SportsGist Rules!

Put your fears aside. Vegetarian diets are typically rich in carbohydrates, with plenty of protein and high performance fats. That’s the perfect prescription for exercisers and athletes. With 60 percent of your diet coming from carb-packed grains, beans, fruits and vegetables, there’s no way your performance will drop off. And you can certainly get enough protein to pack on plenty of muscle. But you do have to plan your diet well.

And just for clarity-sake, although research has taught us that eating too much of animal-based foods may result in the development of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer, the problem is not that eating any amount of these foods is bad for you. But if you make animal foods the center of your diet, you just don’t have enough room left to eat all the fabulous plant foods like grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables necessary to ward off disease.

Pesco-vegetarians eat dairy foods, eggs and fish, but no other animal flesh.

Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat dairy foods and eggs, but exclude animal flesh.

Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but no dairy foods or animal flesh.

Vegans eat no animal foods of any typeAny of these styles will offer you the opportunity to expand the amount of plant foods in your diet and still meet your own desires for food, taste and performance.

ENSURING THE PROPER NUTRIENTS

Changing from a meat-centered to a plant-centered diet is not as simple as just eliminating the meat. The trick is to make sure you’re not skimping on any nutrients as you cut out certain foods. Vegans run the greatest risk of deficiencies because several vital nutrients including protein, vitamins B12 and D, iron, zinc, and calcium, are found in highest qualities or most significant amounts primarily in meat, eggs and dairy products.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATE

When it comes to carbohydrates, don’t be misled by fads. The research is clear: if you want to train hard and long, you need plenty of carbohydrate to achieve your goals. Eating a vegetarian-style diet will make this easy. Plant-based foods are great sources of all the different carbohydrates and fibers that will keep you healthy and fuel intense workouts.

To get enough calories and nutrients, vegetarians should eat at least 1,800 calories a day. The following list gives you minimum servings for each day, with a suggestion of where to add more to increase calories.

6-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta

3-5 servings of vegetables

2-4 servings of fruit

2-3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese

3-4 servings of poultry, fish, dried beans, eggs, and nuts

3-5 servings of nuts, seeds and other high performance fats

Lacto-vegetarians:

8-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta

3-5 servings of vegetables

3-4 servings of fruit

2-3 servings of milk and yogurt

1-2 servings of low-fat cheese

4-6 servings of dried beans and peas

3-5 servings of nuts, seeds and other high performance fats

supplement or use products fortified with iron and zinc

Vegans:

8-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta

4-6 servings of vegetables

3-4 servings of fruit

6-8 servings of dried beans and peas

3-5 servings of nuts, seeds and other high performance fats

supplement or use products fortified with vitamins B12 and D, iron, zinc, and calcium

Serving size guidelines:

Food Group	Serving size
Whole grain bread, cereals, and grains	1 slice bread; 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta; 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal; 1/2 bun, bagel, or English muffin; 1 small roll, biscuit, or muffin; 3 to 4 small or large crackers
Vegetables	1/2 cup cooked or chopped raw vegetables; 1 cup raw, leafy vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked legumes; 3/4 cup vegetable juice
Fruit	1 medium piece of raw fruit, 1/2 grapefruit, 1 melon wedge, 1/2 cup berries, 1/2 cup diced, cooked or canned fruit, 1/4 cup dried fruit, 3/4 cup of fruit juice
Milk	1 cup nonfat or lowfat milk or yogurt, or kefir
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, beans	1 oz. cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish, 1 egg, 1/2 ounce cheese, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese 1/2 cup cooked cooked dried beans
High Performance Fats	1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil, peanut oil or other nut oil; 1/4 of a small avocado; 8 large olives; 1 Tbsp seeds; 6-8 nuts; 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter

A GOLD MEDAL LIFETIME

You are now on the road to improving your performance, and your life. Many successful athletes have chosen a vegetarian lifestyle. Not only could they perform at peak levels during their athletic careers, but they have maintained good health and longevity throughout the rest of their lives.

