12 The common nutritional deficiencies of vegetarian athletes should also be noted by ordinary people! 1. Insufficient energy intake A plant-based diet contains a lot of fiber and occupies a huge stomach volume, which may inadvertently reduce the total energy intake. Feeling full too early will increase the risk of insufficient energy supply. The consequences of insufficient energy will be very serious, and immunity may be damaged, leading to illness or premature fatigue in training and competition, and may also lead to weight loss, muscle mass loss, muscle strength decline, sports ability decline and lack of satisfactory training adaptation.
Vegetarian food will also make it difficult for athletes who need to consume high calories to achieve their goals. Increasing the frequency of food intake and increasing high-calorie foods such as nuts, seeds and oil may help to ensure the realization of the calorie target. In this case, monitoring the weight fluctuation and adjusting the diet can make the diet meet the individual's energy and nutrition needs, so vegetarian athletes should regularly monitor their physical condition and body composition to ensure that the diet is enough to meet the energy needs.
Some athletes may use vegetarian diet as a means to limit energy intake to achieve ideal physique, which seems to be more common among female athletes. Strict calorie restriction may affect sports performance, reproductive health and bone health. The energy demand of athletes should be adjusted according to the intensity, weight and exercise mode to ensure that the specific needs of individuals can be met. Therefore, if athletes need to control calories or try to achieve the goal of excessive weight loss, they should seek the help of reliable professionals to avoid related hazards.
Tips for improving diet and increasing energy intake. Make smoothies or drinks with real fruits or vegetables. Stir-fry vegetables with olive oil or rapeseed oil. Add nuts, dried fruits or avocados to food or salad. Eat 6 to 8 meals a day (with snacks between meals).
2. Insufficient nutrient intake Vegetarians usually lack nutrients including calories, protein, fat, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, calcium, zinc, iodine, vitamin B 12, vitamin D, creatine and carnosine. According to the restriction of food intake, the nutrients that are easy to lack are also slightly different, as shown in the following table 1. If necessary, these nutrients should be monitored and supplemented in diet.
According to the recommendations of the Vegetarian Guide of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a balanced intake of various foods, frequent replacement of the same food, and the choice of foods that are not over-processed as far as possible can achieve balanced nutrition. The food composition of vegetarians should include grains, beans, vegetables, fruits and nut seeds in a balanced way, as shown in the following figure.
Comparison of Nutritional Problems Easily Occurred by Vegetarians with Different Diets According to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Vegetarian Guidelines, we should eat all kinds of foods in a balanced way and change them frequently in the same food, and try to choose foods that are not over-processed to obtain balanced nutrition. The food composition of vegetarians should include grains, beans, vegetables, fruits and nut seeds in a balanced way, as shown in the following figure.
The nutritional components provided by various foods in a vegetarian's balanced diet plate are shown in the following figure.
Vegetarian food sources provide nutrients needed by human body, such as creatine, carnosine, vitamin B 12, zinc, iron, calcium, etc. These substances are widely found in natural animal foods, so vegetarians are easy to lack them. In addition, it is influenced by fiber, oxalic acid and phytic acid in plant-based diet, such as iron, zinc and calcium. Genus elements are easy to absorb? The situation happened. Here are some foods rich in these nutrients. Vegetarians should pay more attention to these foods, or supplement minerals and vitamins with supplements. Feet.
3. protein people can't store protein. Excessive intake of sugar can be converted into liver sugar, and excessive intake of lipid can be stored in the form of fat, but excessive intake of protein can't be stored, so the daily intake of protein must be sufficient (about 0.8- 1.7g/kg/ day for athletes). Protein plays an important role in muscle repair and muscle adaptation. Proper intake of dietary protein helps to produce new muscle protein, red blood cells and other cells.
