The Vegan Life: Clean Eating and Working Out

The vegan lifestyle has been shown to reduce the chances of several health complications, such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. However, some individuals can find themselves face to face with fatigue with they start a vegan diet.

This is a huge problem, especially if you’re athletic. In this short guide, we’ll take a look at some vegan life clean eating tips that will help you to stay energized during your workouts, no matter how hard you hit the gym.

Make Sure You Eat Enough

One of the most common mistakes that vegans make is not eating enough. Trying to fuel your body for exercise with nothing more than leafy greens isn’t going to work.

If you’re training hard, then you need to be eating as many calories as your body needs. If you’re new to the vegan diet, then this can be tricky at first, but once you start to find calorie-dense foods, such as:

• Nuts
• Sweet potatoes
• Quinoa
• Peanut butter
• Avocado

You’ll start to find it easier to take in enough calories to keep yourself fueled throughout your workout and the rest of the day.

Get Plenty of Fats

The idea that fat is bad is something that has been misunderstood. Sure, the saturated fat that you get from eating meat and dairy products is known to contribute to health problems such as cardiovascular disease and clogged arteries. 

But the fats that we get from plants help to improve and protect our health. Healthy fats are the most energy-efficient form of food that provides a slow and steady source of energy for the day. Make sure you’re eating plenty of nuts, avocados, and olive oil. 

Time Your Protein

No matter what your diet is, protein is the key to staying strong. Not only will protein help to fuel your workouts, but it will make sure your body recovers from every workout in time for the next one.

It is recommended that anyone who undergoes regular physical training should eat a minimum of 1.2-2.0 grams of protein for every kilogram of bodyweight. If you’re a bodybuilder, then you’ll need even more!

Vegan protein powders can be a vegan athlete’s best friend. Preparing high-protein vegan meals around your workout can be timely, so take advantage of the ease and portability of the protein shake. Check out more here.  

Be sure to time your protein around your workouts, too. Aim to consume 20-30g of protein shortly before your workout and then 30-40g of protein as part of your post-workout meal.

Vegan Life Clean Eating

Adapting to vegan life clean eating can be tricky at first. The biggest problem comes with finding the right foods for fueling athleticism. By following the tips in this guide, you can make sure that you’re getting all the calories and protein you need to fuel your workouts and keep you energized throughout the day. For more useful diet and nutrition tips, be sure to take a look at our other articles.