Vegan Cycling

Thanksgiving is upon us, the day when people gourd their faces and eat til they fall asleep watching the Dallas Cowboys lose another football game. This Thanksgiving will be a little different from previous ones (different from last years, because I'm actually in the United States for it), this year I won't be eating turkey, or heck even buttered rolls. Last January I gave up meat and this past fall I gave up dairy as well, if you would like to know my reasons feel free to message me, I'd be glad to talk about them, but this post is about nutrition, not about animal rights.

Zucchini fritters with roasted cauliflower and pasta.

One of the most important things people talk about when giving up meat is the loss of protein. This is mostly a myth. Yes, meats do have more complete proteins, but beans and nuts are a very ample source of protein to fill that gap (besides before I was even full vegetarian I hardly ate meat). I was also using a great deal of milk to fill that deficiency as well (but almond milk actually has more protein and less fat, win-win). Veganism does mean eating more though, as meats do have a higher protein per gram ratio than vegetables (meaning they fill you up faster too), but so what? Usually I just try to fill in the gap with bigger meals and lots of daily snacking (I try to bring almonds with me everywhere, the best snack on the go).

Roasted carrots and beats over greens.

If you're wondering if this would bring me to any competitive disadvantage (as I may venture into racing), I'd say take a look at Dave Zebriskie, a competitor in the Tour de France, who is vegan (with the exception of salmon to get his omegas). The biggest concern may be food availability while touring. Being vegetarian was enough for strange glances along the small towns of America, but not having eggs or dairy might be even more difficult. I recently watched an excellent documentary on the racing of the Great Divide Trail, in which one of the racers was vegan. Standing in the gas station going through all the junk food reading label after label trying to find something he could eat within his boundaries. It's something I have small feats about. In terms of nutrition, though? I feel very confident about my ability eat healthity. If anything a change in diets has helped me focus more on the positives and negatives of what I eat.