Vegan for Life (25 page)

In the Nurses’ Health Study, nuts in particular seemed to help prevent weight gain. Over an eight-year period, women who ate nuts two
or three times a week gained less weight than those who rarely ate nuts, even when they had similar calorie intakes.
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Nuts are unique foods because they are high in protein, fiber, and fat. Their consumption may give a boost to the enhanced metabolism that normally occurs after a meal.
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And whole nuts are hard to chew completely, which might result in incomplete digestion and fewer calories absorbed. This may help explain why peanut butter doesn’t seem to have the same benefits as whole nuts for weight control.

We are not suggesting a free-for-all when it comes to fat intake. It’s definitely hard to keep calorie intake low or moderate if you are dousing your food with oil. But including some plant fat, especially monounsaturated fat, in a vegan diet may have advantages for controlling chronic disease and for weight loss compared with eliminating all fats.

There is no great secret about how to lose weight: Eat less, exercise more. It’s hardly surprising that Americans are more overweight than ever since studies of eating habits show that we consume more calories than we did a decade ago. Americans are also less physically active than in times past.

While calories are the real issue in weight loss and gain, where you get those calories may affect your dieting success. Good food choices can help control hunger, making it easier to lose weight and keep the weight off. Use the food guide in Chapter 7 to plan your daily intake. Most people need more than the 1,600 calories provided by the minimum number of servings in the food guide, so add servings from any of the groups to achieve a calorie intake that is comfortable for you and contributes to a slow, steady weight loss. As you make menu choices, keep the following suggestions in mind:

T
here is no question that vegan diets are suitable for competitive sports. Some of the most talented athletes in the world—like ultramarathoner Scott Jurek, world champion boxer Keith Holmes, and professional football star and Heisman Trophy–winner Desmond Howard—have enjoyed successful careers as vegans.

Most of us aren’t in their league, of course. If you’re hitting the gym two or three times a week to work out, you probably don’t need to change a thing about your vegan diet (assuming you’re already following our guidelines for healthy eating). It may be that those who train competitively don’t need to change much either. Athletes who eat enough to satisfy their appetite will often meet their protein needs without even trying, and they will get a boost in iron intake too. But since vegan diets are typically lower in calories, protein, well-absorbed iron, creatine, and carnitine, it’s worth giving these issues some added attention. We’ll also discuss carnosine because there has been interest in the relationship of this amino acid to athletic performance.

Exercise efficiency, gender, non-exercise habits, and genetics all affect calorie requirements. And because needs vary with every individual, there is no set formula for determining your energy requirements; it’s a matter of experimentation.

For weight lifters, inadequate calorie intake can inhibit muscle growth. Consuming adequate calories preserves muscle protein that would otherwise be used for energy. Pay attention to hunger signals to know whether you are eating enough. For a ballpark figure, one study found that novice male weight lifters lowered body fat while increasing muscle mass and size when they consumed about 18 calories per pound of body weight per day (3,240 calories per day for a 180-pound person).
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In another study, highly trained male bodybuilders ate 22.7 calories per pound (4,086 calories per day for a 180-pound person).
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Teen athletes and others with high calorie needs may find it a challenge to eat enough, but a few simple additions to your diet can help boost calories:

Although current government recommendations don’t include a separate protein RDA for athletes, opinions about protein needs of athletes vary considerably. And needs may be quite different depending on whether you are engaged in endurance or strength training.

Whether the protein needs of strength athletes are any greater than the general population is a subject of debate. There is a legitimate argument for needs ranging anywhere from 0.8 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram (0.36 to 0.77 per pound) of healthy body weight. Higher protein intake might be more important for people who are starting a strength routine, and needs might decrease in those who have already fulfilled most of their muscle mass potential.

In a 2009 joint position paper on nutrition and athletic perormance, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and Dietitians of Canada suggested that vegetarian athletes need 1.3 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, which translates to 0.6 to 0.8 grams per pound.
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Here are some practical tips for strength athletes:

Every person is different, so it takes some experimenting to find the right balance. The menu on page 204 is one example of a high-protein diet for athletes.

Endurance athletes may need less protein as they become better trained because, according to the 2009 position paper, protein turnover may become more efficient with training. At the earlier stages of training, you may need as much as 1.2 to 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight—which translates to 1.3 to 1.55 grams per kilogram for vegan endurance athletes (0.6 to 0.7 grams per pound of body weight).
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It can be easier for endurance athletes to meet protein needs simply because they consume more calories. If you are not losing weight and are consuming high-protein foods, you’re likely to get plenty of protein. But you might want to calculate your individual needs and track your intake for a few days using the chart on pages 19–20 just to make sure.

While protein isn’t a huge worry for vegan athletes, it’s possible to experience muscle damage from a diet that doesn’t meet needs. A sixteen-year-old competitive swimmer in Italy who was avoiding almost all high-protein foods suffered temporary, but serious, muscle damage, presumably due to inadequate protein.
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His muscle damage didn’t occur unnoticed; he suffered obvious fatigue and muscle pain. It’s a rare and unusual case, but it does illustrate the need to make sure you’re eating enough high-protein foods. If you are, and you aren’t suffering from muscle pain or unusual fatigue, it’s safe to assume that you’re getting enough protein.