Vegetarians...anyone besides me?
 

Just wondering if there are any more Veggies out there cycling. I am looking for tips on eating the right stuff to help maintain energy levels throughout my rides and to stay healthy.

Vegetarian but not vegan. There's no big secrets to eating a healthy vegetarian diet. I eat fresh vegetables, beans, tofu, rice, and lots of pasta. I eat eggs maybe twice a week and cheese a few times a week, usually with my pasta dishes.
Many Indian, Italian, and Asian dishes are vegetarian and are very easy to make, with ingredients that are available in most supermarkets.
Plenty of great recipes available on the webs.

Nothing but admiration for Vegeratians, but making the step over is difficult for us. We often do prepare vegetarian meals. Many a vegetable dish and certain spices can be excellant.

Vegan here. Haven't ever had a problem with energy, lots of fresh, organic veggies, grains and legumes. I try and avoid processed items, using tofu maybe twice a week. Tonight I'm having a broccoli chickpea casserole, and a big side of kale.

Also check out your local library, there are lots of good books out there now that can help simplify your diet for you. I recently just found "Vegetarian Sports Nutrition", seems pretty elementary so far, but I'm only about 20 pages in.

Shoot me a message or post away if you want any good recipes etc.

peace

your dinner tonight sounds yummy. post the recipe if you want. :D

I love me my meat.

Vegan...FTW;)

ovo-pesco here. I eat eggs occasionaly mainly to add some protein in a lunch salad along with beans and some tuna. I'm pretty down on milk but it does show up in my coffee - I failed to find a convenient substitutye that works. I do eat a fair amount of fish though, not uncommon for some folks you put themselves in a loose vegetarian category. I'm not a purist, but I really don't eat "meat" at all, not one scrap

I am a vegetarian but do not drink milk and avoid cheese and eggs when possible. It is not hard at all. When people say stuff like "well what do you eat if you cant eat meat?!?!" The answer is everything else!

While I do not eat fish, diets high in fish are still very healthy and IMO acceptable if you are not into the animal rights, environment, etc.

I'm a vegetarian bordering on vegan (just cheese), and I ride BMX, I love it, and I remain very healthy all the time.

I have been vegetarian for coming up on 2 years now. I have been debating on adding fish/seafood to my diet, just for health reasons.

I have been a vegetarian for about 4.5 years now. I was surprised to find the transition to be remarkably easy. I was fortunate though that my roommate, who turned me on to veg, is an excellent cook. The best thing about being a vegetarian, is the food.
I started riding about half a year ago and I commute with energy to spare.

Interesting link : the Vegetarian Cycling and Athletic Club, still active today, was established in 1888.

Vegan diet here, and I don't really have a lot of trouble with 24-mile rides, hill work or sprints. I eat a lot of fruit in addition to vegan versions of "normal" things like sandwiches etc. It's weird how some people have a diet for years but underestimate its ability to nourish them. Sometimes it is a self-fulfilling prophecy; I have seen many unhealthy/scrawny/anemic-type veg*ns who pretty much give the rest of us a bad name. They talk a lot of rot, but let's face it: the most convincing argument for a diet/lifestyle is looking good with your shirt off.

My staples are stuff like black beans & rice, bananas, avocado/tomato sandwiches, pb&j's & beer.
Simple meals that are quick to prepare.
I tend to eat more fruit than veggies, but I work some greens in there.
My macronutrients are something like 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat at the end of the day.

Most veggies are in a perpetual state of carb loading anyway, so maintaining energy is easy.
That said, I usually eat some fig newmans or a Clif bar on rides longer than 40 miles.
They recommend something like 200cals/hour & liter of water/hour for a 2+ hour ride.
Sometimes I'll have a protein shake when I get back from the gym, but I don't think it's necessary.

Try to get a variety of fresh produce & beans/nuts you should be just fine.
The less processed, the better.

any vegan cat 2s?

I was vegatarian for 20-something years. I started occasionally eating fish and chicken and even some red meat once a month or so.

My cholesterol dropped and I lost weight. Oh sure, I've been cycling like a madman too, but I'm sure it was the red meat that made me heathier.

Az

Well said.

I'm a vegan with no trouble feeling weak or rundown. In fact I just one a forty mile road race this week against some of my co-workers half my age.

I eat grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, beans, nuts, and seeds. That includes a lot of food, everything I need to fuel my cycling habit. I ride 200-300 miles a week, and have been finishing pretty well in races too. Personally I definitely don't need any meat or dairy. So to the OP, if you are eating a decent mix of foods there shouldn't be any more concern then if you weren't vegetarian. Actually I tend to think you'd naturally be healthier and a more capable cyclist if you were vegetarian then not.

Here are some:

http://www.organicathlete.org/compon...st/Itemid,298/

Skirt steak, prime rib, ribeye, tbone, pork chops, tenderloin, yum.

Health Reasons
 

I'm curious to know what the health reasons are? I also haven't eaten meat for around 2 years and my main motivator for giving it up was health reasons. I still eat some cheese and eggs occasionally, and some yogurt as well.

I'm the main cook in my family so my wife describes herself as an "accidental vegetarian". We eat a lot of grains, legumes, vegetables, tofu, tempeh, some gluten products. We eat fruit mostly for breakfast and some with lunch I guess. I generally don't like "fake meat" products although I have tried them.

For those who are interested, there are some amazing recipes at Fat Free Vegan. Also, Mike Mahler has made a career out of advocating vegetarian strength training. It may not be Gospel, but it is an interesting read.

The whole Linda McCartney pro team had vegetarianism as part of their contracts.


Dave McKenzie won a stage of the 2000 Giro running solely on plant matter.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/20...o/macca7.shtml

Dave Scott was 6 Ironman World Champ as a vegetarian.
I don't know it that was ovo-lacto or what exactly.
His signature Centurion Ironman is a cool bike, too.

Not cycling but, Carl Lewis was a very fast vegan.
10 Olympic medals.

There aren't many veg*ns & not many world champs, so the intersection on that Venn diagram is going to be small. However, they do exist.

I'm vegan... well, have been for about 8 months, and was for about a year, starting about four years ago. Been veggie since about 7 years ago.

Wasn't Robert Millar vegetarian?

Ah, yes.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Millar

Here are some vegan cycling links...0

Vegan Cyclocross racer Christine Vardaros:

http://christinevardaros.com/

http://christinevardaros.blogspot.com/

Vegan Track racer Dave Noisy

http://cycling.thenoisies.com/

Veganfitness cycling forum (not very busy to be honest!)

http://www.veganfitness.net/forum/vi...4d036cf2e07799

Just curious about why you eat eggs. There are some good nutrients there but they are much higher in cholesterol than meat (or any other food).