Why A Plant-based Diet Is Perfect For Helping You Reach Your Sporting Goals.

Last July I took the decision to stop regularly eating meat. At the time, the decision was based on a deep held belief that I needed to do more to reduce my impact on the environment, and because I knew various other bodysurfers that had taken the plunge to go vegan and were reaping the benefits.  In the first few weeks of exploring this change, and starting to replace meat with other alternatives, I found myself looking into a plant based diet as an option.

A plant-based diet allows us to be more aware about the nutritional value of what we eat, shortens exercise recovery time and improves muscle ability, that is why it could be the perfect option for you to reach your sporting goals. It does not necessarily mean you need to cut out all animal products. In fact, the term can be interpreted in multiple ways. Some people understand it to mean a vegan diet, for others it could be focusing on plant foods but occasionally eating meat or fish. 

For me, a plant based diet has, for the most part, been very vegetarian. I can go weeks without eating any meat products, and I find that I end up choosing a much wider variety of food now because of it. 

However, as I live close to the sea, I occasionally allow myself some locally caught seafood. There is nothing better than fresh fish, and the further north you go the better it gets. Otherwise my curries are filled with vegetables and my cupboards are piled high with fruit.

When I decided to stop regularly eating meat, and to start filling my diet with more plant foods, I did it knowing that there were certain foods I would miss. I’ve certainly had my weak moments, especially for apple and pork pies, but there are multiple positives of a plant based diet that keep me on the right track:

1.   Furthers my performance both in and out of the water

2.   Boosts my energy

3.   Weight management is easier

4.   Feeling overall healthier and stronger.

5.   Opens the door to experimenting with new food

Over the last 8 months, the positives have far outweighed the negatives, and I have noticed a significant difference in my overall health and fitness. Now I stick to a plant based diet, because I prefer how it makes me feel – and I like the impact it has had on my bodysurfing and swimming ability. It isn’t necessarily the right choice for everybody, but it could potentially give you a kick start to improving your sporting strength.

Increase Training and Competition Performance

In recent years, more and more elite athletes have been switching to a plant based diet. Some more notable sporting figures you might recognise that are vegan include; Lewis Hamilton, Venus Williams and David Haye.

While currently there is little research in the shift, many of these sporting heroes are hailing their plant based diets for their success. A documentary focussing on this shift, ‘the Game Changers’, came out recently on Netflix, and tracked the progress of various international athletes through their training whilst following a vegan diet. Produced by Arnold Schwarzenegger, it came to the conclusion that sticking to a plant-based diet can significantly improve athletic performance.

In a review written in the journal Nutrients, various reasons for this improvement are suggested. This review based its data on 77 other journals and pieces of research, found that a plant-based diet will help more oxygen reach muscles, and could improve blood flow. In turn, this will impact the capacity your muscles can work at, making it possible for you to train harder and for longer.

All this is based on the idea that by participating in a plant-based diet, you naturally eat less high-fat foods. 

This is something I personally noticed, and really felt the benefit from. Since switching to a plant-based diet, I have felt that I could keep performing at a high standard for longer periods of time – and I’ve also found that I do not need to wait as long after eating before I get in the water. Overall, I’ve seen a definite increase in my ability in the sea (I particularly noticed this after starting body surfing, and finding myself in the sea for longer periods of time) and when running on land. 

Energy Boosting For Endurance Sessions

We’ve all been there; we’ve got in the zone and been out at sea for hours. The surf is pumping, the sun is shining and there is nowhere in the world we’d rather be – and then you hit the dreaded brick wall.

And at this point we wish we trained more, trained longer, pushed harder, had put time into increasing cardiovascular fitness. If only we’d done a little bit more, maybe we could stay out a little longer. Instead it’s a hard drag back up the beach, the car a little spot in the distance. It’s exhausting.

Switching to a plant-based diet is suggested to help with your endurance, so in terms of body surfing that means more time to rip through left and right hand waves.

According to the Nutrients review mentioned earlier, sticking to a plant-based diet has been shown to improve cardiovascular health and recovery time in endurance athletes. It suggests that a plant-based diet can play a significant role in training and performance, is especially effective for cardiovascular health, and can drop recovery times.

So not only can you train for longer, but you can get back to training much quicker. Recently, runners and cyclists have begun to adapt to a plant-based diet to improve their endurance. Perhaps it’s time for other sports to follow suit?

