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Study with Appetizing Plant-Food, Meat Eating Alternatives Trial

Plant-based diets are known to be beneficial for cardiovascular health and promote environmental sustainability. However, many athletes avoid plant-based diets because they are concerned they would not provide enough protein. The goal of this study was to explore the effect of three diets: two predominately plant-based diets - a whole food plant-based (WFPB) and plant-based meat alternatives (PBMA) – compared to an omnivorous diet, favoring red meat and poultry (Animal), on athletic performance, measured as endurance and muscular strength, in recreational athletes.

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Eligible Participants

  • Healthy Stanford students with access to the campus dining halls
  • 18-35 years of age
  • Recreational runners or recreational weight lifters for at least 1 year, who currently run or lift 3-4 times a week
  • Able to maintain a consistent physical activity routine and exercise at least 3 days per week
  • Willing to consume ~2 servings/day of meat, plant-based meat alternatives, and whole food plant-based proteins

Study Design

Twenty-four Stanford athletes (12 recreational runners and 12 resistance trainers) were assigned to one of three diets - WFPB, PBMA, and Animal - for 4 weeks each, in random order. They were required to eat two servings of their diet-specific protein sources each day. For example, lentils and beans on the WFPB diet, Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods products on the PBMA, and poultry and red meat on the Animal diet. Participants engaged in running or resistance training at least 3-4 days a week for at least 30 minutes. Athletic performance was measured at the beginning and after each diet period: runners completed a 12-minute timed run and resistance trainers a composite machine strength test. Dietary intake, adherence, overall diet satisfaction and secondary measures of athletic performance were also assessed at the same time points.

Conclusions

The results showed that recreational athletes experienced no significant change in athletic performance on the two predominately plant-based diets compared to the omnivorous diet. Participants reported similar energy intakes across all diets. Although the protein intake differed significantly between all diets, on average, it met the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommendations for general fitness. These findings suggest recreational athletes can maintain athletic performance on an omnivorous diet or a predominately plant-based diet.

Research