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Coaches Vegetarian Athletes (Translate)
Coaches Vegetarian Athletes (Translate)
Good nutrition is important for optimal health, growth and athletic performance in
adolescent athletes (ages 13-18 years; Steen, 1996). Adolescent athletes often depend on
their coaches for nutritional information (Scofield & Unruh 2006) on weight management,
dietary supplements and dietary practices. Unfortunately coaches are not always adequately
prepared to provide reliable information to their athletes (Bedgood & Tuck, 1983; Juzwiak &
Ancona-Lopez, 2004; Sossin, Gizis, Marquart & Sobal, 1997). Some dietary practices, such
as vegetarianism, have the potential to be harmful to the adolescent athlete if not followed
with careful supervision. However, most high schools do not have a registered or licensed
dietitian working with athletes. Consequently, coaches play an important role in influencing
the eating behaviors of their athletes. The purpose of this article is to describe different types
of vegetarian diets and some sources of protein-rich foods and to focus on the nutritional
considerations of vegetarian athletes.
Vegetarian Diets
Athletes can follow a vegetarian diet with a goal of obtaining health and performance
benefits. In general, the plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits and grains are high in
carbohydrates and they can serve as a primary source of energy for endurance athletes.
Vegetarian or semivegetarian eating patterns are more common among endurance athletes,
such as distance runners and triathletes (Williams, 1997). However, some athletes, especially
female adolescent athletes and male wrestlers, who are weight/ body conscious and
dissatisfied with their body, may follow vegetarian dietary patterns to mask disordered eating
behaviors (Perry, Mcguire, Neumark- Sztainer,2009). When working with or counseling an
athlete following a vegetarian or semivegetarian diet, it is important to determine the
underlying cause for such a choice. Also of concern is that vegetarian diets are usually low in
nutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin B12. Particular attetion should be given to
these nutrients when counseling the vegetarian athlete, especially those in adolescence.
There are different types of vegetarian diets (see table 1). A person who follows a
vegetarian diet does not eat meat, fish or poultry and products containing these foods. The
two main categories of vegetarianism are lacto-ovo vegetarian and Vegan. People following
macrobiotic diets describe themselves as vegetarian, but they consume a limited amount of
fish.
Roepke, 1989). Assessment of iron status in all athletes is recommended, especially if they
are following a vegetarian diet. Vegetarian athletes can increase their iron consumption by
including more green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and dried fruit. Although some fortified
cereals provide 10 to 16 mg of iron per one-cup serving, the bioavailability depends on the
form of the added iron.
The bioavailability of zinc from vegetarian diets is also likely to be less than that of
nonvegetarian diets. Plant foods rich in zinc-such as legumes, whole grains, nuts and seedsare also high in phytic acid, an inhibitor of zinc bioavailability (Harland & Oberleas, 1987).
Beef, pork and poultry provide the highest food sources of zinc (Subar, Krebs-Smith, Cook &
Kahle, 1998). Iron, zinc and trace element supplementation may be necessary for some
vegetarian athletes who have poor diets, but the supplement should include no more than 100
percent of the recommended dietary allowance to avoid negative interactions with the
absorption of other nutrients.
Based on the desirable level of calcium retention to meet peak bone mineral accretion,
the Adequate Intake (AI) for calcium has been set at 1,300 mg per day for adolescents ages 9
to 18 years (Institute of Medicine, 1997). However, only approximately 25 percent of males
and 10 percent of females in this age group met dietary recommendation for calcium intake,
according to data from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and the Diet
and Health Knowledge Survey 1994-96 (Institute of Medicine, 1997). Janelle and Barr
(1995) reported that vegan women had lower calcium intake (578 mg/day) than lacto-ovo
vegetarians (875 mg/day) and nonvegetarians (950 mg/day). Lee and Reicks (2003) reported
that only 20 percent af adolescent consume the recommended allowances for daily calcium
intake. Juzwiak, Amancio, Vitalle, Szejnfeld and Pinheiro (2008) reported that adolescent
tennis players consumed lower amounts (926 mg/day) of calcium. Also, consistently lower
amounts (760 mg/day) of calcium consumption was found in adolescent during pre-season,
competitive season and off-season (Ziegler, Sharp, Hughes, Evans & Khoo, 2002) and this
may increase the risk of low bone mass and stress fractures (Nattiv & Armsey, 1997).
