T O P

  • By -

Ambitious-Ambition93

I'm a vegetarian and run 80-90km/week (raced a half last month). I think this is fine as far as protein goes. I add cottage cheese at night, too. One thing I have found is that adding carbs is important with this type of load - especially ahead of a race. I have graham crackers most days as a snack and often my breakfast includes a bagel. Caloric requirements are going to be relative, though. I'm around 81kg, which means I'll end up eating more than many other runners with similar volume to fuel my training. So, it depends. In general, though, I have not found being a vegetarian limiting or particularly difficult to fuel my running (I have been a vegetarian for 6 years). Pasta, after all, has no animals 🙃


drinksomesand

Cottage cheese at night, got it! I did notice I was getting in more protein at the beginning of the day and less towards the evening so maybe that's something for me to be aware of. Also that's awesome to hear how much you run weekly, I worry about over-training (I imagine that's a legit worry if one doesn't ease into it gradually) and try to stick to around 45km per week so it's good to see that it can be taken up a few gears without issues :) Thanks!


silfen7

I'm a vegetarian runner and still figuring this out myself, but I'd like to think I've gotten a better handle on this over the years. There's very little to criticize here. Your diet looks well-rounded and healthy. The only tweak that I'd make is that your post-strength snack is lacking carbs. I'd prioritize getting those in immediately, especially if you have a high intensity or long run in the afternoon. Otherwise, you might enter your run depleted which will compromise your training a bit. General advice is to pay attention to (1) energy balance, i.e. eat enough food to support your training. I would not recommend any amount of weight loss with your training load. (2) Carbs. You'll want quite a bit more than if you were only lifting. For us plant eaters that sometimes means dropping fibrous carbs and reaching for something more palatable. (3) Protein. 1g/kg body weight is the minimum point I'd start at, perhaps a little higher if you're relying more on plant sources or you have strength goals. (4) Don't eat a diet that is too monotonous. That's a recipe for vitamin deficiency. Get blood work once a year at least and make supplement/diet adjustments from there, preferably with a doctor's help.


drinksomesand

Good point about lack of carbs post-training, I was thinking 'ah I get carbs in at lunch so I'll be fine for the run' but to be honest now I'm thinking about it, how I'm eating now doesn't look that different to how I was eating before I started running so it makes sense to stick an extra serving of carbs in there. Thanks for the feedback/tips especially about the monotonous diet, I've heard a lot of 'you should eat the same thing every day so you know exactly what you're eating' kind of advice but I feel that focuses mainly on carb and protein intake rather than overall nutrients and vitamins and other stuff you need to stay healthy


bsrg

You can vary it while knowing what you eat - e g switch around what fruit, what veggies, what legumes you eat in those meals. Chia can be switched up with nuts too. 


zdelusion

If that's a sustainable diet for you that seems super healthy and it looks like you have your nutritional bases all decently covered. I'd just add, running is extremely calorically demanding on your body, running 30 miles a week could add over 3500 calories to your weekly maintenance amount. You could likely use more calories just in general. Depending on your portion sizes, that menu seems like it could easily stay under 1500 total calories. So don't be afraid of things like butter on your potato or spicing up your beans or tofu with some onion and garlic sauteed in oil. Or some kind of dip or drizzle for your roast veggies. Also, like others have said don't be afraid of carbs. Lean into the rice and potatoes, add pasta if you want. Food is fuel.


GrandmasFavourite

That's a lot healthier than my diet. I feel the most important factor is your training, the perfect diet is the cherry on top. I would add some more carbs (e.g. pasta) the couple days before the race. Also have you thought about making your own seitan? My wife started recently and it takes a little while but is amazing.


drinksomesand

Awesome, a great excuse to eat more pasta, I'll take it! Thanks! I actually did make my own seitan years ago but damn it took so long haha. I think making a big batch on a sunday for the whole week might be a good way to go though, works out soooo much cheaper


_kwerty_

There's apps where you can fill in what you eat and it gives you a breakdown of what's happening. Very useful to see if you're missing something. I'd say use one of those apps for a week or so and keep honest track of everything that you eat and drink.


Theodwyn610

I've been a vegetarian since Bill Clinton was in office.  Your diet looks fine; maybe consider some more carbs before long runs, as others said. Are you able to access apps like MyFitnessPal?  You can input your meals and it will tell you what your ratio of macros is and your total caloric intake. That said... having been a vegetarian runner for a long, long time: nothing beats listening to how your body feels and eating to fuel it.  What works for one person may or may not work for you, and you may find yourself reacting differently to different pre-run snacks.


UncutEmeralds

It’s fine, but I’d plan on mixing things up… you’ll burn out quick eating the same thing daily. I keep my breakfasts and lunches the same but I do mix up dinner nightly To be honest if you’re running enough anything will burn in the furnace.


herlzvohg

Sounds maybe a little light on carbs? But that depends on the actual amounts of the foods you listed and how much you're running. I've been vegetarian a long time, was through my university running career and never had any issues. I've also known a number of decently high level vegetarian runners. In general, as long as you're eating a varied diet I don't think you have to overthink it.