4 Key Sports Nutrition Supplements for Vegetarians
Written by Sportsfuel, 19 April 2016
A vegetarian or vegan diet has been shown to have distinctive health benefits, and many people today choose to give up meat, dairy and eggs in order to be kinder to animals. While a vegetarian or vegan diet can be healthy and conducive to natural lifestyles, serious athletes and bodybuilders who restrict or eliminate animal-derived foods from their diets can end up deficient of certain nutrients. This can make it difficult to see results from workouts and interfere with athletic performance. The good news is that it's possible to bridge the diet gap with the right sports nutrition supplements.
Here are four of the best supplements for vegetarian and vegan athletes and bodybuilders:
1. Vegetable Based Protein Powder
Protein is absolutely essential for building new muscle cells and for repairing the strain put on the body during exercise. You can get protein from plants, but most plant proteins are incomplete, which means that they do not contain every single one of the amino acids that are used as building blocks for proteins. Vegetable based protein powders can supply a vegan-friendly form of protein to ensure that you're getting enough of the amino acids that your body requires. Soy protein powders tend to be preferred by many people as they contain a complete amino acid profile. You can also try vegetarian blends with ingredients like pea protein and hemp, or if you eat dairy, a whey protein powder is a vegetarian option with a complete amino acid profile.
2. Branched Chain Amino Acids
Leucine, isoleucine and valine are three key amino acids for muscle development. Called the branched chain amino acids or BCAAs, these amino acids decrease the risk of muscle breakdown when you're completing a grueling workout. The BCAAs have also been shown to stimulate muscle cell production after exercise and to reduce fatigue and increase endurance. Most vegetarian and vegan diets are lacking in these important amino acids, but you can add them to your diet easily in pill or powder form.
3. Creatine
Creatine is an important fuel for producing energy in the muscles during exercise, and much of the nutrient stored in the muscle tissue comes from animal proteins in the average adult diet. Since you don't eat meat, there is a good chance you have lower amounts of creatine stored in your muscles than the norm. Taking just 5 grams of creatine per day can help you to promote muscle growth, reduce fatigue and increase your strength.
4. Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is another amino acid that is found primarily in meats that plays an important role in energy production and that amplifies the benefits of creatine. Experts recommend that vegetarians take 3 to 6 grams of the amino acid per day divided into 2 to 4 even doses. Be prepared to experience a tingly feeling when you take your supplement; that's a normal side effect of beta-alanine and no cause for alarm.
For help selecting supplements that are vegan or vegetarian-friendly, feel free to contact us. We'll be glad to help you put together the best sports nutrition programme to help you stick to your diet and get better results at the gym.
We get many questions about how to lose weight, especially at the start of the New Year. While we have many weight loss supplements available, the best thing you can do for weight loss is cleaning your diet and eating healthily.Exercise and supplements have their part in weight loss, but you know the saying, "Abs are made in the kitchen".The New Year is a chance to establish healthy (and sustainable) habits around eating, whether for weight loss or general health purposes. Eating well can lead to more energy, a more robust immune system, improved strength and endurance, and better gut health, sleep, and mood. A clean diet can also help improve skin and hair condition.We generally find that the people who focus on these health benefits and how clean eating makes them feel are more likely to stay on track throughout the year than those eating clean solely for weight loss purposes. This is because weight loss isn’t always a pleasant steady journey. During those pesky weight loss plateaus, it’s important to remember the other benefits of eating well so you’re discouraged from giving up.If you’re ready to start making minor changes to incorporate healthy eating into your lifestyle, follow these three simple tips to help make eating healthy the new normal in a few months!
Have ingredients for quick, balanced meals on hand
It’s 5 pm, and hunger strikes - if you don’t already have the ingredients for a healthy meal on hand, it’s too easy to eat whatever is readily available. Plan meals and make sure that you buy the components needed for these meals ahead of time.Planning and prepping ahead for healthy meals seems like a pain, but it can be pretty straightforward. Just choose a couple of go-to dinners, and stock up on their ingredients. Making more than enough for one meal is also a great way to make sure you have healthy options available when hunger hits. you can add leftover meat to leafy greens kept in the fridge for a quick salad option. Eggs are great to keep on hand, along with canned tuna and quick-cook rice. Make sure you always have plenty of fruit and vegetables available – pre-cut them ahead of time and store them in ziplock bags in the fridge for easy snacks!