Protein consists of about 20 different amino acids, 8 of which are listed as essential amino acids, because the human body cannot make them and must take them in the diet. Animal protein contains complete essential amino acids, but most plants lack two or three of them in protein. Considering that the digestibility of plant protein seems to be obviously lower than that of animal products, it takes about 10% protein to eat plant protein more than animal protein. Therefore, the recommended amount of protein for vegetarian athletes is about 1.4-2g/kg/ day (in some cases, for example, when losing weight, the recommended amount may be as high as 1.8g-2.7g/kg/ day), so it is better to take more different kinds of plant protein sources.
Low-fat dairy products, eggs and soybeans are good sources of protein in vegetarian diet, and their absorption and utilization rate in human body is not inferior to that of meat. In addition, beans such as edamame, black bean, red bean, mung bean, Mi Dou, cream bean, flower bean and chickpea, rice, cereals and nuts such as almonds, peanuts, melon seeds, pistachios and sesame seeds can also provide a large amount of protein. In the past, the nutrition community advocated the complementary method of amino acids, learning from each other's strong points and mixing these incomplete protein, so as to ensure the intake of enough amino acids and maintain the human nitrogen balance. But now, the supplementary method is no longer considered necessary. Foods rich in protein, such as grains, beans, nuts and seeds, are included in the vegan diet to ensure that all necessary amino acids exist and contain enough branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) to trigger the synthesis of muscle protein and support muscle development.
It is generally recommended to take 20-25g of protein after exercise to help muscles adapt. To get about 25 grams of protein from plant food, you can eat:
200g of tofu, 2 cups of cooked beans, 2 cups of cooked lentils, mixed nuts 130g, 5 tablespoons of peanut butter, 3 cups of soybean milk and 3 cups of cooked quinoa.
When it is difficult or inconvenient to get enough protein from whole foods, it may be beneficial for vegan athletes to supplement plant protein supplements. Some recent research data show that when plant protein is used as a part of resistance training program to promote muscle hypertrophy, its effects on body composition and sports performance are similar to whey protein, but further research is needed to understand the protein synthesis efficiency of postprandial protein, pea protein, hemp protein or mixed protein.
4.ω? 3 Fatty acid vegetarian athletes may also have the risk of low fat intake (essential fatty acids are particularly important), and it is recommended to consume 0.5- 1.5g/kg/ day (or 30% of daily calories). Studies have shown that low fat and dieting may have a negative impact on men's testosterone concentration, which is related to the needs of athletes to maximize anabolism and adapt to resistance training.
ω-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, which are very important for normal growth and development, affecting cardiovascular health, inflammation and chronic diseases, and may improve exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) and immunity. Omega-3 fatty acids may also increase the production of nitric oxide and improve the variability of heart rate.
Omega-3 fatty acids mostly exist in deep-sea fish, so vegetarians consume less omega-3 fatty acids, and the concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in serum is also low. More need to eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as nuts, walnuts, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, mustard oil, flaxseed oil, egg butter, seaweed oil, soybean oil, olive oil, seabuckthorn fruit oil, rapeseed oil, psyllium oil, South American Inca fruit oil, hemp seed oil, exotic bud seed oil and so on.
Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as walnuts, mustard oil and linseed oil, exist in the form of α -linolenic acid (ALA), of which about 8% can be converted into EPA and about 0.5% can be converted into DHA. Studies have proved that supplementation of ALA can increase the concentration of EPA in blood, but it does not seem to affect the status of DHA. Microalgae oil is rich in DHA (and EPA), which may be a useful supplement for vegetarians and vegetarians. Microalgae oil supplement has been proved to increase the levels of EPA and DHA in blood. However, there is no suggestion to supplement DHA for vegetarians in the literature at present, and it is suggested to use more whole food sources rich in ALA, such as flaxseed, walnut and chia seed. At the time of writing, there is a lack of research on how to optimize the intake of omega-3 fatty acids by vegetarians, but it is suggested that the intake ratio of EPA and DHA for ordinary athletes should be 2: 1,1-2g per day. In order to achieve a DHA dosage of 500 ~ 1000 mg/day, this is equivalent to 1-2 g of microalgae oil, or 2-4 capsules in most commodities, or 10- 15 g of linseed oil.
