Running While Vegetarian:

Whether you have been a long time vegetarian or it is something you have recently adopted as part of a wellness regime, it is important to be smart about any diet that eliminates a food category.  Classic vegetarian errors include relying too heavily on fat laden foods like cheese and eggs and not including protein rich foods like beans, nuts and seeds regularly in the diet.  As with any way of eating, poor planning can lead to nutrient deficiencies or calorie excesses – but a few simple things to focus on will keep you on the right track.

First a few definitions:

• Vegetarian: someone who chooses not to eat any meat or fish but still eats dairy products and eggs (also called a lacto-ovo vegetarian)
• Vegan: someone who chooses not to eat any animal product or by-product.

PROTEIN:

Proteins are either “complete” or “incomplete”.  Proteins from animal sources are complete while most vegetable proteins are incomplete and can not be used by the body in their current form.  To make vegetarian protein sources complete, just eat a variety of grains, nuts and legumes each day.  This is called food combining.  Just choose foods from the different categories listed below to eat each day.

Vegetarian protein sources:

• Grains: barley, wheat, bulgar, oats, rice, etc.
• Legumes: beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, soy products
• Seeds and Nuts: sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, cashews, nut butters, etc.
• Dairy: milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, eggs

If you are following the food pyramid a s a planning guide, consider the following.  If you consume 9 servings of grains/starch and 4 servings of vegetables you would already be up at 35 grams of protein.  Add 2 servings of milk for another 16 grams.  You are at 51 grams without even eating beans or nuts yet!  Don’t let the number of servings listed here scare you – nutritional serving sizes are probably a lot smaller than you think.  A large banana or apple will count as 2 servings and a deli bagel can be 3-4 servings of bread.

To calculate your protein requirements based on your body weight, use the following:

1.      Convert your weight in pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2

2.      Multiply your weight in kilograms by 0.8 to get your minimum daily protein needs in grams

Example: Weight = 150 lbs

150lbs / 2.2 = 68kg

68kg * 0.8 = 54g protein / day

***Keep this in perspective: The average American eats twice as much protein as they need!  Most people could eliminate meat from their diet and make no other diet changes and still meet their protein requirements no problem.

OTHER NUTRIENTS:

Nutrients that commonly present a problem in veggie diets are iron, zinc, calcium and vitamins B12 and D.

• Iron: can be obtained from legumes, dark green leafy veggies, iron-fortified cereals and whole-grain breads and cereals.  Eggs are also a rich source.  Iron from plant sources is less “available” for absorption than that from meat, so to increase the absorbability, eat your iron rich foods with vitamin-C rich foods (oranges, kiwi, bell peppers, etc.)
• Zinc: zinc can be tricky because not only are it’s plant sources less readily absorbed, soy products - which often provide quality vegetarian protein – further inhibit it’s uptake.  Beans such as pinto, kidney and black do provide some zinc but you may consider supplementing with zinc if you include no animal products in your diet.
• Calcium:  a deficiency is rare if you use dairy products, but for strict vegans it is important to use calcium fortified products such as enriched soy milk and orange juice.
• Vitamin B12:  the requirement for this vitamin is very small, but it is crucial.  A deficiency in B12 is very serious.  Lacto-ovo vegetarians again will not have trouble meeting this requirement but vegans need to supplement.  Tell your doctor if you are following a vegan diet and have your blood tested for this vitamin.
• Vitamin D:  found in fortified milk products but also produced naturally in the body when your skin is exposed to sun.  As long as you don’t do all your running inside on a treadmill, you won’t have a problem with this vitamin.  If we have a particularly dreary winter, consider supplementing if you do not use dairy products.