American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

Coaching the Vegetarian Athlete

Swarna L. Mandali

Abstract: Good nutrition is important for optimal athletic performance. Adolescent athletes often depend on their coaches for nutritional information on weight management, dietary supplements, and dietary practices. Some dietary practices, such as vegetarianism, have the potential to be harmful to the adolescent athlete if not followed with careful supervision. For this reason, coaches should be adequately prepared to provide reliable dietary information to their athletes. Vegetarian eating patterns are more common in endurance athletes, many of whom follow the plant-based diet to obtain performance benefits. This article describes how coaches can help vegetarian athletes to identify various sources of plant-based protein and to carefully design a meal plan that will prevent calcium, iron, zinc, and Vitamin B12 deficiencies.

Category: Coaching