Excessive omega-6 fatty acids will interfere with the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids because they compete for the same rate-limiting enzyme. Restricting omega-6 fatty acids may help to reduce the pro-inflammatory reaction, so the intake of soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, safflower oil and peanut oil should be reduced.
5. Iron In the past, it was found that the iron intake of vegetarians in Taiwan Province Province was actually sufficient. Whether vegetarian or not, the problem of anemia in men is not serious, but women are more likely to have anemia because of menstrual blood loss. Therefore, after menstruation, during rapid growth (such as adolescence), and before going to high and low altitude areas for training or competition, we must ensure that the diet contains enough iron to avoid iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency anemia can reduce red blood cells or hemoglobin, leading to fatigue symptoms, such as weakness, shortness of breath and decreased exercise endurance. Even if there is only iron deficiency without anemia symptoms, it will reduce exercise endurance, increase energy consumption during exercise, reduce female muscle tissue and weaken the adaptability of endurance exercise.
According to the reference intake of dietary nutrients for China residents, the daily intake of iron for male adults is 15 mg, and that for female adults is 15mg. However, because the main source of iron in vegan diet is non-heme form, the bioavailability of this non-heme iron is lower than that found in animal products. Due to the above-mentioned bioavailability problem, non-heme iron can be eaten together with other foods that are helpful for iron absorption, such as vitamin C. Therefore, breakfast cereals containing iron can be matched with orange juice (containing vitamin C), and fruits rich in vitamin C can be eaten with meals, including strawberries, kiwis, Liu Ding and oranges. It can also help the absorption of iron. Therefore, it is recommended to eat fruit for three meals, and the daily intake should be more than 2 servings before, during and after meals, and the rich fruits in the local season should be selected.
A vegan diet usually contains dietary iron inhibitors, such as polyphenol tannins (found in coffee, tea and cocoa) and phytates (found in whole grains and beans), which will reduce the amount of iron absorbed in the diet. Therefore, vegetarian athletes should increase the intake of iron-rich sources in the whole food, reduce the intake of foods containing inhibitors such as tea, coffee and cocoa, and eat foods containing vitamin C to enhance absorption. If delicious, the diet should also include soaked, germinated and/or fermented foods. Cooking in an iron container is also a step of skimming and supplementing iron, such as using a cast iron pot; The more sour and cooked, the more iron is released, but the longer the cooking time, the more likely it is to destroy the nutritional components of food.
Food sources rich in iron: beans, cereals, nuts, seeds, fortified foods and green vegetables. For example: laver, Nostoc flagelliforme, Undaria pinnatifida, kelp, sesame, lily, black bean, red bean, yuba, emperor bean, lotus seed, peanut, preserved plum, pumpkin seed, Hericium erinaceus, Agaricus blazei, auricularia auricula, mushroom, shiitake mushroom, bamboo, amaranth, Shandong green onion, Toona sinensis, Dutch bean, spinach and laver flower.
Nuts, seeds and other foods are rich in iron. 6. Calcium According to the recommended intake of dietary nutrients in China, the recommended daily intake of calcium for male adults is 1 1,000 mg, and that for female adults is 000 mg; Adolescent age 13- 18, male 1 200mg, female 1 0,000mg. Adequate calcium is necessary for blood coagulation, nerve conduction, muscle metabolism, vitamin D metabolism and maintaining bone structure. Vegetarians consume less calcium than meat eaters, and because they consume less calcium, vegetarians have a higher risk of fracture. When the intake of calcium is low, it is not conducive to the growth and development of children and adolescents in the skeletal development period. The importance of calcium to vegan athletes includes keeping bones healthy during weight-bearing exercise and increasing the loss of calcium when sweating; In some stages of calorie restriction, menopause and female athletes, the demand for calcium may also increase.
