Training Nutrition - Veganuary
Our good friend and ex-teammate, hank, is currently taking on the ‘veganuary’ challenge! Follow his journey on GCN’s YouTube channel (link below). We’re all for whatever works for you, but for those who are vegan, or just fancy a different meal to the usual meat and carb, our plant-based coach, Sam Williams, shares a quick and easy post-workout meal to get stuck into.
Click here to check out more on Hanks Veganuary adventure
Click here to check out more on Hanks Veganuary adventure
Many athletes are now shifting towards a plant based diet, including Chris Froome, who have been inspired by the growing academic studies highlighting the physiological benefits of such a diet. There is still many questions to be asked, but a vegan meal every now and then can be extremely positive for many reasons. Get creative, and you can get all you need in a vegan meal.
Or it could be for environmental reasons. A study by the Oxford University revealed that avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your environmental impact, as 83% of farmland is used by livestock but only provides 18% of our calories. Animal agriculture emits more greenhouse gases than the entire transportation industry combined – that’s every plane, car and train in the world – according to the United Nations.
Can I get enough protein in a vegan post workout meal?
There are two important elements to remember when it comes to optimising muscle growth during recovery. Firstly, you need enough protein to repair the micro-tears in your muscles, and get enough carbs in to refuel those muscles and replenish the stores you’ve just burned through.
The question should not just be how much protein, but what are the amounts of amino acids being consumed. To form a protein, 20 different amino acids bond together in a chain, of which 11 are produced by your body. Food is considered a complete protein when it contains the nine amino acids your body can’t synthesise. Soy is a complete protein – which means tofu, edamame, tempeh and miso are all complete plant based proteins. However, combining ‘incomplete’ proteins together will give you the full amino acid profile, for example beans and rice or peanut butter and wholewheat bread.
Other protein plant based options:
Or it could be for environmental reasons. A study by the Oxford University revealed that avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your environmental impact, as 83% of farmland is used by livestock but only provides 18% of our calories. Animal agriculture emits more greenhouse gases than the entire transportation industry combined – that’s every plane, car and train in the world – according to the United Nations.
Can I get enough protein in a vegan post workout meal?
There are two important elements to remember when it comes to optimising muscle growth during recovery. Firstly, you need enough protein to repair the micro-tears in your muscles, and get enough carbs in to refuel those muscles and replenish the stores you’ve just burned through.
The question should not just be how much protein, but what are the amounts of amino acids being consumed. To form a protein, 20 different amino acids bond together in a chain, of which 11 are produced by your body. Food is considered a complete protein when it contains the nine amino acids your body can’t synthesise. Soy is a complete protein – which means tofu, edamame, tempeh and miso are all complete plant based proteins. However, combining ‘incomplete’ proteins together will give you the full amino acid profile, for example beans and rice or peanut butter and wholewheat bread.
Other protein plant based options:
- almonds
- lentils
- chickpeas
- beans
- seitan
- pumpkin Seeds
- quinoa
Sams Post-Hack Vegan Meal
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Ingredients: Protein 38g / Carbs 52g / Fat 20g • 100g Lentils • 100g Tofu • 100g Braised White Beans • ½ cup Cherry Tomatoes • 1 clove Garlic • ½ cup PepperSpinach • Tbsp Hummus • ½ Avocado |
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Method:
- Add double the water (2:1) to the lentils and cook until soft and the water is absorbed.
- Meanwhile cut the tofu into small chunk and fry for 5mins with favourite spices, with a TSP of oil
- Add the chopped tomatoes, pepper garlic and cooked white beans to the pan and cook for a further 5mins.
- Add a big handful of spinach and wilt it down. (Don't be shy here, go big with the spinach, it really does shrink)
- A good tip is to chop the spinach up before throwing it in too, to avoid too much stringy wilted spinach at the end
- Serve with a big dollop of hummus and half an avocado
- ENJOY!
Check out more on Hanks Veganuary adventure here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNKSv-zhvFM&t=7s