Vegetarian Diet & Badminton Athlete

Soy protein works as well as meat protein.

 

The human body needs the major nutrients, carbohydrates, protein, and fat, plus vitamins and the micro nutrients minerals. You can get all these from a vegetarian diet, provided you know what to eat. Generally, vegetarians are healthier and live longer.

 

GoodBut.....

While I believe that a varied vegetarian diet is more than sufficient for healthy adult life, I wonder if a non-vegetarian diet during the years of growth adds to greater strength and better athleticism (due primarily to higher protein content).

What do you all think? Any research on this? Could it be one of the reason for India, with it's considerable vegetarian habits, does not excel in sports?

 

Protein is needed to do the nessesary repair and rebuild the muscles. We need to have sufficient protein from either vegetables OR meats. Meats on the other hand have higher protein contents than a normal serving of vegs. However if we have the sufficients plant fruits and vegs, the protein thats in it is better than meat.
Lets face it... all the Elephants,Giraffes,Buffalos,Cows or even Horses are strong and they are all vegetarians. So not nessesary meat eaters have greater strenghts.. we just need to eat More fruits and vegs on a daily basis.

 

the cows used in making those burger may have growth hormon, which in turn make the eater bigger? I'm not sure, just guessing.

nothing wrong with meat. fatty meat product is the problem (ribs, sausages, burgers, etc etc) and sedimentary life style ( couch-potatoism)

 

From what I know, meat proteins are complete proteins.
I think it is the growth hormones in the burgers as well, thats definetely not good for you. You'll just grow extra tall and be extra clumsy.

 

I'm vegetarian and I have no energy problems (although i'm no pro athlete). Tofu is a great and also other beans. I believe Beans + Corn = a complete protein (and tasty too).

Anyone tried Quinoa? It's an ancient grain that's a little like couscous but very high in protein.

A vegan friend of mine who doesn't eat eggs or dairy just gave birth to six pound twins so I don't think there are any growth issues associated with a well-rounded vegetarian diet.

 

travelling can definitely be tricky.

As the birthplace of tofu, Asia can be veggie friendly compared to some places... But Lots of major cities have some selection of international restaurants. I had a delicious Indian meal in Japan and ate a lot of great italian and middle-eastern food in Germany. From what I have heard I would avoid italian food in Hungary (ketchup for tomato sauce... not my style).

Being a pro athlete you would probably have planned meals for before matches. It could be tricky to eat consitent meals every tournament as far as carbs/protein ratio. I think it might just take a little extra planning.

I think there is vegetarian or vegan triathlete that endorses Vega meal replacement shakes (which are vegan). My veggie brother tried it but didn't like the taste.

 

The body needs 6 important nutrients, carbohydrates, protein, fats, minerals, vitamins, and water. Nutrients are necessary for energy, organ function, food utilization, and cell growth. The first three are called macronutrients and are the only ones that provide energy, but only if there are enough vitamins and minerals to release them. Vitamins and minerals are called micornutrients. The amount of micronutrients and macronutrients you need for proper health is vastly different-but each is important. The body simplifies nutrients in order to utilize them. This simplification begins with digestion, then enzymatic action splits nutrients into smaller and simpler chemical fragments, and finally enters your bloodstream. Vitamins are the 'spark plugs' that start the process of converting energy from the macronutrients. Minerals are the ignition key that make vitamins work. Vitamins are useless without minerals. The body can make some amino acids (the breakdown parts of protein) and some vitamins but cannot make even one mineral. Lastly, water is essential, without which the body will die.
Protein is essential for building body structure-that is how a baby can grow up to be a 200lbs man and be 6' tall-and to replace worn out cells. If you are a grown adult, your protein needs as a percent of your weight, are significantly lower than a growing child. Excessive protein produces toxic waste.
Protein is the raw material your body uses to break down into simpler parts called amino acids, which the body can use. Meat protein, when broken down into amino acids, contain all the necessary amino acids for the body, including those amino acids the body does not produce on its own. Most vegetables have protein that do not have one or two amino acids that the body does not make, hence they are sometimes called imcomplete protein. Taking eggs or drinking milk can take care of this. Tofu is also a complete protein.
An all vegetarian diet with the proper use of high-protein foods like tofu, dried beans and dried peas (chickpeas or 'kachan puteh') provides complete protein that is far superior to meat. Also vegetables and pulses have more and a greater variety of micronutrients than meat.
Protein from meat is more acidic. Protein from pulses is not. When your blood becomes acidic your body becomes finicky and will take steps to neutralize this increased acidity from meat protein. It will try to neutralize this acidity from meat protein, and in the process calcium is pulled from your bones.
This is why westerners who drink lots of milk and who eat lots of meat have broken bones in their middle age than Asians, despite the fact that they ingest more calcium from dairy products by the tons.