Vegan athletes should eat enough beans. Bean foods, such as dried bean curd and traditional bean curd, have more calcium than other bean foods due to different processing methods and different nutritional components, while products such as soybeans, bean curd skin, soybean milk and boxed tender bean curd have less calcium. Therefore, it is recommended to eat at least one serving of beans with high calcium content every day to increase calcium intake.
Cauliflower, Chinese cabbage and kale are particularly high in calcium, but green vegetables such as spinach and arugula contain oxalate. Oxalate and fiber will limit calcium and vitamin B? The absorption of. Therefore, vegetarians should choose plant sources with low oxalic acid content when designing foods rich in calcium. Calcium fortified foods are also widely used, such as calcium fortified soybeans, nut plant milk and fruit juice, which can provide nutrition in an easily absorbed form. Other foods rich in calcium include dairy products, black sesame seeds, amaranth, kelp, wheat flour, mung bean sprouts, kale, Toona sinensis, rape blossoms, glutinous rice balls, lotus seeds, lilies, fungus, laver, celery stems, rape and mushrooms. If possible, try to ensure that the diet contains dairy products or eat more calcium-fortified foods. If the vegan diet can't get enough calcium intake, then supplementation may be necessary.
When there is enough vitamin D, the proportion of calcium absorbed from food increases, so vegetarians should pay attention to the importance of sunbathing and use solar energy to activate vitamin D every 20 minutes.
7. Zinc and zinc are components of metalloenzymes, participate in the metabolism related to DNA stability and gene expression, and play an important role in cell growth, repair and protein metabolism. According to the reference intake of dietary nutrients for China residents, the suitable intake of zinc for male adults is 15mg/ day, and for female adults it is 12mg/ day. Clinical symptoms of zinc deficiency include growth retardation, male gonadal hypoplasia, loss of appetite, lethargy, poor wound healing, increased chances of infection, and taste and smell disorders.
Similar to iron, zinc is widely found in plant foods, but it is not easily absorbed. When a large amount of calcium, vitamin D, phytic acid and dietary fiber are ingested, it will hinder the absorption of zinc. Common sources of zinc in plants are beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds, including food sources rich in phytate. But the processing procedure can reduce phytic acid, and bread puffing can activate phytase and decompose phytic acid; Nuts and grains soaked, fermented and germinated can reduce phytic acid concentration and increase the bioavailability of nutrients. It seems that the bioavailability of zinc will increase with the intake of protein in the diet, and will be inhibited by the supplementation of folic acid, iron, calcium, copper and magnesium, but it may not be affected by the whole food nutrition sources of these nutrients. Because of the aforementioned bioavailability problems, zinc supplements should not be taken at the same time as the above-mentioned mineral supplements, so a variety of vitamin/mineral formulas may not be enough to make up for zinc deficiency, but a single supplement should be taken alone.
Vegetarians should eat foods rich in zinc, such as pumpkin seeds, soybeans, black beans and other beans, peanuts, brown rice, millet, radish, Chinese cabbage, eggplant, nuts and other cereals, and seek treatment methods such as soaking and fermentation to improve mineral absorption. If the food source is insufficient, then you can consider using supplements.
8. Iodine (excessive or insufficient) Iodine is a necessary trace element for physical and mental growth and development, which plays an important role in thyroid function and metabolism. Too high or too low iodine intake will lead to thyroid dysfunction. According to the reference intake of dietary nutrients for China residents, the recommended intake of iodine is140μ g/day. However, some vegetarians show excessive iodine intake (from seaweed), and the iodine content in food will be affected by factors such as soil iodine content (crops), farming methods used in production, planting season, sodium-reducing salt (containing iodine) and so on.
Polymethacrylate found in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower and kohlrabi will reduce the utilization rate of iodine, and if eaten in large quantities, it may have adverse effects on thyroid function. However, cooking this food seems to destroy many existing compounds, making this effect impossible. However, if possible, vegetarians who eat a lot of lettuce should consider limiting the raw materials of cruciferous food to avoid iodine deficiency and thyroid diseases.