Vegan adolescent athletes can meet their calcium needs by incorporating calciumfortified food sources like orange juice, soy milk, tofu and soy yogurt. A lacto-ovo-vegetarian
athlete can easily meet daily calcium requirements by simply incorporating 8 fluid ounces of
milk, 8 ounces of yogurt (the size of a baseball or one cup) and 1,5 ounces of cheese (the size
of two 9-volt batteries or 1,5 slices) twice a day. One cup of calcium-fortified orange juice, 1
2/3 cups of sunflower seeds, 1 cup of cooked collard greens, 3 cups of cooked dried beans
and 1 cup of almonds provide the same amount of calcium (300 mg) as does 1 cup of milk.
An adolescent athlete (14-18 years old) requires about 2,4 ug of B12 a day (Institute
of Medicine, 2000). The richest sources of B12 are animal product, milk, eggs and fortified
foods. Vitamin B12 is not found in plant-based food products, including fermented soy
products. Overall, vegetarians-and especially vegans-have been shown to have lower B12
status compared to nonvegetarians (Antony, 2003). However, a vegan athlete can incorporate
fortified soy products (soy milk, tofu, soy yogurt) and ready-to-eat cereal in the diet to meet
the B12 recommendations. Many fortified cereals provide about 2,00 to 6,00 ug of B12 per
serving. Milk, milk products and eggs provide sufficient B12 for lacto-ovo vegetarians.
Conclusion
Coaches counseling the vegetarian athletes should carefully evaluate the motive
behind such dietary practices, since vegetarian dietary practices are often used to mask
disordered eating patterns in adolescents. Coaches need to watch for some of the signs and
symptoms of disordered eating patterns, such as frequent and extreme weight fluctuations,
fatigue and significant weight loss. Coaches can help athletes identify different sources of
plant-based foods that are high in protein (table 3) and can inform the vegetarian athlete that
it may not be necessary to use protein supplements. Coaches need to evaluate the vegetarian
athletes diet for the adequacy of nutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin B12. Also,
coaches can use several free Internet resources for meal planning and evaluation.
Constantini, 2004;. Al, 1992; Lyle et Merkel dkk, 2009). Atlet vegetarian yang membatasi
asupan daging mungkin memiliki status zat besi yang diubah bila dibandingkan dengan atlet
nonvegetarian bahkan dengan jumlah yang sama dari asupan zat besi (Snyder, Dvorak &
Roepke, 1989). Penilaian status besi dalam semua atlet dianjurkan, terutama jika mereka
mengikuti diet vegetarian. Atlet vegetarian dapat meningkatkan konsumsi zat besi mereka
dengan memasukkan lebih banyak sayuran berdaun hijau, kacang-kacangan, biji-bijian dan
buah kering. Meskipun beberapa sereal memberikan 10 sampai 16 mg zat besi porsi per satu
cangkir , bioavailabilitas tergantung pada bentuk besi ditambahkan.
Bioavailabilitas seng dari diet vegetarian juga mungkin kurang daripada dari diet
nonvegetarian. Makanan nabati kaya seng-seperti legum, biji-bijian utuh, kacang-kacangan
dan biji-juga tinggi asam fitat, inhibitor seng bioavailabilitas (Harland & Oberleas, 1987).
Daging sapi, daging babi dan unggas menyediakan makanan sumber zinc tertinggi (Subar,
Krebs-Smith, Cook & Kahle,, 1998). Besi, seng dan suplemen element tambahan mungkin
diperlukan untuk beberapa atlet vegetarian yang memiliki diet yang buruk, tapi suplemen
harus mencakup tidak lebih dari 100 persen dari penyisihan diet yang dianjurkan untuk
menghindari interaksi negatif dengan penyerapan nutrisi lainnya.
