Plant-Based Diets for Athletes

Plant-Based Diets for Athletes

This course looks into plant based diets and how they work for athletes in a sporting context. Sam Thompson, breaks down the various different diets that a person could potentially follow, and what foods or drinks that may contain. 

A summary of the course is as follows: 

• Plant-based diets are becoming increasingly popular with athletes for different ethical, environmental or health reasons. 
• Plant-based is a broad term which encompasses a range of different diet types.
• Concerns have been raised regarding the quality of plant vs animal protein which affects its effectiveness among athletes 
• Plant-based diets may also be lower in several key nutrients which are predominantly found in animal-based products
• Plant-based diets may offer benefits, such as increased dietary fibre and lower saturated fat intake
• Overall, a plant-based diet can be adopted with great success for athletes, however, may require slightly more planning than omnivorous diets