9. Vitamin B 12 Dairy products are also rich in vitamin B 12, so there is no doubt about the lack of general eggnog. Insufficient vitamin B 12 can lead to morphological changes of red blood cells and lead to hematological and nervous system symptoms, such as megaloblastic anemia or irreversible nerve injury. According to the research data of EPIC-Oxford team in Britain, about 50% vegans lack vitamin B 12. Vegetarians can eat more grains, fortified yeast and vitamin B 12 supplements. Fu Wei vegetarian index suggests that vegetarians can make more use of "algae" to obtain vitamin B groups, such as three servings of vegetables 1 a day, in which 1 should be taken from algae (such as kelp and laver), and one serving of dried laver (about10g, three pieces of laver sushi skin) can obtain 6 micrograms of vitamin B65438.
According to the recommendation of "Reference Intake of Dietary Nutrients for China Residents", the daily intake of vitamin B 12 is 2.4 micrograms, while the literature indicates that vegetarians should take another 6 micrograms every day. Adequate vitamin B 12 may not be obtained only by oral supplements and fortified foods. If vitamin B 12 deficiency is suspected, vegans may need doctors to monitor their serum vitamin B 12 concentration. In some cases, they may even receive subcutaneous or intramuscular injections under the guidance of a doctor. For some vegan athletes, it may be necessary to carefully monitor the status of vitamin B 12.
Although fermented foods or mushrooms contain a lot of vitamin B 12 analogues, it will affect the absorption and metabolism of vitamin B 12, so it is not recommended to use it as the source of vitamin B 12.
10. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin produced in the skin, which is very important for calcium absorption and bone health and plays an important role in many physiological processes. According to the dietary nutrient reference intake of China people, the daily intake of vitamin D is 5 micrograms, while the dietary reference intake formulated by the American Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggests that the average intake of vitamin D is 400 international units (IU)/ day and the recommended intake is 600 international units (IU)/ day; The British Ministry of Health recommends 400 international units per day (10 μ g/day).
In recent years, there are many research results about athletes and vitamin D, which show that if athletes lack vitamin D, improving the status of vitamin D may improve their sports performance. For athletes, vitamin D deficiency will adversely affect muscle strength and oxygen consumption, and vitamin D supplementation may prevent the injury of overtraining through its role in calcium metabolism and skeletal muscle function.
In order to formulate treatment strategies by increasing the intake of vitamin D, the effective dose of vitamin D needs to refer to the current situation of individual plasma vitamin D concentration. When the concentration of 25(OH)D in plasma is less than 20ng/ml, it is defined as vitamin D deficiency. The target of 25(OH)D concentration in athletes' blood should be 30-40ng/ml, and the optimal value may be 40-70ng/ml. It is pointed out in the literature that vitamin d 4000-5000 IU/ day, vitamin K 1, K2 50- 100μg/ day can improve the recovery of sports and make athletes train more frequently. There is no relevant data to prove whether the use of higher doses of vitamin D will cause toxicity, but the upper limit intake (UL) stipulated by IOM is 4000/ day, while the upper limit intake (UL) of vitamin D recommended by the American Endocrinology Society is 10000 units/day. It is generally believed that when the blood 25(OH)D value is >: 150ng/ml (with hypercalcemia), it indicates vitamin D poisoning, but it takes about 654.38+10,000 units per day to cause hypercalcemia. In the aforementioned range, the possibility of hypercalcemia is actually very low.
Calcineol (vitamin D2) is the source of vitamin D for vegetarians, but its bioavailability is lower than that of calcitriol (vitamin D3) from animals. Recently, however, calcified alcohol from lichens has appeared in commercial products, providing vegetarians with more supplementary choices. The bioavailability of this supplement seems to be similar to that of products of animal origin, and the dosage is 200- 1000 international units/serving.