SIDEBAR

DETERMINING PROTEIN QUALITY

Approximate protein quality of various forms of protein found in food and supplements.*

Protein	PDCAAS	PER
Gelatin (Collagen)	0.08	-
Wheat	0.43	1.5
Beef/Poultry/Fish	0.8 – 0.92	2.0 – 2.3
Soy	1.0	1.8 – 2.3
Ovalbumin (Egg)	1.00	2.8
Milk Protein	1.00	2.8
Casein	1.00	2.9
Bovine Colostrum (BC)	1.0	3.0
Whey	1.0	3.0-3.2

*Data compiled by Dr. Richard Kreider, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee

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This is a copy of the plan I gave “Jersey” Joe Martinek during the 07 season. Joe’s defensive back position coach at the time approached me and wanted me to help Joe make the jump from 195 lbs to 205 lbs. Joe was the perfect client, anything you asked him to do, he did, and because of that work ethic, he got from 195 lbs to 205 lbs in less then two months. This plan is a perfect example of how to gain lean mass in season which by most accounts is deemed impossible. This plan also is an example of a player who may not be starting, but is waiting in the wings for an opportunity to start. Joe was later switched to RB and is currently in a three way battle for the starting Running Back as a red shirt freshman. Once Joe had the tools to gain lean mass he made sure to utilize them. When Joe came to Rutgers he was 195 lbs at 6% body fat and could bench press a 1 rep max of 275 lbs, less then a year later he is 215 lbs with 5% bodyfat and poses a 1 rep max bench press of 365 lbs. At Rutgers we preach accountability, with this plan is an accountability checklist that you can continue to use. The checklist works by making sure you eat 49 meals per week, I cannot tell you how many athletes complain to me that they are not gaining weight, but when I check their accountability sheet, they are missing a lot of meals. If you continue to eat the correct number of meals and still don’t gain weight, that’s when you add additional calories to the meals.

Martinek in the open field

Gainers “Big Three” Explanation

 

1. Protein is the most important thing, that you eat all day, everyday. You must eat it at every meal. Without protein there is no muscle growth. Common sources of protein are: Meats, Eggs, Grains with Beans, Dairy Products, and Protein shakes.

2. Consistency is key; one great day is completely offset by one day that is anything less then perfect. Protein must be consumed all day, everyday without fail. At least 7 meals containing protein must be consumed everyday. Anything less and you are sabotaging your gains.

3. Preparation ensures you never have an excuse for missing a meal and in turn never have an excuse for having a bad day. Having Tupperware with you means you have meals available to you at all times and are always prepared. If you don’t plan for success then you are planning for failure. The food within the program is there, so just box extra to go. Pack a 2nd breakfast at breakfast, take advantage of a boxed lunch, box a 2nd dinner at dinner and for your last 2 meals, drink protein shakes.

As a gainer all you have to worry about is eating. No cooking, no cleaning, no purchasing, and no problems. Just eat the food. Eat protein at every meal, Eat 7 meals a day, and bring Tupper-wares to every meal. That is the plan for success, follow it and be successful.

 

 

That is the plan in terms of how to eat; this is the plan of what to eat.

 

 

For athletes who have a hard time staying lean while gaining mass I use a Charles Poliquin anecdote to help remind them which foods to eat. “If it doesn’t run, fly, or swim and isn’t green then don’t eat it.” That means your 7 meals should be composed of these foods.

 

Run, Fly, or Swim: poultry, beef, lamb, liver (calf liver), wild game (buffalo, venison, elk). crustacean (crayfish, prawns, shrimp, lobster), mackerel, mollusks (clams, mussels, scallops, oysters), sardines, tuna, white flesh fish ( cod, founder, halibut, orange roughy, pollack, rockfish), and salmon.

 

Greens: artichockes, arugala, asparagus, beets, bok choy, broccoli, broccoli rabe, brussel sprouts, cababge, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, dandelion, eggplant, endive, fennel, green beans, horseradish, jerusalem artichokes, jicama, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, mushrooms, okra, onions, hot peppers, sweet peppers, pumpkin, purslane, spinach, squash, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, and watercress.

 

 

Athletes who have a faster metabolism require more calories so I recommend sticking with the basics listed above, but also make sure to add the following foods to the seven meals as a way of boosting calories: whole eggs, nuts, protein powders and unrefined grains.

 

For athletes who have tremendous genetics, I recommend a modified “seefood diet”: you see food and you eat it. Now the modifications are a short list, you can eat whatever you want excluding Trans Fats. Trans Fats are included in cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, margarine, fried foods, potato chips, corn chips, popcorn, shortening, some cereals and some candy. Also make sure there is protein at every meal. If your meal doesn’t contain protein, just add a protein shake. An easy way to add extra calories to every meal is by consuming peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on top of your meals. Be sure to eat natural peanut butter, which is an easy way to add up to 1000 calories per meal. Now the “seefood diet” is for the athlete who needs to gain lean mass but no matter what they eat can keep a serious six pack. An excellent example of this is Kenny Britt whose favorite mass gaining technique is to drop burger king pies into his mass gainer shakes.

 

 

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