Vegan Athletes - Ruth Heidrich, Ph.D

Alcohol and Protein Requirements for Endurance Athletes

admin — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:37:02 +0000

Dear Dr. Ruth,
I read in your book that alcohol in any dose is bad for you. Is this true of wine, too? And the second thing… what about all the sports medicine studies that claim runners and other high endurance athletes need 15 to 20 % more protein than couch potatoes. I figure this would mean I would need about 80 grams of protein a day and I can’t imagine getting that from a vegan diet, not to mention a raw diet. Thanks for your help. G.B.

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Dear G.B.,
Yes, alcohol in wine is alcohol — period! It is toxic to every cell in the body as it is a universal solvent. It does tend to thin the blood which counteracts the sludging of the blood from animal foods, and it’s the sludging of the blood which leads to heart attacks and strokes — plus many other problems. So wine is not the answer — not eating animal foods is.

Your second question: when athletes burn more calories, they eat more and this is how they automatically get more protein. You don’t need to change the composition, just the quantity. If, for example, an athlete burns 5,000 calories a day over the average 2,000 calories per day, that will give him/her 3,000 extra calories with an average of 10% calories from protein. So that is 300 protein calories. Divide that by 4 (calories per gram of protein) and you get 75 grams — right in the ballpark you mentioned. Don’t forget that veggies have plenty of protein in them, just look it up in the charts. Hope this helps,

Dr. Ruth

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Injury

admin — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:28:30 +0000

Dear Dr. Ruth,
I’m a 54-year old male who has started running again I am training for the Vegas Marathon next month and pulled my iliotibial band in November. I am now only doing the half marathon, because I was set back.

I would like to push harder, but now I fear any injury. I now stretch after my runs; should I stretch before? How can I save my knees and any leg injury in the future?
Much respect,

Rick

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Hi Rick!
Congratulations on getting back to running! I believe that is one of the best things you can do for your knees! Did you know that runners have fewer knee injuries than non-runners and all other athletes? Did you also know that runners have thicker knee cartilage than non-runners? Running does NOT wear out the knees but, in fact, is an example of “use it or lose it.” I would think that stretching once, after when the joints are warm, would be plenty. The ITB injury results from “too much too soon” so don’t increase too fast. I’m also a believer in weight training, both upper, lower, and core.

Most knee injuries occur from twisting. Knee pain occurs most often from arthritis from a bad diet. By “bad diet” I mean eating any animal foods. Animal protein fragments can get into joint capsules and really raise an inflammatory response.

Good luck in your training,

Dr. Ruth

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Endurance Athlete

admin — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:10:56 +0000

Hi Dr. Ruth,
I’m an endurance sport athlete and I’ve competed in marathons, cycling, duathlons and triathlons. However, I’ve been informed that my form of lifestyle is dangerous for my longevity. For example, it is recommended that a max of 3500 kcal expended per week for cardiovascular training. I can expend this in a single training session! Otherwise, it will actually increase death risk.
I would like your opinion regarding this subject matter.
Thank you,
Ki

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Dear Ki,
Thank you so much for a very interesting and informative website.

I read through Chapter 5 and found that while I agree with much of what he says, there are specifics that I disagree with. I suppose the major point in that the research he cites was done on people eating the SAD (or at least a fairly meat-centered diet) and that makes all the difference in the world. Yes, it’s true that extreme exercise creates more free radicals but if your diet is loaded with raw fruits and vegetables, you also have on board lots of antioxidants to gobble up the free radicals. I also disagree with his estimate of the max heart rate being 220 minus your age. Us really fit individuals make that rule totally useless. The last time I was at the Cooper Clinic (which he cites in his chapter), my max heart rate hit 192 and I was in my 60s. So, bottom line, if you’re really fit, which it sounds like you are, and you’re eating a vegan, low-fat diet, I think (but cannot prove, unfortunately) that you’re going to live much, much longer than those who either aren’t as fit or who do not eat a low-fat vegan diet.

Thanks for the question and the interesting information!
Dr. Ruth

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