Managing Weight is Easier

Plant based diets tend to be high in fibre, carbohydrates and water content from vegetables and fruit. There are theories to suggest that this keeps you feeling fuller for longer, so you eat less. It also means you increase your energy use, even when you’re resting, so you burn calories faster.

Research in 2009 published in Diabetes Care found that vegans had the lowest average BMI, followed by vegetarians and pescatarians. The group with the highest average BMI were non-vegetarians. I personally try not to focus too heavily on a BMI, as there are limiting factors to its accuracy.  (For example, when I was hitting my training peak two years ago,I was considered underweight due to an increasingly reduced body fat percentage) however, it is a clear indicator that a plant based diet can have quite a significant impact on overall weight and health. Reduced body fat is associated with increased aerobic capacity, and fitness, which will directly translate to sporting ability.

This is backed up by research in 2013, published in The Permanente Journal, that suggested that plant based diets promote considerably lower rates of obesity.

When already heavily involved in sports, or trying to get more involved, weight can be a tricky matter to navigate. Sports like surfing are not too negatively affected by weight, however by paying attention to it then you might find you see an increase in strength and overall health that helps you perform better. Going plant based could help you start become more aware about the nutritional value of what you’re putting in your body, and in time you should see a significant positive impact on your fitness.

Feeling Mentally and Emotionally Healthier and Stronger

It’s not a surprise that what you eat impacts every part of your body and so, whilst it’s not something we often consider, changing your diet can have a beneficial impact on your mood.

People associate plant-based diets with vegetables and fruit, but there are a wide variety of nutritious plant based foods, such as nuts and beans, that will help you get everything you need to stay healthy. 

Nutritious, plant-based foods are filled with a higher level of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that you are unlikely to get in high-fat foods. In this way, you are nourishing not just your body but also your mind.

According to recent studies, vegetarians have showed fewer symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression. This could be down to a variety of reasons, but research suggests that with a plant-based diet you have higher levels of antioxidants in the blood stream, which significantly lower the risk of depression.

The impact of this on day to day life alone is very positive, but when we look at how it influences sports and how we perform, keeping good mental health is what encourages us to get back out and active. I think just feeling healthier overall will put you in a position where you can take on anything, and can only help you improve your athletic achievements. 

You Might Open the Door to Trying New Food

Let’s talk about variation. Taking the decision to alter your diet can be a really tricky one. Up until last summer I was a staunch fan of pork pies, chicken curries and fish and chips. The reality is, those are some of the few things I still really crave.

 However, last July I made the decision to start cutting down on the amount of meat I ate. After researching the environmental impact of farming animals, and after already deciding to buy no new clothes, I felt it was the next step to trying to reduce my individual carbon footprint.

Rather than cutting meat out straight away, I restricted myself to eating it only on weekends. It was a little easier than going cold turkey, and made the transition period feel really simple. In the meantime, I started experimenting with plant based alternatives. So instead of using vegetarian meat, such as Quorn, I would choose butternut squash or beetroot burgers, sweet pepper and potato sausages. These are products that can be substituted for meat in a meal, but are entirely produced of plant based ingredients.

Whilst I know there is a considerable amount of stigma about missing meat, or alternatives not matching up, I can safely say the best wings I have ever had were made from cauliflower. 

What I learned from my first few months of reduced meat (Which has now become vegetarian) is that I have started trying new and different foods that I would never normally consider, and that I really love them. 

When you go out for food, or are stood staring at the stocked meat freezers in the supermarket, it is so easier to stick to what you know. I’ve been very guilty of choosing the same meal again and again because I know I like it – however, when you start experimenting with different foods you open the door to a world of new flavours. You’ll try food you never considered before, visit vegetarian cafes and restaurants that you may otherwise have not encountered. Plant based food is delicious but often passed over for meat alternatives, and changing up your diet will force you to experience new and exciting foods you’ve not tried before.

Conclusion

It is important to acknowledge that a plant-based diet isn’t for everyone. But if you’re willing to take the plunge, you could see improvements to your strength and fitness as well as being in a position to experiment with new foods. After experiencing the difference it has made to my bodysurfing, I know I’ll be sticking to it in the future. If you’re looking for a way to boost your sporting ability, or your endurance, then this might be the answer. With improved cardiovascular fitness, better blood flow and faster recovery times, there really doesn’t seem to be many downsides.