition. Enette Larson-Meyer and Matt Ruscigno are as informed on the subject as they are passionate and experienced. There's no better source than this book.”
—Amby Burfoot, 1968 Boston Marathon Winner and Author of Run Forever: Your Complete Guide to Healthy Lifetime Running and Other Books

“Whether you’re an elite athlete or newbie exerciser, Plant-Based Sports Nutrition dispels the myths of plant-based nutrition while providing the knowledge to optimize your athletic performance. Plants are the athletic fuel of the future!”
—Scott Jurek, Vegan Ultramarathon Legend and Author of North and the New York Times–Bestselling Eat and Run

Considering protein supplements for plant-based athletes
Ideas for grab-and-go breakfasts
Why athletes need carbohydrates