RSS Feed
Twitter
I am 15 and really want to become a vegetarian. But, my parents are extremely worried about my health. I am an olympic-hopeful swimmer who burns around 4-5,000 calories per workout. I practice 6 days a week. I also lift weights 3 times a week. I was wondering what the risks of becoming a vegetarian are and some ways i can still get the vitamins, proteins, minerals, etc., that I need. Also, is it possible to gain weight being a vegetarian and can i still be successful in my sport?
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Posted in 
If you want to make it to the olympics you had better continue on the diet you are now on. It would be impossible for you to take in the amount of calories you need with a vegetarian diet.
Athletes need PROTEIN! And that is found in meat. I wouldn’t say that is the best idea! What you could do is cut way back on the meat, and eat a lot of nuts-only having it occatioally. Also, you would need to eat much more whole grains. For example, whole grain pasta, bread, chips, etc.
But escpecially for how extreme your sport is, and how many calories your burning, you’d be taking a dangerous risk by becoming a vegetarian.
You absolutely can be an athlete as a vegetarian. In fact, some world known athletes, Olympic Gold Medal winners are VEGANS.
If I were you, I’d get some books on becoming vegetarian. You could also join a forum for vegetarian/vegan athletes.
There is nothing your body needs that can’t be found in nature as opposed to in the rotting flesh of innocent animals.
just to clear things up there have been many veg*n olympic athletes.
being vegetarian isn’t some magical diet where you loose all your weight, same concepts apply eat more energy than your using and you gain weight.
in your situation i’d be eating lots of healthy oils, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, avocados, and olives.
and for protein and iron eat things like dairy, couscous, quinoa, etc.
no you would not be taking any risk as long as you watch what your eating, making sure its a variety, has many fruits and veggies and plenty of calories.
I think you should be fine as long as you eat (and sleep) right. That means living on a diet that involves more than just salad, pasta and pizza alone (however tasty those things are, hehe)!!
The risks of becoming a vegetarian come from not being informed enough. It is a good thing that you are doing your research so that you can stay healthy. =) Some of my friends became vegetarians, but they didn’t do it correctly and just ate pizza and pasta all the time…so of course they got sick.
Here are some links to vegetarian starter kits/information:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/2007/pdf/vegetarian_starter_kit.pdf
Actually those two have basically the same information, more or less, but the second link is a pdf file, so it may be easier for you to read/print. The first link has links to other things related to vegetarianism.
http://www.vegkit.org/
It is possible to maintain a healthy weight being a vegetarian, as long as you have a plentiful variety of foods. A vegetarian diet gives you more energy.
I used to play volleyball, and I was vegetarian then. I made the transition to veganism while I was playing volleyball, and I lost a little bit of weight but as it was not too much, I felt even better and it didn’t affect my performance/strength.
My friend is the top cross country runner in the state, and she is a vegetarian. =) My boyfriend was also a top athlete at his school, and he is a vegan. (I am talking high school kids here…well, this year was our senior year, so those titles are from the ’08-’09 year. You know.)
I hope my answer helps! Good luck, I wish you all the best in your vegetarian efforts and your athletic endeavors. =]
*EDIT: I forgot to mention, be sure to incorporate lots of WHOLE grains in your diet! Like whole wheat bread instead of white bread, brown rice instead of white rice, and whole-wheat pasta, etc. Whole grains are a good source of B vitamins, Vitamin E, magnesium, iron and fiber, as well as other essential antioxidants not found in some fruits and vegetables.
As long as you eat a balanced diet you will be fine.
Gaining weight and being successful will be the same if you include meat in your diet or not as long as you plan it properly.
In relative terms, athletes do not require any more protein than non-athletes, as they consume more calories, and therefore in a healthy diet more protein.
Research the foods you like and would eat as a veggie, and even complete a food diary to double check your calorie and protein intake (fitday dot com is a good free one), this will also ease your parents minds and create a better home environment for you, aiding your mental well being (so this will not negatively impact on your training/performance). You could even suggest the use of a Sports Nutritionist to ease their worries about the subject.
One supplement you may want to look at is Creatine, as the main source is from red meat in the diet and it can help performance/training and recovery – It can also increase water retention in the muscles which may be an issue for you?
Don’t believe everything that is touted by the supplement makers about it though, as creatine ethyl-ester is often said by them to be better, but no research has shown this, and most on the matter has shown it as being inferior to creatine monohydrate.
Good Luck! If you continue to train and eat well then there is no reason why stopping meat consumption should have an adverse effect on your performance.