2019 is the year of the Noosa Triathlon for some of us here at CPEXbrisbane – which means 2019 also means the training has to step up! Part of training properly for any event, whether it’s a 5km run, a triathlon or a full iron man (eek!) means fueling your body properly and making sure your diet gives you the nutrition you need. 

After being vegetarian my whole life, I have been gradually transitioning to a vegan diet in the last 6 months, whilst also increasing my training with Dr Kotze (how’s that for timing!). The challenge with this is to make sure that my diet is providing me with sufficient protein to fuel my training and so that I can maintain a healthy weight whilst the training increases further. 

I decided to seek some advice from our amazing dietitian, Amy, here at CPEXbrisbane. Amy gave me some great advice that I thought I would share with you, in case you are thinking of joining the vegan/triathlon train. 

• Ensure you are getting good vegan sources of Protein including –  lentils and legumes, soy milk, nuts/seeds and also Carbohydrates – starchy veg, brown rice, quinoa (good source of protein for vegans). It is also a good idea to incorporate these carbs and proteins into your evening meal, especially if you are planning an early morning training session the next day.
• I have always found it difficult to eat before exercising, so Amy suggested trialing 100ml soy milk 30mins before run (this can increase over time).
• An increased breakfast size after exercise as well as regular snacks and meals throughout the day is recommended.
• During longer bouts of exercise start practicing with CHO gels (1 x sachet is 30g of CHO) every ~ 60mins, you can take more frequent but the best thing is to practise!  You will be able to feel when your body is hitting the wall, it is best to get ahead of this and get the CHO in before.
• The more exercise you do you will need to match with increasing nutrition