Berdasarkan tingkat yang diinginkan dari retensi kalsium untuk memenuhi puncak
pertambahan mineral tulang, Adekuat Intake (AI) untuk kalsium telah ditetapkan pada 1.300
mg per hari bagi remaja usia 9 sampai 18 tahun (Institute of Medicine, 1997). Namun, hanya
sekitar 25 persen laki-laki dan 10 persen perempuan dalam kelompok usia ini memenuhi
rekomendasi diet untuk asupan kalsium, menurut data dari Continuing Survey of Food
Intakes by Individuals and the Diet and Health Knowledge Survey 1994-96 (Institute of
Medicine, 1997). Janelle dan Barr (1995) melaporkan bahwa wanita vegan memiliki asupan
kalsium yang lebih rendah (578 mg / hari) dari lacto-ovo vegetarian (875 mg / hari) dan
nonvegetarians (950 mg / hari). Lee dan Reicks (2003) melaporkan bahwa hanya 20 persen
dari remaja dengan saran yg direkomendasikan untuk mengkonsumsi asupan kalsium harian.
Juzwiak, Amancio, Vitalle, Szejnfeld dan Pinheiro (2008) melaporkan bahwa pemain tenis
remaja yang mengkonsumsi dalam jumlah yang lebih rendah (926 mg / hari) kalsium. Ada
juga, jumlah konsisten lebih rendah (760 mg / hari) konsumsi kalsium ditemukan pada remaja
selama pra-musim, musim kompetitif dan off-musim (Ziegler, Sharp, Hughes, Evans &
Khoo, 2002) dan ini dapat meningkatkan risiko massa tulang rendah dan stres fraktur (Nattiv
& Armsey, 1997).
Atlet remaja vegan dapat memenuhi kebutuhan kalsium mereka dengan memasukkan
sumber makanan yang diperkaya kalsium seperti jus jeruk, susu kedelai, tahu dan yogurt
kedelai. Seorang atlet lacto-ovo vegetarian-dapat dengan mudah memenuhi kebutuhan
kalsium harian dengan hanya memasukkan 8 fluid ounces susu, 8 ons yogurt (ukuran bisbol
atau satu cangkir) dan 1,5 ons keju (ukuran dua 9- baterai volt atau 1,5 iris) dua kali sehari.
Satu cangkir jus jeruk yang diperkaya kalsium, 1 2/3 cangkir biji bunga matahari, 1 cangkir
collard hijau dimasak, 3 cangkir kacang kering dimasak dan 1 cangkir almond memberikan
jumlah yang sama kalsium (300 mg) seperti halnya 1 cangkir susu.
Seorang atlet remaja (berusia 14-18 tahun) membutuhkan sekitar 2,4 ug B12 hari
(Institute of Medicine, 2000). Sumber terkaya B12 adalah produk hewan, susu, telur dan
makanan yang diperkaya. Vitamin B12 tidak ditemukan dalam produk makanan nabati,
termasuk produk kedelai yang difermentasi. Secara keseluruhan, vegetarian-dan terutama
vegan-telah terbukti memiliki status B12 lebih rendah dibandingkan dengan nonvegetarians
(Antony, 2003). Namun, seorang atlet vegan dapat menggabungkan produk diperkaya kedelai
(susu kedelai, tahu, yogurt kedelai) dan siap-untuk-makan sereal dalam diet untuk memenuhi
rekomendasi B12. Banyak sereal yang diperkaya menyediakan sekitar 2,00 hingga 6,00 ug
B12 per porsi. Susu, produk susu dan telur menyediakan B12 yang cukup untuk lacto-ovo
vegetarian.
Kesimpulan
Pelatih memberikan konseling pada atlet vegetarian harus hati-hati mengevaluasi
motif di balik praktek diet tersebut, karena praktek diet vegetarian sering digunakan untuk
menutupi gangguan pola makan pada remaja. Pelatih perlu untuk melihat beberapa tandatanda dan gejala gangguan pola makan , seperti frekuensi dan keeksriman fluktuasi berat
badan, kelelahan dan penurunan berat badan yang signifikan. Pelatih dapat membantu atlet
mengidentifikasi berbagai sumber makanan nabati yang tinggi protein (tabel 3) dan dapat
menginformasikan atlet vegetarian yang mungkin tidak perlu menggunakan suplemen
protein. Pelatih perlu mengevaluasi diet atlet vegetarian untuk kecukupan nutrisi seperti zat
besi, seng, kalsium dan vitamin B12. Pelatih juga dapat menggunakan beberapa sumber
informasi gratis internet untuk perencanaan dan evaluasi makan.