• Why is it better for sports players to obtain proteins from plant-based foods?

Plant-based protein sources are mainly whole grains, legumes (e.g lentils and chickpeas) and soybeans. These foods provide not only a decent amount and quality of proteins, but also another important macronutrient in sports – carbohydrates. Remember: during exercise, our body always prefers utilising carbohydrates, NOT proteins, for energy. In order to gain muscle, a positive energy balance (consuming more energy than expenditure) is required to optimise the anabolic process.

Meat and eggs, however, do not contain carbohydrates, while are higher in saturated fat and cholesterol, which when consumed too much, will negatively alter your blood profile, specifically, higher serum lipid and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. This in turn affects your heart health, blood circulation and VO2 max (the important indicator to your cardiorespiratory fitness and predictor of your sport performance).

• What is VO2 max?
  • VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilize during intense exercise. The more oxygen you can use during vigorous exercise, the more energy you can produce for muscular activities.

          Thinking about drinking cow’s milk and eating dairy products would be fine? These foods contain lactose, a common food substance that can trigger food intolerance symptoms in some people, especially the high-risk Asian population. Possible symptoms that affect sport performance would be stomach/bowel irritation (e.g. cramps, gas, pain, bloating, and diarrhea).

• What other benefits can athletes obtain from plant-based diets?

Plant-based diets advocate consumption of various vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and grains. It contributes to lower consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol, thus reducing athletes’ body fat percentage and blood viscosity, as well as improving elasticity of blood vessels. This helps accelerate blood flow, increase oxygen supply to tissues and so maximize energy generation in muscles.

Plant-based food also provides antioxidants (e.g. vitamin C, vitamin E, ß-carotene, polyphenols etc) that helps clear free radicals generated during exercise, reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress and inflammation, and shorten body recovery time.

• Wanna go vegan while maintaining or boosting your sports performance? Below is the advice for you:

During training period:

1. Eat adequate amounts of quality carbohydrates

As mentioned above, carbohydrate-rich foods are important fuels for exercise and are essential to muscle building. Quality carbohydrates refer to carbohydrate-rich foods that can also provide various beneficial nutrients (e.g. vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, antioxidants etc). Examples are quinoa, sweet potato and butternut squash). The amount of carbohydrate needed will vary between individuals depending on body size, training load and goals.

2. Eat the right proteins

For general sports lovers/gym-goers (not professional athletes), a consumption of 1.2-1.3g protein/kg body weight should be enough. Among the nine essential amino acids, leucine, isoleucine and valine (collectively termed as branched-chain amino acids, BCAAs) are the only amino acids that are oxidised for energy during exercise. They can help prevent the breakdown of muscles during vigorous, intensive training and increase the release of human growth hormone which stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Having BCAAs plus carbohydrates in a meal (both pre- and post-exercise) during the training period is optimal for muscle recovery, and may boost performance! It is recommended to consume at least 1-3g of BCAAs per meal to promote muscle building.

3. Anti-oxidation and Anti-inflammation

Maintaining high levels of body antioxidants and increasing the body’s ability to clear free radicals is important to speedy post-exercise recovery. Simply include more fruits (e.g. different types of berries) and superfoods (e.g. Acai powder, turmeric powder and cocoa powder) in your daily diet. They are all rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances.

4. Nutrient timing

Apart from the amount and nutritional quality of food consumed, the timing of nutrient intakes also matters in terms of muscle protein synthesis. It is useless to consume a large amount of protein in just one meal of the day because your body cannot utilise all of them at once. The excessive protein will only be metabolised and excreted out of the body. Spreading your protein intake across the day is therefore a strategy for maintaining an adequate, steady supply of the amino acids necessary for muscle repair and growth.

Pre-exercise fuelling (~1.5 hour before exercise):

1. Having a carbohydrate-containing meal/snack before exercise may help to maximise adaptations to training.

2. Low GI foods may be chosen to provide a more sustained source of fuel.

3. The closer the time before exercise, the more digestible the food should be. Avoid eating foods that are high in fat/protein/fiber to prevent gastrointestinal issues during exercise.

Post-exercise recovery:

1. Eating carbohydrates in combination with protein within 30 minutes after exercise will support restoration of muscle glycogen (re-fuel), begin muscle repair and prevent muscle soreness.

2. For non-athletes, having sugary sports drinks after workout provide no additional benefits to recovery but just extra sugar and calories! Mineral water will be enough for body rehydration and body electrolyte rebalance. If you want to drink something with flavor or speed up recovery with the de-stressing phytonutrients after workout, flavored water without added sugar (e.g. coconut water), plant milk or self-made smoothie will be good alternatives.