In addition to moderate physical activity, vegetarians need to get 20 minutes of sunshine every day to avoid vitamin D deficiency, which contributes to calcium absorption and bone calcium deposition. Because the source of vitamin D in plant food is limited, skin irradiation is the easiest way to obtain vitamin D, but it is not suitable for patients with lupus erythematosus caused by chronic autoimmune diseases or albinism to contact with light sensitive person to avoid the deterioration of their condition.
Mushrooms in vegetables, such as Lentinus edodes, Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus eryngii, Lentinus edodes and Coral Mushrooms, can form vitamin D during cultivation. Therefore, vegetarians are advised to choose at least one dark vegetable every day, which should also contain various mushrooms and algae. Vitamin D can also be found in fortified foods.
Mushrooms in vegetables can form vitamin D 1 1 in the process of culture. Creatine Creatine is a substance synthesized by arginine, ycine and methionine. Vegetarians usually have low creatine content in muscle because vegetables do not contain creatine. Creatine can be exchanged with creatine phosphate in the body. Creatine supplementation is mainly used to improve the energy of ATP-PC system, so it is helpful for athletes who need explosive exercise. It can improve short-term high-intensity exercise ability, increase fat loss weight, increase type II muscle fiber area, help muscle hypertrophy and enhance maximum strength. Creatine supplementation may also lead to an increase in blood volume, glycogen storage and ventilation threshold, and reduce oxygen consumption in the next major exercise.
To effectively achieve intramuscular creatine saturation, the common supplement method is to take 20g/ day-1 by creatine loading method for 3-7 days, and then maintain the dosage at 3-5g/ day. However, taking a lower dose of 3-5g/ day within 4 weeks can also reach creatine saturation in a long time. Other suggestions, such as taking 1g creatine every 30 minutes and taking it more than 20 times a day, are also means to achieve maximum saturation within a period of time. Simultaneous intake of creatine, protein and carbohydrates may make creatine stored in muscle with the help of insulin. For vegetarian athletes who decide to supplement creatine, the powder form of synthetic creatine is a vegetarian-friendly ingredient (but be careful that the packaging of the product may contain bovine gelatin).
12. β -alanine β -alanine is an amino acid, which can be used to produce carnosine (a dipeptide consisting of β -alanine and histamine acid). Supplementation of β -alanine can increase the concentration of carnosine. Carnosine is an important buffer and antioxidant for muscles, which can buffer acid ions (H+) produced by high-intensity exercise, so that exercise will not stop fatigue due to hydrogen ions. By buffering excess hydrogen ions, scavenging free radicals and chelating transition metals, carnosine can improve the performance of high-intensity exercise, reduce the subjective feeling of fatigue and exhaustion, and prolong the exercise time, which may be beneficial to repeated sprint and explosive force.
Using β -alanine for 2-4 weeks, 4-6g a day, can improve the sports performance for more than 60 seconds. In aerobic exercise, it is also proved that it can reduce muscle fatigue and improve the time of high-intensity exercise. Taurine and β -alanine share a transport mechanism, which means that supplementing β -alanine may theoretically inhibit the intake of taurine, which is a sulfur-containing amino acid and participates in many important physiological processes of human body, including cholic acid binding, cardiovascular function, nerve transmission and normal blood sugar. The food sources of taurine are seafood, meat and dairy products, so vegetarians will also consume less taurine. If β -alanine supplementation does lead to the decrease of taurine in human body, vegetarians may be more prone to taurine deficiency due to insufficient diet. However, whether supplementing β -alanine can reduce the concentration of taurine in human body has not been confirmed, and it is considered safe to use β -alanine within the recommended dosage range.
Remarks: This information is for reference only, and cannot replace the appropriate medical diagnosis or dietary advice given by nutritionists. This paper money is for adults only. The content of this article is guaranteed to be as up-to-date as possible at the time of publication, but it does not rule out that further evidence in the future may overturn the current conclusion.
Reference: Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Health Service-Vegetarian Guide Manual
Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Health Service-Handbook of Vegetarian Diet Indicators
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