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Mailbag: Protein for Vegetarians
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10/16/2009 - 5:59 PM
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My daughter is 14 years old and plays competitive tennis. We are vegetarians and do not eat meat or fish (eggs are OK but not preferred). We do eat different kinds of legumes, beans, vegetables and fruits as part of our daily diet. What is the best source of protein for my daughter on a daily basis and also on match days? Thanks and Regards.—Sundara Vardhan  This is a great question, especially since it’s been reported that vegetarianism among adolescents seems to be on the rise. If you’re looking for the single best source of protein for a vegetarian, then Lisa Dorfman, director of sports nutrition and performance at the University of Miami and author of the Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide, has one word for you: soy.
“When you’re a vegetarian, you have to look for alternative sources of protein that have all the essential parts of protein, including amino acids,” Dorfman says. “All animal proteins have all the amino acids. Plant-based proteins don’t, except for soy.” So when you can, opt for soy protein (there's tons of soy on the market now, from soy milk to cheese to vegetarian products from brands like Yves, Gimme Lean and Primal Sticks) to make sure you're getting all the essentials to build your muscles and help you recover after workouts. Dorfman also recommends lean sources of protein, like beans, lentils and low-fat dairy products, over higher fat options, like cheese and eggs. No matter how you get your protein, the most important time to make sure you're eating enough of it is during training. “In a way, training is a lot harder on the body than game day because you’re doing a lot of different things, from strength training to footwork,” she says. Depending on your weight, Dorfman recommends eating 50–60 grams of protein a day during training, and cutting back in the 48 hours before competition to 30–40 grams a day so you’ll have extra room for carbs. Here are her recommendations for a sample training day, along with lots of water: Breakfast: Egg Beaters with toast Lunch: Subway veggie sub Snack: protein bar or shake Dinner: pasta with vegetarian meatballs
11 Comments
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Posted by ravi |
10/19/2009 at 01:05 PM |
great article....we need more on nutrition especially relating to vegetarian options. |
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Posted by Felipe_B |
10/20/2009 at 08:54 AM |
Since almost a year, i stopped eating or drinking dairy products. I started to treat my allergies and generally my health concerns with Homotoxicology, and i was recomended no to intake dairy products. I replaced milk for soy milk (or juice) but as i read in its pack, it contains much less protein than regular milk (or fat free milk). There is also a myth that soy may increase your estrogen levels, wich in males, its not a desirable effect. ¿Is it really significant the less protein proportion of soy milk? ¿And is it true this myth about soy and estrogens? |
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Posted by Felipe_B |
10/20/2009 at 08:54 AM |
Since almost a year, i stopped eating or drinking dairy products. I started to treat my allergies and generally my health concerns with Homotoxicology, and i was recomended no to intake dairy products. I replaced milk for soy milk (or juice) but as i read in its pack, it contains much less protein than regular milk (or fat free milk). There is also a myth that soy may increase your estrogen levels, wich in males, its not a desirable effect. ¿Is it really significant the less protein proportion of soy milk? ¿And is it true this myth about soy and estrogens? |
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Posted by Matt |
10/20/2009 at 09:35 AM |
Another great food to eat that has all the essential amino acids (the article is incorrect in listing soy as the only one) is Quinoa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa). It also has the benefit of being gluten-free as well. |
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Posted by arbiter |
10/21/2009 at 04:38 PM |
I am not an expert, but I know that there are plenty of sources of proteni from vegetable and fruit. Players will get better performance if they don't eat meat. That is my firm belief.
I suggest that everyone does their own research. You can start here:
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html |
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Posted by Brian |
10/22/2009 at 12:17 PM |
Rubbish. Vegetarian athletes should eat enough calories from a variety of whole, unprocessed foods, and the protein takes care of itself. Soy should not be overdone, and there are plenty of other legumes, not to mention nuts, seeds, and green, leafy vegetables which deliver plenty of protein and nutrition as part of a balanced, healthy diet. Vegetarians and vegans need not worry about nutrition anymore than omnivores do; everyone should take a multivitamin. |
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Posted by clb72 |
10/22/2009 at 06:26 PM |
I echo Brian- the essential amino acid line is rubbish. Here's what the American Dietetic Association said way back in 1993:
Plant sources of protein alone can provide adequate amounts of essential and nonessential amino acids assuming that dietary protein sources from plants are reasonably varied and that caloric intake is sufficient to meet energy needs. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds, and nuts all contain essential and nonessential amino acids. Conscious combining of these foods within a given, as the complementary protein dictum suggests, is unnecessary.
I've been a vegetarian for 20 years, and I've never given a thought to where my protein was coming from, and I've been just fine, run marathons, played lots of tennis, had healthy vegetarian children, etc. |
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Posted by microgaming |
10/23/2009 at 05:47 AM |
Since the latest years it is not a problem to be a vegetarian or vegan. Lots of complements are in the market and lots of information around the internet about how to keep your healthy values by being a vegetarian or vegan. Your daughter will have no problems if she follows a balanced diet and will not be handicapped by not eating meat. |
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Posted by Monk |
10/23/2009 at 07:28 AM |
The Article is inaccurate and makes way too many generalizations. Offlate lot of people are getting on the SOY bandwagon.
There are countries like India where people have been following strict vegetarian diet for Eons and they are doing just fine.
As long as one has enough variety of vegetables, fruits, lentils,nuts , diary products, they will do just fine.
As few posters indicated , i am also one of those strict vegetarians (ie No Egg, No Meat) and i still play loads and loads of sports and work out a lot and doing just fine.
I heard/read some where that Roger Federer was a vegetarian for some period of time in his career-- he did just fine as well. |
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Posted by KHODI-KUBA BENNU |
12/23/2009 at 06:44 AM |
Another Alternative To The Soy and Dairy Milk Issue is Coconut Milk and Subsequent Other Nut Milks',Almond, Hazelnut,etc etc, Also Quinoa, and Rice Milk or Goats' Milk Which is Supposedly The Closest To Human Milk. Nuff Said! |
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Posted by KHODI-KUBA BENNU |
12/23/2009 at 06:49 AM |
Did I Forget The Values of WHEY PROTEIN, Whey is Used Heavily By Most of My Bodybuilding Friends, and Seems To Do Wonders For Their Overall Physique and Good Health, in My Own Personal Opinion. Nuff Said For Now! |
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