Veganism: What you should consume while on a strict fitness regime?

For all those who swear by vegetarianism and believe that vegans have very few food options, take a back seat. For all the fitness junkies who are vegans, here is your go-to guide for pre- and post-workout nutrition.

Veganism is a choice. Like vegetarians choose to avert meat, vegans choose to eliminate dairy products as well as any product that is directly made out of animal flesh. And if you believe that they have fewer options to choose from, when it comes to eating, you are wrong. A vegan diet comprises of all kinds of vegetables, nuts, fruits, grains, beans, seeds and pulses.

Veganism and fitness workouts

A diet centering on vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes provides one with stable energy throughout the day and boosts the immune system. Often, there is a query about what vegans could eat during their stringent fitness regimen. Fitness, like we all know, is all about balancing your meals with the needs of your body. We tell you all that you need to know about pre and post workout nutrition for a vegan.

Like it is for anybody else, vegans also need to have a good amount of pre and post- workout nutrition. This is especially important if you want to build lean muscle as well as recover from your training.

This concept is particularly simple. Your body needs fuel to function well. If you workout without giving the adequate fuel to your body, you are not going to achieve optimal performance. However, experts agree that a vegan diet needs to be monitored strictly so that all the macro and micro nutrients are included. Here's our attempt to break it down for you.

Pre-workout nutrition: A poor pre-workout nutrition will cause gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and all of this, in turn, will affect your endurance.

If you are going to have a long session, that will ideally last for more than an hour, include a small carbohydrate-rich snack before you head to work out.

Here are some pre-workout items for vegans:

-Banana/grapes or mango

-Cooked sweet potato/potato

-Overnight oats made on almond or soy milk

- Soy-cheese sandwich

- Soy milk

-Jacket/ baked potato

Post-workout nutrition: If you have a poor post-workout nutrition, you are going to delay the training recovery and experience increased muscle soreness. Within an hour of a rigorous workout session, include protein and carbohydrates in your diet. It is a popular misconception that vegans don't get enough protein. But we would like to deny.

Here are some post-workout items for vegans:

- Tofu

- Whole grains like quinoa, barley, rice, oats.

- Soymilk and soy yogurt

- Seeds (chia seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds)

- Lentils and beans

- Spinach

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