Vegetarian Athletes

Question 1

What is a recommendation for vegetarian athletes who struggle to consume adequate energy

Answer 1

Consume 1/3 - 1/2 of their grains and fruits in the whole, unprocessed form

Question 2

What happens to the metabolism of protein in athletes with low glycogen storage compared to high glycogen storage

Answer 2

Twice as much protein is metabolized primarily due to an increase in gluconeogensis

Question 3

What type of plant based food is a rich source of leucine

Answer 3

Legumes

Question 4

What plant based protein was found to be just as effective as whey in promoting gains in muscle mass and strength

Answer 4

Pea protein

Question 5

What 2 plant based foods typically provide all of your amino acid needs

Answer 5

Rice and beans

Question 6

What amino acid is cereal typically low in

Answer 6

Lysine

Question 7

What percentage of protein do vegetarian and vegan diets contain

Answer 7

Vegetarian: 12.5%

Vegan: 11%

Question 8

List ways to increase protein in plant based diets

Answer 8

Add:
Soy milk to a fruit snack
Lentils to spaghetti sauce
Tofu to stir fry
Garbanzo beans to salad
Cottage cheese or Greek yogurt to a fruit snack

Question 9

List plant based sources of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids

Answer 9

Omega 3: walnuts, flaxseeds, and canola, flax, hemp, and walnut oils

Omega 6: corn, cottonseed, sunflower, and safflower

Question 10

What percentage of ALA is elongated to EPA

Answer 10

Less than 10%

Question 11

What is the plant based omega 3 supplement derived from

Answer 11

Micro-algae

Question 12

What plant based athletes may benefit from omega 3 supplementation

Answer 12

Pregnant

Those who suffer from chronic inflammatory and cardiovascular disease

Question 13

What is the DRI of calcium

Answer 13

Less than 18 years: 1300 mg/day

19-50 years: 1000 mg/day

Greater than 50 years: 1200 mg/day

Question 14

Nondairy foods that contain well absorbed calcium

Answer 14

Low oxalate green leafy vegetables: kale, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, and collard, mustard, and turnip greens)

Soy milk

Certain legumes

Tahini

Question 15

What vitamin d forms are vegan and not vegan

Answer 15

Vegan: vitamin d3 derived from lichen and vitamin d2 produced from irradiation from yeast

Not vegan: vitamin d3 derived through ultraviolet radiation of 7-dehydro cholesterol from lanolin

Question 16

Rate of absorption for heme and non-heme iron

Answer 16

Heme: 15-35%

Non-heme: 2-20%

Question 17

Vegetarians are recommended to consume how much more iron compared to omnivores

Answer 17

1.3-1.8x

Question 18

Why is hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red blood cell concentration not a good indicator of iron status in endurance athletes

Answer 18

Due to exercise induced plasma volume expansion

Question 19

What causes lower bioavailability of dietary zinc in vegetarian diets? How much more zinc is recommended for plant based athletes compared to omnivorous athletes?

Answer 19

Mainly due to higher phytic acid content

Increases requirement by 50%

Question 20

What alters serum zinc concentrations?

Answer 20

Increases in training intensity

Question 21

How to increase bioavailability of zinc in a plant based diet

Answer 21

Combine it with organic acids (citric acid)

Soak and sprout beans, grains, nuts, and seeds

Question 22

Recommendation for vegetarian athletes to meet their iodine needs

Answer 22

Consume 1/2 tsp of iodized salt/day

Question 23

Plant based sources of vitamin b12

Answer 23

Yeast flakes

Cereal

Soy milk

Other fortified plant based milks

Fortified meat analogues

Question 24

List micronutrients that are commonly low in plant based athletes

Answer 24

Calcium

Vitamin D

Iron

Zinc

Iodine

Vitamin B12

Riboflavin