How does a vegetarian athlete get enough protein

Outline for a persuasive essay I did for class.

 Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience that it possible to get enough protein to be an endurance athlete on a plant based, vegetarian diet.

Central Idea: That although animal products contain more protein then non plants, with a well balanced diet it is possible to get enough protein in your diet to fuel your muscles for endurance activities

Introduction

1. As a vegetarian, and an avid runner, I have made it my life's work to figure out to get optimal nutrition to fuel my workouts so that I can become stronger and not easily fatigued. As a certified trainer through the American Counsel on exercise, and a Exercise Science student at Columbus State, it has become important in my studies to learn about proper nutrition for all types of athletes.

2. The average person thinks that you are required to eat animal proteins, such as poultry, beef, fish and dairy, in order to get the recommended amount of protein into their diets. But in fact there are many fruits, vegetables, legumes, and soy products that provide more then enough protein for a highly active diet.

Body

1. Americans have a very misconceived perception about the amount of protein they need in their diets, and what it is that that protein does for them.

A. In the 1970's, Dr. Atkin came out with a quick fix diet for american's promising to “Lose up to 15 lbs in the first 2 weeks* and that's just the beginning. “ According to the official Atkin's site www.atkins.com.

B. The Atkin's diet encouraged an unlimited amount of animal protein, which is very high is saturated fat, while allowing only 12 to 15 grams of net carbohydrates in a day. 1 cup of steamed broccoli contains 20 grams of carbohydrates. (nutritiondata.self.com)

C. The Atkins diet recommends eating 130 – 150 grams of protein in one day, where as the United States Department of Agriculture recommends only eating only around 46 – 56 grams of protein per day.

1.If you consume more protein then your body can process the excess protein filters out through your kidneys which can add extra stress on them. The same as if you drink too much alcohol it adds extra stress on your liver.

D. ISSN (International society of sports and nutrition) states that a regular exerciser should consume on average .63 to .91 grams of protein per lb of body weight. For a female athlete they should aim to eat on the lower end of this scale, and a male athlete should aim to eat on the higher end.

1. For example, as a 122 lbs female athlete, I would want to eat no less then 78 grams of protein a day, more if I am trying to build muscle.

2. So if a person doesn't animal protein, then how do they manage to eat enough to full fill the almost 80 grams of protein recommendation

A. It's easy to say that 1 serving of chicken is a great way to get enough protein in your diet with it containing 23.5 grams (for a 100 gram serving). Salmon ranks in at 21.6 grams, and dear meat at 30 grams.

B. A list of a few plant based foods that contain more then 20 grams of protein per 100 grams.

1.Soy beans 35.6 g

2.Peanut butter 24.9 g

3.Almond nuts 21.1 g

4. Pumpkin seeds 28.8 g

C. While the amount of foods with over 20 grams of protein is limited, the amount of foods with 5- 15 grams of protein is extremely high and can add up when paired together.

1. 1 cup of Spaghetti with 1/2 cup of broccoli ½ cup cup of kidney beans ½ cup mushrooms and 1 cup pasta sauce contains 26 grams of protein. Not too bad for a completely vegan meal.

2. 1 cup black beans and 1 cup of brown rice – 20 grams of protein. Also a vegan meal.

3. Issues with eating a plant based protein diet vs. an animal based protein diet.

A. Complete essential amino acids intake-

1. Protein is also known as an amino acid. 11 of them are built inside your body, an 9 of them are not. These are called essential amino acids because you need to consume them in your diet since you can not get them any where else.

2. Animal proteins contain all 9 of the essential amino acids, where as plant foods, say black beans only contain a few. One way to prevent not getting all of the amino acids is to eat a full array of plants so that you get all of the different nutrients each one has to offer.

3. “When the amino acids from two or more foods add up to make a complete protein, those foods are called “complementary proteins” Examples include
   1. Beans and tortillas

Black beans and rice

Pita and hummus

-according to www.webmd.com

B. Protein deficiency and supplementation

1. “Protein deficiency is a state of malnutrition in which insufficient amounts of protein is taken in for the body to utilize in order to produce energy” says wisegeek.com. Protein deficiency is very common in third world countries where they havea very limited amount of food supply, usually consisting only of what they can grow.

While it is very possible to get the appropriate amount of protein as a vegetarian, you do have to make an extra effort. More then a meat eater would. If you are a “lazy eater” or have an unhealthy diet, such as that high is pastas or fast food, you can easily fall into the trap of protein deficiency

2. Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that is only found in animal sources. If you are a vegan, then it is important that you take a supplement for this. It is easy to get all of your lost nutrients, such as Iron, calcium and other things that, while found in many plant foods, may be lacking, by taking a mulit-vitamin.

3. Supplementation- When in doubt, it is easy to drink a protein shake to add protein and essential vitamins and minerals to your diet.

3. 3. In conclusion being a vegetarian has been proven to help fight and prevent many diseases that have plagued American society. It can be beneficial for loosing weight, lowering your cholesterol and heart disease, and generally makes people feel better and more energetic.

1. But it takes work. Anything that is worth sacrificing in life to an individual, will take an extra effort if you want to do it right.

2. It is very possible to eat enough protein through a plant based diet, as long as you eat a well balanced whole foods based diet, focusing on a lot of variety in what you eat.

3. As a trainer, a lot of people as me advice on what to eat. I like to quote Michael Pollen, a famous plant based researcher and author, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”

Bibiliography

“How Much Protein Do Athletes Need?” www.vanderbilt.edu. Lee Knight Caffery. Vanderbilt University.

“How Much Protein Do People Need” www.livestrong.com. Andrea Cespedes. Nov. 2010

“The Program”. Www.atkins.com/program/programoverview.aspx. Atkins Nutritionals. 2011

“Self Nutrition Data”. Www.nutritiondata.self.com. Conde Nast Digital. 2011.

“Vegetarian Diets and Organic Foods” www.webmd.com. Health & Cooking. Healthwise, Incoporated. 1995-2011. Feb. 2009