Time to go vegan??

The vegan fan club has been slowly growing over recent years and is now more popular than ever. It is dawned as "healthy, natural and great for the body. But does being vegan help with athletic performance?

Good encouragements!

Well first things first fruit and vegetables are great for the body and being vegan buts emphasis that. The vitamins and anti-oxidants help your body preform better and recover faster.

It also encourages you to eat more carbohydrates which is the perfect food source for a runner. Vegan foods such as potatoes, rice, oats and some pastas give you the energy to constantly train hard in comparison to sweets or meat.

What about the meat?

What about the protein? What about the iron? Well meat isn't the only place you get protein you know! There are plenty of vegan foods that have protein, the best sources are natural soy, lentils, beans, quinoa, and seitan. That is more than enough protein if you eat correctly! However iron is a little more complicated.

Iron comes in two forms: heme and non-heme. Heme, which makes up about 40% of the iron in animal foods, is easily absorbed by the body. Vegan diets contain only non-heme, which is less readily absorbed. So it looks like meat is indeed necessary for a functional body.

So should I become the latest vegan?

To be perfectly honest I wouldn't recommend becoming vegan for the health benefits. However I would I recommend a 90% vegan diet consisting of mostly non-processed fresh fruit and vegetables high in nutrients and carbohydrates. I would eat meat but I don't think people need as much as they think they do.

Of course in the end it is all personal preference and if you absolutely love meat, go ahead and eat to your hearts content and vice versa. Your diet is really down to your own lifestyle so eat what suit you!!