Amy is a nineteen year old college student on a track scholarship. She currently is working hard towards making the U.S. Olympic team. Amy is a vegan and weighs only one-hundred and fifteen pounds. Her coach is worried that she is not consuming enough protein in order to maintain her muscle mass. As an athlete, it is important to be consuming enough protein. If dietary protein needs are not met, strength of the body will decline and the athlete may experience lower energy levels. The first thing that needs to be discussed is how much protein Amy should be consuming on a daily basis. Depending on the activity level of the woman is part of determining the protein amount. A women who is sedentary would determine protein intake by taking her weight in pounds X .4. An active woman would determine protein intake by taking her weight in pounds X .6, a competitive athlete would take weight in pounds X .75, and a light body-builder would take her weight in pounds X .85, (“How Much Protein Do Women Need?”). A women who is of the same weight and age as Amy but is sedentary would consume less amount of protein throughout her daily diet. Amy, however, would fall under a competitive athlete category. After a quick calculation, Amy should be consuming 86.25 grams of protein per day.
As an endurance athlete and a vegan, Amy …show more content…
Just as an athlete who eats animal foods, a vegan athlete must also prepare nutritionally for the pre and post exercise meal plans. The key to doing well in any physical activity event is fueling the body. In order to maximize results, the body must first be energized. This energy comes from food, mainly carbohydrates. For Amy’s pre-workout meal, she needs to consume foods with complex carbohydrates but a food that is light which keeps the stomach full but light. Here are five good pre-exercise meals that are healthy, nutritious, and fit Amy’s vegan