 

wow!!! a nice article... i knew bits and pieces of this post but not in whole... it's good.. i thot that taneepak knows only about stringing and LaFleche rackets but nope.. i was wrong...

 

I agree with Eepaks statement that westerners who drinks lots of Milk and eat lots of Meat are prone to osteoporosis. I would like to expound the reason behind it.
Talking about broken bones, Calcium is important for developlent of healthy bones and teeth. It is also vital in maintaining other body tasks that includes nerves and muscle functions,heartbeat regulation and also blood clotting. However if our dietary intake is low, calcium will be depleted from OUR BONES in order to make up for the deficiency.
Many people and even some of us have been taught that MILK is the only source of calcium. Industrialised countries also have the highest rate of Osteoporosis. There are some studies since many many years ago shows that diets high in Animal protein cause calcium to be lost thru urine, therefore causing an increased depletion from the bones.
National Dairy Council did a study sometime ago which women increased their milk consumption by 3, 8 ounces glasses of milk daily. And they are found to continued to developed osteoporosis even when they increased their intake of calcium and simultaneously increase their protein intake.
One of the reason is because human body cannot BREAK DOWN animal protein effictively. And excess of animal protein has also been linked to heart problems and cancer. Studies also shows that excess protein, which remains undigested, may cause allergies.
Vegetable proteins is far much easier for the body to digest and definately provides the benefits of proper nourishment without the drawbacks associated with animal protein.
Dark green vegetables like brocolli are excellent source of calcium and not forgetting soybeans which are extremely high in calcium.

 

And some may ask... SOY? I have high uric acid. I might have high uric acid if i take alot of Soy products.
Well here you have to understand the way they process the soy products. For your info SOY bean is good, however the SKIN is not good for the body. And beside that, you have to boil the soy at a right temperature. Too high or too low, you may not benefit the maximum nutrition from the soy product. And many of us don't know how SOY products in the market is processed.

 

Personally I wouldn't consider a vegetarian diet to be the best kind out there. Meat is just too good of a source of protein and nutrients for me to give it up. Plus, it is so very tasty!

Eating meat and eating vegetables are not mutually exclusive - you can eat meat and eat tons of vegetables too! The acidity issue with eating meats is true, but that can easily be counteracted by eating the same amount (mass wise) of vegetables as meat and grain products (grain products are acidic too). The result is a diet very high in micronutrients, plentiful in protein, and very low glycemic index because of the high fiber content.

 

cooler came late to this topic
my answer: it depends.
if u do alot of physical work or sports, u wear out your muscle and needed proteins for repair. Here more meat in their diet is appropriate. When u work and sweat more, the fluid in your system get replaced often, and the acidity is not big issue. Also, when u exercise, u build bone.

If u r a couch potato video gamer, then lotta meat is not good. Also tons of acidic soda pop to wash down the pizza, hot dogs, etc will make u more acidic.

 

If you eat tons of vegetables-and vegetables are classified as carbohydrates-you will eat less meat. It is not just the acidity of meat that is the problem. Red meat is marbled with saturated fat which cannot be removed like you can with chicken, and meats are loaded with what are called sulfur-containing amino acids, which are especially aggressive at causing calcium to be lost in the urine. Animal saturated fat is the raw material for your liver to produce cholesterol. It may surprise you that dietary cholesterol is much less a problem than liver-produced cholesterol.
Meats have another problem, and that is they have about 15 times as much phosphorus as calcium. This tremendous phosphorus excess encourages calcium loss. Vegetables have about a one-to-one phosphorus to calcium and will keep your calcium in your body. Think soda, soft drinks like Coke or Pepsi, which used to be called "phosphates" because they contained phospheric acid, and you should worry about these calcium-depleting substances.
Contrary to what people think, pulses have as much protein as lean meat, and they are much healthier. The better off Hindu Indians are mostly vegetarians and pulses are their main protein source. Pulses with rice or another cereal will give you proteins that are complete, and they are much healthier.

 

Nice thread man.

Me myself is a vegetarian as well and I eat dairy products as well. I don't think there is any problem for me in term of strength and stamina for badminton. What we need to do is to have a balance diet and have good source of macro and micronutrients.

Anyone know if there is any pro player out there who is a vegetarian?

 

I would not be surprised if most of the Indian national squad are vegetarians. Almost all my Hindu Indian friends (the higher casts) are vegetarians. On the other hand almost all my Muslim Indian or Pakistani friends are meat eaters.