Choose healthy take-out options
There are days when there just isn’t anything in the pantry or we don’t have time to put together even a quick meal. Perhaps it’s someone’s birthday or anniversary and you can’t avoid eating out. If you are going to order takeaways, or eat out, you can still eat well by identifying the healthy options ahead of time. (NB: While this is a good strategy to have, if you really want pizza or creamy pasta, it’s okay to indulge on occasion!)Depending on the takeaway chain or restaurant you’re ordering from there may be obvious healthier choices such as the Low Carborator from Burger Fuel, which is extra lettuce instead of the burger bun, or if it’s not a burger without the bun you could choose the smaller wholemeal bun instead of the large. Salads are usually a healthy alternative depending on the ingredients. Try to stay away from anything deep-fried or covered in sauce.If you haven’t planned ahead or aren’t sure what is the healthiest option – don’t panic! Just be mindful of how much you eat. One of the biggest reasons takeaways and restaurant meals derail our progress (or health) is that we usually overeat due to larger portion sizes or the food is too good! Try to eat until you’re full and save any leftovers for the next day.
Make a plan for sweets and alcohol
Aside from takeaway foods – the next two things most likely to derail us from healthy eating routines are alcohol and splurging on snack foods like cupcakes or potato chips. It’s not necessary to cut these completely out of your diet, they’re okay to indulge in occasionally but it’s best to have a plan.For example, some people eat clean, healthy meals and avoid alcohol during the week, but will indulge on the weekends. Others might choose two different days based on regular social plans (or these days might change depending on the week).If you know you’ve got a shared morning tea on Wednesday, you might decide to swap one of your weekend days to be a healthy eating day. The idea is to make healthy eating a sustainable lifestyle so we like to follow the 80/20 rule – 80% clean healthy eating rule, 20% … not so clean. If you eat healthily 100% of the time THAT’S GREAT. But if you slip up some of the time, that’s fine too! At the end of the day, we’re all only human and sometimes it’s more important to enjoy life than worry about that cheat meal we shouldn’t have had.Planning ahead which days will be your relaxed or “cheat” days makes it easier to pass up the temptations on the other days. If you know you’re going out for dinner (and dessert) on Saturday night, you’re less likely to be tempted by the cake at work. You’re not depriving yourself of deliciousness, and boy does dessert taste so much better when you’ve waited all week for it.
Meet Jess Coate, a fitness athlete, an IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness) Pro, Online Trainer and a Professional Bodybuilder. This girl is more than a pretty face, she is strong and won a lot of titles not only in New Zealand but worldwide.
Easter is almost here and I really don't want to blow my diet eating sugary cookies or chemical-laden marshmallow peeps. As usual, I turned to my favourite Quest bars for inspiration. I had a blast creating THREE different Quest Bar mini Easter Egg treats.Here's a preview: 1. #CheatClean QUEST BAR Easter Egg Cookies
These cute little cookies were cut out using a mini Easter egg cookie cutter. They are TOTALLY HEALTHY. Use 85% dark chocolate for the drizzle and add antioxidants, vitamins & minerals!2. QUEST BAR Easter Egg Sandwich Cookies
The delightful Easter Egg Sandwich Cookies require only a tiny bit more effort, but deliver three layers of yummy flavour! I have four different filling options. Choose one or try all four as I did!
Peanut Butter
Chocolate Hazelnut
Toasted Coconut
Cherry Almond
3. QUEST BAR Chocolate Covered Easter Egg CookiesDon't be intimidated. I simply dipped the sandwich cookies into dark chocolate. Some have both Quest cookie halves plus filling, and others are just the crunchy Quest cookie bottom with a layer of filling on top. Either way, DELICIOUS!As always, my recipes are EASY so don't be intimidated. There may be a few extra steps in the chocolate-covered cookie option, but everything is simple - I promise.The only "must-haves" are Quest Bars and an Easter egg cookie cutter.
Note: If you don't have an egg cookie cutter you can get the same flavors by either using a different shaped cookie cutter, or just slicing your Quest dough into squares with a knife.
