Plant-Based Athlete Fitness and Health

Written by Stephanie MacNeill Can you be a plant-based athlete and still meet your protein needs ? Unless you’ve been living in some magical No Meat Athlete bubble we don’t know about, you’re probably no stranger to this question . And luckily, neither is science. For a long time, athletes, coaches, and trainers alike have worried that vegan and vegetarian diets may not be sufficient to support the nutritional requirements and performance goals of athletes. They wonder if animal products are necessary to perform at one’s highest level. I’m happy to report, the research says otherwise. And that there’s an easier way to think about how (and where) you get your protein on a plant-based diet. But before we get into the details, let’s take a step back: What the Heck is Protein Anyway? Your body contains thousands of different proteins that serve different functions, all made from amino acids. It’s the arrangement of these amino acids that determines the type and function...

Written by Jeremy Cronon This post was written by Jeremy Cronon. I don’t have enough fingers or toes to count the number of times someone has sent me a meme to the tune of: Hilarious, right? For the purpose of this article, I must talk about both. I officially became a walking stereotype when I paired my veganism with CrossFit in the fall of 2013. Despite a strong fitness background, I started from scratch, taking the week-long Foundations class for newbies and using beginner’s tools like a PVC pipe to ease in and learn proper form for many of my workouts. Over the next two years, I became stronger, more flexible, healthier, and more coordinated than I had imagined possible. I also discovered that I had an alarming appetite for sweet potatoes . That journey taught me that, despite what everyone seems to think, plant-based athletes can not only survive in a CrossFit gym, but thrive as part of the community. Don’t Let Them Scare You Away For the uninitiated, ven...