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4 Benefits of a Veggie Diet
While you might be tempted to think that a plant-based diet could be bad for athletes and cause food deficiencies, the opposite is true. In fact, a vegetarian or vegan diet offers many benefits, as long as it’s balanced of course.
1. Optimizes carbohydrate intake
A plant-based diet offers a much higher quantity of carbohydrates than a traditional diet. Fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and legumes are all rich in carbohydrates. These constitute the body and muscles’ principle source of energy. It’s well known that a high carbohydrate diet improves performance in endurance sports, and other types of sport, by optimizing energy levels.
2. Reduces inflammation and accelerates recovery
A vegetarian or vegan diet is rich in antioxidants, which help reduce inflammation in the body and promote a faster recovery after long or intense training. It also helps athletes train harder and more often, which contributes to improving performance. It also helps prevent and heal injuries.
3. Optimizes digestion
A diet rich in plant-foods is rich in dietary fiber, which helps optimize digestion. That’s because fiber facilitates intestinal transit—the course of stools from one end of the intestine to the other. It increases stool volume and weight by absorbing water. Therefore, it contributes to normalize transit time and stool consistency to limit constipation and diarrhea. A vegetarian or vegan diet makes it easy to get the recommended fiber intake, which is 21 to 38g a day depending on age, gender and particular conditions (pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc.). What’s more, these diets are high in prebiotics, which support intestinal flora. Prebiotics are ingredients that are not digested by the human digestive tube. They feed and promote the growth and activity of good bacteria in the colon. The principle sources of prebiotics are inulin, legumes and certain fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
4. Provides health benefits
A plant-based diet, thanks to its high soluble fiber and low saturated fat content, helps prevent cardiovascular disease by helping to reduce blood cholesterol levels. This type of diet is also good for preventing and treating type 2 diabetes, by improving insulin resistance, helping maintain a healthy weight, and providing a high intake of fiber and phytonutrients. In a recent study, a vegan diet resulted in better glycemic control and a significant reduction in glycated hemoglobin, compared to a conventional diet. Finally, a plant based diet helps maintain a healthy weight because it is rich in fiber, and generally less calorific and not as rich in fat. Fiber takes longer to chew and digest, and increases satiety, hence its effect on weight control.
To conclude, even if you don’t want to become vegetarian or vegan, it’s a good idea to add a large amount of plant-based foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, to your diet every day. Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:
Références
- McMacken M. et Shah S. A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Journal of Geriatric Cardiology. 2017; 14: 342−354.
- Lee Y. Et al. Effect of a Brown Rice Based Vegan Diet and Conventional Diabetic Diet on Glycemic Control of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A 12-Week Randomized Clinical Trial. PLoS One. 2016;11(6): e0155918.
Author
Kathryn holds a Bachelor Degree in Nutrition as well as a Bachelor and a Master Degree in Kinesiology, all from Laval University. She is a Registered Dietitian and active member of the Ordre professionnel des Diététistes Nutritionnistes du Québec (ODNQ) and of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She holds the Monash University's certification for the FODMAP diet and IBS, and has considerable clinical experience in that area. She is also an accomplished athlete, having ran track and cross-country at a national level. Kathryn specializes in sports nutrition, weight loss, diabetes, as well as heart and gastrointestinal health.
Hi, Thanks for your awesome article. Actually, A vegetarian diet has been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular risk factors. Studies have found that the more meat people consume, the higher their risk of type 2 diabetes. Vegetarian food tends to be lower in fat, especially saturated fats, and higher in fiber, than animal-based foods.