Pick Six:How Produce on the Plate can Make Performance Great

As a sports dietitian, my goal is to help athletes strategize and customize eating to optimize performance and health. Emphasizing food quality and quantity, as well as consistency, is key. If your athlete is considering to become a plant-based athlete, you need to think about the macronutrients, micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), and the phytonutrients (plant nutrients) that have a role in keeping athletes in the game and not on the bench.

#1 There are health benefits of produce on the plates

Athletes with a greater intake of produce at meals and snacks not only bring more fiber and fluid to the plate, but also positively impact health and performance. Plant-based diets are higher in carbohydrates to maintain blood glucose concentrations, and optimize training, performance and recovery.3,4 Going plant-based for performance might also decrease oxidative stress and reduce inflammatory markers due to the phytonutrient and antioxidant intake.4 

#2 Plant-based meals offer value, taste and less food waste

Your athletes are pressed for time and money and may not want to spend hours in food preparation or have exorbitant food costs. They need foods that taste good, keep well and work within a tight budget. Remember, minimal waste decreases money down the drain. Produce can provide great taste, haste and minimal waste. So, how do we appeal to the wallet and the palate? Here’s what I tell my athletes:

⦁ Affordable – Think beans, canned tomatoes, frozen vegetables, in season fruits and vegetables (vegetables like potatoes are always around, nutrient-dense and affordable!), salsa, spaghetti sauce and bean soups.
⦁ Shelf-stable – Think canned, bottled, frozen and dried.
⦁ Versatile – Produce can be enjoyed as is, added to other dishes, and as part of every meal and snack.
⦁ Palatable and familiar – Foods that taste great will be consumed, starting with familiar foods is an excellent way to add in more produce to the plate. A burger can become a blended burger (mushrooms and meat), think about a stir-fry to add more veggies. Chili can be made with more beans and served over a potato. Omelets and frittatas are also great ways to eat more vegetables, like potatoes (recipes for this and more can be found by visiting ⦁ PotatoesFuelPerformance.com).
⦁ Available – The availability of food is also important to busy athletes. Produce can now be found in convenience stores as well as larger supermarkets.

 #3 Produce can be a solution to combat carbohydrate confusion

Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel source for moderate to high intensity endurance exercise and also high intensity intermittent exercise.5 So, training or going into games and events with low or no carbohydrate intake may make athletes tired, weak and slow.6 Your athletes may want to experiment with training with low carbohydrate availability, but there could be unintended consequences on performance as well as health and immune function. If your athletes are choosing their pre-, during- and/or post-exercise carbohydrates based solely on the glycemic index (GI), do remind them that the connection between GI and health, as well as GI and athletic performance, has not clearly been established.7,8 Carbohydrate recommendations should be based upon training, intensity, duration and frequency of exercise. Let’s encourage our athletes to be selective rather than neglectful with their carbohydrate intake.

#5 Plant-based fueling during exercise is evidence-based and on the rise

There is new research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology on the role of potatoes during endurance exercise in a randomized, crossover trial of 12 endurance trained cyclists – who do not reflect the general U.S. population.3 Potato purée was as effective as carbohydrate gels during endurance cycling. A savory instead of sweet option to fuel on race or game day can help to minimize flavor fatigue, and also provides variety, and choice at a lower price point. Potatoes can be a pre-, during- and/or post-workout or competition whole food fueling option for your athletes. This study was funded by the Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE). It is important to note that these findings are not conclusive and should not be generalized to different populations, sport or training level.

#6 You should work with plant-based athletes to identify and address nutrient concerns

Do you help your athletes SHOP (Safeguard Health and Optimize Performance)? Plant-based athletes need to optimize the intake of micronutrients and carotenoids to minimize immune function concerns, risk of upper respiratory infections and oxidative stress.9-12 Stressing adequacy in calorie and macronutrient intake is also key. Potatoes are an easy to prepare, convenient and portable way to help optimize energy and nutrient density in an athlete’s diet.13 Protein quality and quantity, as well as daily distribution, is critical. Plant-based athletes must consume adequate amounts of branch chain amino acids (BCAA) as part of every meal.9-11 Ensuring adequate fat intake, especially the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, can be accomplished though consuming foods high in ALA such as flax, walnuts, chia and algae. In addition to macronutrients, plant-based athletes need to be concerned about their intake of micronutrients.12 Micronutrients are not just essential for health but also for cell growth, immune function, wound healing, and collagen and protein synthesis. A food first approach will ensure adequate calories as well as the recommended daily micronutrient intakes for plant-based athletes.