Vegan meals taste great too! Nutritionist Angie Asche MS, RD, LMNT of Eleat Sports Nutrition has set up four vegan meal plans that are not only simple and delicious, but provide the dietary essentials to help you stay healthy, fit, and balanced.

Breakfast — Begin your day with a bowl of oatmeal! Start with ½ cup gluten-free rolled oats made with water, add up to 20 blueberries, and a sprinkle of pumpkin or hemp seeds on top. This is a delicious, nutritious way to get the day going. Snack — Chia pudding is a great snack idea, made with chia seeds and a ¼ cup of unsweetened almond milk.

For even more flavor, add a kiwi and a sliced strawberry! Lunch — A lentil burrito bowl is super yummy. Mix a ½ cup of canned lentils prepared with FODY taco seasoning with brown rice, romaine lettuce, bell peppers, and sliced cherry tomatoes. Snack — Have a FODMAP friendly snack from GoMacro with a ½ cup of grapes.

Dinner — Enjoy tempeh vegetable stir-fry made with tamari, FODY garlic infused olive oil, brown rice or quinoa, bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli. Breakfast — The night before a busy morning, prepare some overnight oats.

With your rolled oats, add unsweetened vanilla almond milk, sliced almonds, strawberries, chia seeds, and if you like, some plant-based protein powder. Another great on-the-go morning option is a delicious breakfast protein bar from GoMacro! Snack — Try a handful of roasted chickpeas with a small portion of baby carrots.

Lunch — Make yourself a tempeh BLT! Start with sprouted grain bread, then add tempeh vegan bacon, lettuce, tomato, and some avocado. A side of steamed broccoli nicely completes this yummy combo.

Snack — Have a MacroBar Mini and an apple. Dinner — Cook up some lentil vegetable chili in the crockpot! If you like, add a few tortilla chips and some avocado on top. This meal is great for leftovers! Also, vegan cornbread goes very well with this dish. Plant-based diets are great for athletes and those dedicated to fitness.

Try this meal plan centered around your morning workout routine. Physicians Committee dietitian Susan Levin, M. Please note, if you are not an ultra-athlete you should not follow this plan yourself.

Breakfast 1,, calories 1 whole-wheat bagel with 2 tablespoons peanut butter and 2 tablespoons jelly Scrambled tofu 8 ounces soy milk. Snack calories Shake made with 4 ounces plant milk, 8 ounces orange juice, and 1 banana. Lunch calories 1 cup black beans 1 cup corn Salad with dressing on side or 1 cup green vegetables 2 rolls or 2 slices whole-grain bread.

Snack calories Baked tempeh or tofu 2 ounces 1 banana 15 almonds and 3 tablespoons dried fruit. Adapted from the Sports Nutrition Care Manual , a publication of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Food for Life classes teach you how to improve your health with a plant-based diet. Find a Class. Resource Vegan Diet for the Ultra-Athlete. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email. More on Nutrition for Athletes.

Hydration is critical for many bodily functions, like delivering nutrients throughout the body. Instead of shuffling into the kitchen to grab a coffee as soon as you wake up, drink a tall glass of filtered water first. Besides providing a caffeine jolt to help wake you up, coffee has a diuretic effect that will help you go to the bathroom.

Any runner can attest to the critical importance of a healthy bowel movement prior to a morning run! Try to eat more fat and protein-rich foods in the morning to keep you satiated and provide balanced energy.

A carb-heavy breakfast will result in blood sugar spikes and ultimately an energy crash. I still include healthy carbs, such as whole grains and fruits that contain fiber, to help me recover and fuel my weightlifting workout later in the morning.

Most of what I eat in a day serves a purpose. Ask yourself: is this meal or snack intended to help me recover from a workout, build muscle, curb blood sugar spikes, fuel a workout, or all the above? The intent of this post-run breakfast is to replenish electrolytes and calories expended during my morning run.

If you have the energy, try doing your morning cardio in a fasting state. Doing cardio while fasting aids in healthy weight loss boosts metabolism, strengthens the immune system, promotes longevity through cellular autophagy , and increases testosterone levels in males.

I look forward to this smoothie bowl every single day. This meal is loaded with healthy carbs to help refuel and replenish glucose lost during exercise.

It contains 30 grams of brain and heart-healthy fats, 31 grams of fiber, and a staggering 50 grams of plant protein. The purpose of this meal is to quickly deliver nutrients to the muscle cells that are now starved for glucose carbohydrates after a workout.

Specifically, 2 to 3 grams of the branched-chain amino acid leucine optimizes muscle protein synthesis. You should still aim to get the majority of your protein from whole foods.

Creatine is a widely recommended supplement for athletes. Creatine is one of the most well-researched supplements. It aids in muscle growth, recovery, and building strength.

Pro Tip : Combine the compounds curcumin and piperine. Both are highly anti-inflammatory and have potent antioxidative properties. Curcumin is found in turmeric and piperine in black pepper. It was revolutionary for my training when I began adding turmeric and black pepper to my daily post-workout smoothie.

The result? No inflammation, no soreness, and the ability to work out with intensity the next day. These meals and snacks are highly nutritious, simple to make, and easy on the wallet. All it takes is some time in the kitchen, tracking your nutrition, and consistency.

Consistency compounds over time. For more plant-based fitness content, visit The Beet's Vegan Athletes articles. What I Eat In a Day as a Vegan Nutritionist and Athlete. Adam Meyer, RHN Published: February 14, Start by finding out how many calories you need. gov can help you estimate calorie needs.

aspx and enter your height, weight, and an estimate of how active you are. You'll get an estimate of your calorie needs. Once you have that, choose one of the meal plans below.

A list of calorie snacks and ways to add extra calories to your foods can be found here. The contents of this website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice.

Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements.