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I find the college meal plans to be expensive so i was thinking of cooking for myself. Then i thought about eating and following the vegetarian diet because it might be more affordable and of course more healthy.
I am also a amateur boxer but i don't know much about the vegetarian diet, whether or not it will help me.
Is being a vegetarian cheaper for an athlete and should an athlete follow a vegetarian diet, has it been proven to be better than "common meals with meat"
I'm looking at info by my own but would like opinions on here.
Depends. If you replace meat with meat analogs (veggie burgers, veggie bacon, etc), then no it is not cheaper, and certainly not healthier. However, if you replace meat with tofu, tempeh, beans, legumes and lentils, then it is generally cheaper. What I usually do is cook up big batches of veg'n meals, and the freeze them in individual portions. For example, chick pea curry, rice & beans, tofu and veggie stir-fry, minestrone soup, seitan stew, meatless chili.
I can't give too much advice on being a vegetarian athlete, but I there are some pro athletes who are [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vegetarians"]vegetarian[/URL] or [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vegans"]vegan[/URL], so I would look into what their diet looks like to get a better idea.
Last edited by Ginge McFantaPants; 03-04-2015 at 04:02 PM..
I've found dairy to be very expensive. Meat like chicken parts are cheap. Eggs are very cheap. I used to be vegan but now I eat omni low carb for health reasons (diabetes). I eat lots of greens and moderate amounts of chicken, eggs, and the occasional lamb. Peanut butter is also cheap. Rice and beans are extremely cheap!
It use to be conventional wisdom to believe that meat was a poor mans food. But I think that was before getting nutrition started to out weigh getting full after a meal.
Depends. If you replace meat with meat analogs (veggie burgers, veggie bacon, etc), then no it is not cheaper, and certainly not healthier. However, if you replace meat with tofu, tempeh, beans, legumes and lentils, then it is generally cheaper. What I usually do is cook up big batches of veg'n meals, and the freeze them in individual portions. For example, chick pea curry, rice & beans, tofu and veggie stir-fry, minestrone soup, seitan stew, meatless chili.
I can't give too much advice on being a vegetarian athlete, but I there are some pro athletes who are vegetarian or vegan, so I would look into what their diet looks like to get a better idea.
Definitely agree with those foods, especially since they're less prone to spoiling like green vegetables.
I've been sticking with the 5x5 weight lifting program and slowly, but surely weaning the meats and other animal products out of my diet due to gout reasons.
Stir fried onions, tofu, and mushrooms do wonders when making a "beef-less broccoli".
I figure if I could make it more of an every day thing instead of a chore, I'll stick with it longer.
We are slowly (more slowly than I'd like) becoming vegetarian. It took awhile to for my husband to get over the idea that a "meal" was a meat entree with two sides (a starch and a vegetable).
Beyond the health and financial benefits - I have found that meatless entrees are easier to scale up or down. Often if I go to buy a roast or a package of chicken breast , there will be more than I need and the pricing will be much better if you buy a lot. Meat often comes packaged in "family packs" and several of our local stores don't run meat sales, they run BOGO's (Buy one get one free). If I buy just the amount I need - it's more expensive.
Are you living in dorms or do you have some sort of cooking facilities?
Others have addressed the financial part. I'll address the boxing part: Plenty of vegetarian and vegan bodybuilders out there who don't do steroids, so if you're worried about muscle mass, I'd say it shouldn't matter as long as you're getting adequate protein from other sources. Heck, if anything, it might make you lighter on your feet!
We are slowly (more slowly than I'd like) becoming vegetarian. It took awhile to for my husband to get over the idea that a "meal" was a meat entree with two sides (a starch and a vegetable).
Beyond the health and financial benefits - I have found that meatless entrees are easier to scale up or down. Often if I go to buy a roast or a package of chicken breast , there will be more than I need and the pricing will be much better if you buy a lot. Meat often comes packaged in "family packs" and several of our local stores don't run meat sales, they run BOGO's (Buy one get one free). If I buy just the amount I need - it's more expensive.
Are you living in dorms or do you have some sort of cooking facilities?
Its an aparment with a kitchen. I also have a mini fridge on my room
Others have addressed the financial part. I'll address the boxing part: Plenty of vegetarian and vegan bodybuilders out there who don't do steroids, so if you're worried about muscle mass, I'd say it shouldn't matter as long as you're getting adequate protein from other sources. Heck, if anything, it might make you lighter on your feet!
Yeah i am thinking it will balance my weight better and keep me at the weight i nees to be to compete
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