Sample Vegan Athlete Meal Plan
A vegan diet can make a big difference in how you look and feel. But as a vegan or vegetarian athlete, you have to put a little more effort into planning your meals and ensuring you get enough nutrition to fuel your workouts.
Here’s everything you need to know about meal planning for vegan athletes, including some nutrition basics and a sample vegan menu.
What Do Vegan Athletes Need?
Male, female, and other vegan athletes can get all the nutrition they need from a well-balanced diet. However, getting enough calories, protein, and fat generally takes more thought and planning.
It’s best to eat whole food sources as much as possible rather than relying on prepared and processed foods. It’s also essential to ensure you get enough protein; too little protein makes it impossible to build and repair muscles used during exercise.
Because getting sufficient protein in a vegan diet can already be tricky, eat lots of tofu, protein powder, and other protein-dense foods as often as you can.
Some ideal sources of protein for vegans and vegetarians include:
- Soy beans, tofu, tempeh, and edamame
- Seitan
- Beans and lentils
- Chia, pumpkin, and hemp seeds
- Quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth
- Spirulina
- Vegetables like broccoli, kale, and spinach
Vegan athletes also need a mix of carbohydrates to fuel energy needs, such as:
- Starchy vegetables like sweet potato and squash
- Whole grains like brown rice and oats
- Fruits like apples, oranges, figs, and banana
- Legumes like black beans, kidney beans, and lentils
Plenty of anti-inflammatory foods should be included as well, such as:
- Tomatoes
- Algae
- Green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and collards
- Nuts like almonds, pecans, and walnuts
- Olive oil
- Fruits like blueberries and strawberries
- Herbs and spices like turmeric and ginger
Why Do I Need a Vegan Meal Plan?
After a long day of training and balancing other responsibilities, it’s likely the last thing you want is to spend hours in the kitchen making a meal from scratch and cleaning up. But as an athlete, you need to make sure your body has high-quality fuel from whole foods.
Fortunately, meal prepping helps you get variety in your diet. You do all your shopping, chopping, sauteing, seasoning, and mixing in a few hours on your preferred day of the week, put all your meals in containers, and you’ll be ready to go from Sunday to Saturday.
Aside from the time and nutrition, meal prep helps you get the most out of your grocery purchases. When planning your meals, you can use ingredients across multiple recipes to keep your diet varied and avoid food waste.
Ready to get started? Check out this sample plant-based diet menu for vegan athletes to get inspiration.
Sunday
Breakfast
Mid-Morning Snack
- Trail mix
Lunch
- Black beans with brown rice, red peppers, onions, and cilantro
Afternoon Snack
Dinner
- Brown rice with steamed Swiss chard, steamed edamame, and chia seeds
Nighttime Snack
Monday
Breakfast
- Mashed avocado with whole wheat toast
Mid-Morning Snack
- Carrots with Collagen Avocado Hummus Dip
Lunch
- Rice wrap with avocado and tomatoes
Afternoon Snack
Dinner
- Couscous with pine nuts, tempeh, and steamed asparagus
Nighttime Snack
Tuesday
Breakfast
- Soy yogurt with pecans and dried apricots
Mid-Morning Snack
- Bruschetta with tomato and avocado
Lunch
Afternoon Snack
- Celery with peanut butter and raisins
Dinner
- Black bean burgers with kale chips
Nighttime Snack
- Frozen bananas with almond butter
Wednesday
Breakfast
Mid-Morning Snack
- Avocado toast
Lunch
- Spinach and walnut salad with Mediterranean Collagen Herb Dressing
Afternoon Snack
- Trail mix with an orange
Dinner
- Quinoa with tofu and roasted Brussels sprouts
Nighttime Snack
Thursday
Breakfast
Mid-Morning Snack
- Banana and almond butter toast
Lunch
- Bowl of zucchini noodles with pesto, broccoli and seitan cooked in avocado oil
Afternoon Snack
Dinner
- Pinto beans with brown rice
Nighttime Snack
- Strawberries and pecans
Friday
Breakfast
Mid-Morning Snack
- Trail mix with fresh berries
Lunch
- Brown rice and lentil salad
Afternoon Snack
- Avocado toast
Dinner
Nighttime Snack
Saturday
Breakfast
Mid-Morning Snack
- Fruit salad with soy yogurt
Lunch
- Sesame noodles with tofu and steamed bok choy
Afternoon Snack
- Brown rice with beets and edamame
Dinner
- Portobello mushroom burger with spinach and almond salad
Nighttime Snack
Tips for First-Time Meal Preppers
It may take a few hours to prepare your first week of meals; it’ll likely go faster once you get the hang of it. You may want to set aside the time on a Sunday, but choose whatever day works best for you.
Here are some other tips for success:
- Start with simple recipes with shared ingredients.
- Use low- or no-prep ingredients.
- Get enough airtight containers, reusable plastic bags, and single-serving glass containers for the week.
- Label your meals to make things easy.
- Stock up on ingredients that keep well, such as canned or frozen fruits, dried herbs and spices, and grains that keep in the pantry.