Here we go. All of the recipes start with the basic Quest Easter Egg Cookie recipe:
Quest Bar Easter Egg Cookies
INGREDIENTS:1 or more Quest bars (I used Chocolate Brownie and Coconut Cashew)Optional: dark chocolate or chocolate chips for drizzleDIRECTIONS:1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.2. Working with one Quest bar at a time, unwrap the bar and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Microwave on high for 10 seconds until softened.3. Working quickly, cover the bar with another piece of parchment paper and roll out to approximately 1/4 inch thickness. Use a rolling pin or press with your hands to flatten.4. Using a small Easter egg cookie cutter, cut out dough. (When cutting, space cookies close together because you won't be able to reroll the scraps as with regular cookie dough.) Repeat with any additional Quest bars if desired.5. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place cookie cut-outs on the parchment. Bake for approximately 6-8 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool.See, that was easy! Enjoy the crispy cookies as is, or drizzle with melted dark chocolate.Now, if you'd like to try the Quest Bar Sandwich Cookies (highly recommended!), let's keep going...
Quest Bar Easter Egg Sandwich Cookies INGREDIENTS:Quest Bar Easter Egg Cookies (recipe above)Plus the ingredients needed for your choice of filling(s):Peanut Butter Filling1 tablespoon peanut butter1 heaping tablespoon protein powder, either peanut butter or vanilla flavourChocolate Hazelnut Filling1 tablespoon Nutella1 heaping tablespoon protein powder, either chocolate or vanilla flavourCherry Almond Filling2 tablespoons coconut butter, softened1 tablespoon dried cherries, chopped1/8 teaspoon almond extractToasted Coconut Filling2 tablespoons coconut butter, softened1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut, toastedTo toast coconut, place on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for approximately five minutes until lightly browned.DIRECTIONS:1. Make the filling or fillings of your choice. My favourite is the toasted coconut!
For peanut butter and chocolate hazelnut fillings: Place heaping tablespoon of protein powder in a small bowl. Add tablespoon of either peanut butter or Nutella. Mix together to incorporate all the protein powder. Mixture should not be sticky; it should be the consistency of playdough.
For cherry almond and toasted coconut fillings: If coconut butter is solid, soften for a few seconds in the microwave. It does not need to be liquid, but soft enough to stir in your fillings. For cherry almond filling, add chopped dried cherries and almond extract. For toasted coconut filling, stir in toasted coconut.
2. Prepare fillings for cutting. The fillings must be flat in order to be cut with cookie cutters. Simply place filling on parchment paper and flatten it with a spoon or with your hand to approximately 1/4 inch thickness. Place fillings in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.3. Remove fillings from the refrigerator and cut out with the same egg-shaped cookie cutter.4. Place a Quest cookie on a plate and top with the filling of your choice. Add another Quest cookie on top for a delicious Easter Egg sandwich cookie!This version had a few steps but it's still incredibly easy. These Quest Bar Sandwich Cookies are definitely a #CheatClean treat!
Decadent Easter Cookie Option: Finally, we have the fun Easter-only-comes-once-a-year-I-deserve-a-treat Chocolate Covered Sandwich Cookie Eggs. It's not a surprise that the chocolate-covered option is my favourite. (My blog title is probably a dead giveaway, lol.) Honestly, the chocolate only adds a few extra calories so your Easter eggs are almost as healthy as the sandwich cookies. Everything in moderation, right??Quest Bar Chocolate-Covered Easter Egg Sandwich Cookies INGREDIENTS:Quest Bar Easter Egg Sandwich Cookies (recipe above)Chocolate for melting (dark chocolate, chocolate chips or Wilton dark chocolate candy melts)DIRECTIONS:1. Melt the chocolate either in a double-boiler or in the microwave. Since this is a holiday treat and I didn't want to fuss, I used Wilton dark chocolate candy melts. You are welcome to use dark chocolate chips or a chocolate candy bar. For the Wilton melts, add a handful of candy pieces to a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir. Continue to microwave in 30-second increments at 50% power until candy is melted.2. Working with one sandwich cookie at a time, place cookie in melted chocolate and flip to coat all sides. Use a fork to remove the cookie from chocolate and place it on a sheet of parchment paper to harden.Totally optional: I used colourful Wilton chocolate melts to add a little drizzle for decoration. However, the chocolate-covered cookie eggs will be just as delicious plain.
Article from iwillrunforchocolate.blogspot.co.nzhttp://iwillrunforchocolate.blogspot.co.nz/2014/04/quest-bar-easter-egg-cookies-filled.html
