Ex Vegetarians and Ex Vegans

[Geoff Archibald]

Sorry in advance if this is thread drift.

I've always thought it strange that coaches would tell people that they can't do crossfit and be vegetarian. There are quite a few top tier athletes in a variety of pursuits that are vegetarian and even vegan. Crossfit isn't that special. It might take a little more work but I don't see any reason why somebody should have to saccrifice their personal ethics for crossfit.

[Jaffney Roode]

Basically I have had the same experience as a lot of posters. I grew up vegetarian and followed a vegan diet from ages 16-27. Initially I followed these diets for ethical reasons, but ultimately I saw them as the "healthiest" options.

I was extremely active during this time, having worked for many years as a bike messenger, lifted weights 5 times per week, and biked/hiked on the weekends. My bagel, avocado, and Luna bar diet suited my lifestyle at that time, but since my fitness goals have changed, so has my diet.

I figure I spend SO much time and $$ CrossFitting, that I should really alter the foundation (nutrition) of health. Now I have almost completely cut bread (pasta, rice, etc) and I eat eggs and seafood. I also just started eating chicken. What I can say for sure is that after I eat I feel completely satiated, instead of bloated, or drowsy.

Even as a vegetarian and vegan my diet was constantly evolving. I look forward to continuing on the animal protein path and seeing improvements in my fitness.

[Katherine Derbyshire]

Originally Posted by Geoff Archibald

Sorry in advance if this is thread drift.

I've always thought it strange that coaches would tell people that they can't do crossfit and be vegetarian. There are quite a few top tier athletes in a variety of pursuits that are vegetarian and even vegan. Crossfit isn't that special. It might take a little more work but I don't see any reason why somebody should have to saccrifice their personal ethics for crossfit.

If you're willing to sacrifice your ethical beliefs for Crossfit -- or any other sport -- then they weren't terribly strong beliefs to begin with.

On the other hand, if you're eating vegetarian because you believe that it's healthier, and that turns out not to be true, wouldn't you want your coach to share that information with you?

Katherine

[Meghan Reid]

Originally Posted by Geoff Archibald

Sorry in advance if this is thread drift.

I've always thought it strange that coaches would tell people that they can't do crossfit and be vegetarian. There are quite a few top tier athletes in a variety of pursuits that are vegetarian and even vegan. Crossfit isn't that special. It might take a little more work but I don't see any reason why somebody should have to saccrifice their personal ethics for crossfit.

It's silly for a coach to say this as a caveat to Crossfit, that is, you cannot be successful at Crossfit unless you quit the vegan diet.

However, if your performance stagnates AND you want to keep improving, your diet would be one of the first things I would point to.

[Yahya Kohgadai]

Originally Posted by Meghan Leigh Ramos

a I know everybody loves this book, but The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith is an impassioned piece and well worth the read (despite some of the annoyingly femenist rants she's got in there). If you're an Animal Activist looking to expand your circle of ethics to Planet Activist, this is the book for you.

Definitely check out Lierre Keith. Underground Wellness had a really god audio podcast w/her.. it might be a good idea to listen to that for your general questions then get the book for specific stuff.

[Sean Marszalek]

I am not a vegan but I train a number of people that were vegan before discoving intense workouts. Finding a high quality whey isolate is a great way to get protein added into your diet. Most people don't realize that a high quality whey isolate is stripped of the components that people don't like about dairy. Isolate means they "isolate" the amino acids from everything else that shouldn't be in there. Little more expensive but worth every penny...

[Sean Marszalek]

Accidently double posted...

[David Meverden]

Originally Posted by Sean Marszalek

Most people don't realize that a high quality whey isolate is stripped of the components that people don't like about dairy

Stripped of everything but the cruel treatment of cows. If you're a vegan for ethical reasons then it doesn't matter what they took out of it, and if you aren't a vegan then a few characteristic dairy molecules probably don't bother you.

I would think that top level performance wouldn't be too hard as a vegetarian, what with all the types of protein powders and nutritional supplements out there, but it would be pretty hard as a vegan.

Thanks for all the personal anecdotes everyone! My confirmation bias is hard at work absorbing all these "I felt and performed better after I ditched my veganism" accounts! haha

[Meghan Reid]

Originally Posted by David Meverden

Stripped of everything but the cruel treatment of cows. If you're a vegan for ethical reasons then it doesn't matter what they took out of it, and if you aren't a vegan then a few characteristic dairy molecules probably don't bother you.

I would think that top level performance wouldn't be too hard as a vegetarian, what with all the types of protein powders and nutritional supplements out there, but it would be pretty hard as a vegan.

Thanks for all the personal anecdotes everyone! My confirmation bias is hard at work absorbing all these "I felt and performed better after I ditched my veganism" accounts! haha

Riiiiiight, that.

And top level performance really depends on the person. Could a vegan go head to head with a champion powerlifter who eats a ton of animal protein in a strength contest? Maybe, probably not.

However if someone is vegan, and hits the top of their strength abilities and knows that to lift more they might need to eat meat, then it's perfectly acceptable if they decide it's not worth it to them. Just different goals.

[Cassie Savage]

You guys need to check out http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/forum/ (WFS)