Litwiller 1

Anthony Litwiller

Dan Leonard

English 1201

13 April 2020

Literature Review

As soon as I read the assignment for the research essay, for some reason unbeknownst to

me, my topic came to mind immediately. The biggest reason for that, I believe, is that I knew the

sources and articles would be more than adequate on this topic. As I began researching, I did find

this to be true. There is a lot of controversy and science following the question “what is the best

diet for an athlete?” I found. Specifically, I was searching for the answer of if people could prove

that vegan or meat eating was the superior diet for training. I was anything but disappointed with

my selection of sources to go through as I went along on my searches.

Something that all of the sources had in common was the idea that there are certain

nutrients you just can’t get from a fully plant based diet. There are, although, supplements that

you can take in order to make sure you can still receive those nutrients. Mostly, the lacking

nutrients are Iron and Vitamin B12. In his book, “The Fit Vegan: Fuel Your Fitness with a Plant-

Based Lifestyle”, Edric Macfoy even mentions he had to take these supplements every day in

order to reach acceptable levels of B12 (44). Edirc Macfoys book is somewhat of an

autobiography, so although it can be used to get insight, it can’t be used for scientific

information. The only other thing that both sides can seem to agree on is the ability of a vegan

diet to make a person leaner and heart healthier. This has to do with dietary fiber intake “The

dietary fiber can sort of act like a “filler” in your stomach and tricks your stomach into thinking

you’re full enough and that you don’t need to eat anymore at all” (Physicians Committee, 0:49).
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Although this video is from Youtube, it is from a scientific community with sources so I deem it

to be informational enough to cite in my essay.

One of the most repeated ideas throughout all of sources, is the differing beliefs in the

amount and types of protein that athletes need in order to recover and gain strength. Some, on the

more plan-based bias, claim that the large amount of proteins have no effect. In the article “The

Importance of Protein in Athletes”, it says “At present, it is not possible to precisely determine

protein requirements. However, because deficiencies in total protein or in specific amino acids

may occur, we suggest that athletes consume 1.8 to 2.0g of protein/kg of body weight/day”

(Lemon 2).On the same note, they argue that the protein sources don’t matter. On the flip side,

the other scientific sources said things like, “Plant-based protein sources are often incomplete,

missing important essential amino acids, and typically contain less Branched Chain Amino Acids

(BCAA) than their animal-based equivalents” (Rogerson). As Rogerson has written for a sports

medicine journal, it is very likely that his sources are true and without bias so to say. Interesting

enough, it doesn’t seem like the consensus if fully developed, and no one seems to agree.

I believe there is a lot I could improve on in my sources finding. I could be better at

thoroughly reading my sources and attaching a collective meaning to the articles. I need to be

more organized in the way that I collect my information so it’s easier for me to go back and

reference the material. I do need to get better at having a preformed idea when I go through my

sources so I do know exactly what I’m looking for when I highlight and annotate them as well.

As for what I believe as of right now, I think that I’m unsure of the answer. The question

seems to be filled with much controversy, and it may seem in the end that there is no real answer

besides the fact that whatever makes you feel the best is what’s right for you. I will do the

research I can to find the answer that’s best for the average person to use on a day to day bases.
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I found that my sources were pretty relevant, and that most of them were reliable enough

to pick for my research essay. This was an extremely helpful exercise for me and I think it

helped me to develop my ideas for my essay. Although my question seems hard to answer, I’ll

get all of the information that I can so far.

Works Cited

Harvard School of Public Health. Harvard University, 28 Nov. 2018,

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu. Accessed 13 May 2020.

Lemon, Peter WR, Kevin E. Yarasheski, and Dennis G. Dolny. "The importance of protein for

athletes." Sports Medicine 1.6 (1984): 474-484.

Macfoy, Edric Kennedy. The Fit Vegan: Fuel Your Fitness with a Plant-Based Lifestyle. Hay

House, Inc, 2020.

Physicians Committee. “Science Shows a Vegan Diet Benefits Athletes.” Online video clip.

Youtube. Youtube, 16 Jan 2019. Web. 11 April 2020.

Rogerson, David. "Vegan diets: practical advice for athletes and exercisers." Journal of the

International Society of Sports Nutrition 14.1 (2017): 36.