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[Jimmy Tiwana]

Gentlemen, lately I have been thinking of going vegan (thanks to Netflix & few vegan peers )

For members who have turned vegan, I have few questions:

1. Was it a gradual weaning shift to vegan, or did you switch off meat in an instant?

2. How do you supplement your protein requirements?

3. Did you notice any difference in your athletic abilities (in the cricket sense) in the early phase of switch? I am hearing that vegan diet improves the aerobic capacity ??

4. Am 42 now, so any input from a similar age group member would be much appreciated

Cheers

[Buzz]

You should look up what Peter Siddle has done. It seems to involve the ability to ingest a banana in under 3 seconds.

Good luck with your quest.

[Thechin21]

Hi,

Normally I'm a lurker on here because I forget my password a lot of the time, thanks Tom at Ayrtek for fixing it for me!

I went vegan a few years ago, was vegetarian at first and then moved into it. I am 28 now but I did notice the slight difference in performance but also that was in day to day life as well. I don't feel like I ache as much coming off after a 90 over game but I have added yoga into my routine to help with that. Defo go check The Sport Yogi out if interested as it's ex pro Lewis Hatchett and he has cricket specific stuff for free on YouTube. However it's the fitter you are then the better you'll perform in the long run.

I'd advise making it a slow transition and reducing meat, dairy etc for their substitutes because if you just swap straight away you'll do yourself worse because your body will sort of panic a bit at the sudden changes. Maybe begin as vegetarian see how it feels within yourself, whether it's for you or not. You'll be able to tell how your body feels. Think about any possible physical conditions you might have or whether you take medications in case the shift does effect that side because of what's used within that and the processes potentially not being Vegan.

Protein is really easy, nuts, veggie jerky and the variety of faux meats available now are endless because of how more popular it's become not just among the public but also elite athletes have changed to plant based. Most supermarkets now have a really good selection to choose from, personal favs are M&S, Waitrose and Sainsbury's from the UK based perspective. If you like a cup of tea at tea then I tend to use oat milk as it has the more creamy taste to it.

Only downside is that no place does a vegan option with tea however most places like in the shortened season this year with the restrictions likely won't put tea on for clubs so always be prepared to bring your own food and drinks when everything is lifted!

I hope that helps you out just a little bit from a player's perspective. The other option is if you have socials such as Twitter would be to give Dizzy a message because he does respond a lot on there and I'm sure would most certainly give you a helpful reply seeing as he shifted to veganism at a similar age.

[Jimbo]

Don't know anything about a full vegan diet but would second the recommendation for Sainsburys faux meat options, started buying them to try and cut down my meat intake and really enjoyed everything I've tried so far.

[thedon]

Virat kohli is vegan

[adb club cricketer]

As already suggested above, maybe worth trying vegetarian option first and then based on how that goes, decide on vegan option. Even Kohli was vegetarian for several years and switched to vegan more recently.

[InternalTraining]

Be careful.

Those super athletes who are vegan have  personal "staff" that caters their meals. The amount of food you have to eat and prepare is a lot.

I tried it and it made me miserable. I gave up and went back to meat after two months. I felt better immediately!

"Meat, it does a body good".

[brokenbat]

Gentlemen, lately I have been thinking of going vegan (thanks to Netflix & few vegan peers )

For members who have turned vegan, I have few questions:

1. Was it a gradual weaning shift to vegan, or did you switch off meat in an instant?

2. How do you supplement your protein requirements?

3. Did you notice any difference in your athletic abilities (in the cricket sense) in the early phase of switch? I am hearing that vegan diet improves the aerobic capacity ??

4. Am 42 now, so any input from a similar age group member would be much appreciated

Cheers

A lot depends on what your current diet is. If you're eating mostly clean food (unprocessed whole foods), your transition will most likely be much easier. Also, if you're already eating loads of veggies, then your gut will be used to it, and you're likely to experience less issues. Eating no meat is less of an adjustment for the body to make, than for example, switching to keto. So I'd say, as long as you have it planned properly, you'll be in good shape.

Tbh, best bet is to find a nutritionist, or good online resource, and plan your meals accordingly.

[LEACHY48]

If veganism works for you, then that’s absolutely great, and more power to you as there are environmental benefits to reduced meat consumption.

However.

Plant proteins are frequently deficient in multiple essential amino acids, such as lysine, methionine, and tryptophan, and some are also deficient in leucine, which is the main amino acid for muscle protein synthesis (MPS). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905294/

MPS is one of the main factors in recovery post work out (or post exercise) along with cortisol levels and inflammation. Less leucine = less MPS and therefore slower recovery rates.

Vegans often suggest that meat is inflammatory and therefore going vegan will reduce inflammation.
MARKHOR et al (2019) suggested that both meat and plant proteins are neither inflammatory nor anti inflammatory, and ultimately it comes down to the energy balance of the diet. If anything, the meat group in that study showed a lower level of inflammation when compared to the plant protein group.

I would argue, that veganism for sports performance is not optimal. I am yet to find one study that suggests vegans outperform meat eating counterparts. It also requires a lot more prep work in order to sustain.

A lot of Netflix propaganda films such as Game Changers want you to believe that veganism is healthier etc, but it has literally no confirmed health benefits over a healthy balanced diet when calories and nutrients are equated.

Will it hurt your performance noticeably? Probably not. Will it aid performance? Almost definitely not.

Realistically; the best diets for longevity are balanced, and I’d argue that the most well rounded diet is something along the lines of the Mediterranean diet in terms of having sources of complete proteins, as well as longevity benefits.

If you are wondering why I call Game Changers a propaganda movie and not a documentary, it is something bought forward here, which I wholeheartedly agree with. If you are looking for a balanced, evidence based view of that film too: https://youtu.be/R6Ju_HdWB0Y

[InternalTraining]

A lot of Netflix propaganda films such as Game Changers want you to believe that veganism is healthier etc, but it has literally no confirmed health benefits over a healthy balanced diet when calories and nutrients are equated.

That documentary got a good (well deserved) whuppin' in the social media world after Rogan debate.