5 Dietitian-Approved Tips for Fueling Fitness with Plant-Based Nutrition – Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian

Discover 5 expert tips from dietitians on how to eat plant-based for peak fitness. Learn fueling strategies, performance nutrition, and recipe ideas for athletes.

Fueling your body for fitness doesn’t have to include animal products. In fact, plant-based nutrition can power performance, boost recovery, and support overall athletic health—when done right. Whether you’re a weekend warrior, endurance athlete, or strength trainer, eating more plants can give you a competitive edge through many nutrition benefits. I’m sharing 5 expert-backed tips from registered dietitian nutritionists (including me!) to help you optimize your workouts with plant-based foods, including performance-enhancing strategies and energizing recipe ideas tailored for fitness, sports, and active lifestyles.

Your body needs powerful nutrients from plants—carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals—to work at its best. Whether you’re training for a marathon, prepping for a long hike, or simply eating to fuel your daily workout, plant-based nutrition is there for you. Not only do plants, such as whole grains, pulses (beans, lentils, peas), fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, provide you with sources of energy and protein to push your body, muscles, and organs forward to support your activities, they contain other nutrients that can help fight inflammation and boost recovery. No matter what your diet—flexitarian, vegetarian, vegan, or omnivore—powering up on plants is great for your fitness routine. That’s why I asked top dietitians to weigh in on their best tips for fueling your fitness with delicious, nutritious plants. So, eat up and dive into your athletic performance!

5 Dietitian-Approved Tips for Fueling Fitness with Plant-Based Nutrition

1. Power Up with Antioxidants
Paint your plate with plant foods in every color of the rainbow—those colors are a calling card for powerful phytochemicals with antioxidant activities. “Athletes push their bodies to the limits and it becomes even more important to get adequate amounts of key micronutrients, like antioxidants. Beyond just the dark green veggies we know are so good for us, deep red and orange, such as carrots, bell peppers, vibrant purple like cabbage and blueberries, and even down to white vegetables like mushrooms and cauliflower provide an array of different antioxidants. A guideline would be to fill half of each plate with fruits and vegetables. This allows you flexibility to choose the produce you enjoy while helping you fuel up to reach your performance goals,” says Lindsey McCoy, RD, CSSD of Crave Nutrition RD.

2. Eat a Balanced Diet
Make sure that you are balancing your plate with healthy sources of protein, carbs, and fat at each meal and snack. “Athletes have higher nutrient needs overall, from protein and carbs to vitamins and minerals, so aim to get a variety of nutrient-rich foods at each meal and snack. Incorporate plant-based proteins, like beans, tofu, nuts and seeds; plus fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, such as avocado, nuts or olive oil into each eating occasion. By choosing a variety of whole foods you will get what you need without having to obsess over each meal,” says Sarah Gold Anzlovar, MS, RDN, LDN.

3. Fuel Your Muscles with Protein and Carbs 
Prioritize good sources of plant proteins and healthy carbs at meal and snack times. “Be sure to fuel those muscles with protein and carbohydrate within two hours of completing the workout. This will provide your muscles with the fuel to rebuild the damaged muscle, so that it can rebuild bigger and stronger,” says Jean LaMantia, RD.

4. Include Protein and Carbs for Performance 
Prioritize good sources of plant proteins and healthy carbs at meal and snack times. While the internet is obsessed with low-carb eating, it’s not a good way to boost performance, as carbs are a key source of energy. “Be sure to fuel those muscles with protein and carbohydrate within two hours of completing the workout. This will provide your muscles with the fuel to rebuild the damaged muscle, so that it can rebuild bigger and stronger,” says Jean LaMantia, RD.

5. Don’t Neglect the Micronutrients
Think beyond protein, fat, and carbs to vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, which are key to fueling good fitness. “Often times most people focus on macronutrients and forget about micronutrient importance when it comes to performance. Especially in those following a plant-based lifestyle, micronutrients need to be taken care of through eating a variety of foods and getting sufficient quantities in their day to ensure their diet is optimized for their sport. Minerals of concern can include iron, which is needed for energy, calcium, to keep bones strong, and the electrolytes, including potassium, sodium and magnesium, which keep muscles from cramping and protecting your heart, are all things that need to be met from foods. From a vitamin perspective, athletes can also benefit from higher levels of B-vitamins, which help with energy release and preventing anemia, and also potentially vitamin C, as the body burns more during states of stress, which includes exercise-induced stress,” says Chelsea Cross, RDN.

10 Plant-Based Recipes to Fuel Good Performance

Try these easy, delicious plant-based recipes which are packed with good nutrition ideal for fitness.

Farmers Market Tempeh Hash with Sweet Potatoes & Zucchini
Vegan Bolognese with Lentils and Walnuts
Provencal Bean Salad
Chickpea Tabbouleh
Easy Vegan Split Pea Soup
Beet Smoothie
Black Beans and Rice Vegan Bowl
Vegan California Burrito Bowl
Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas and Greens
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with Pistachios

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Main image: Strawberry Banana Chia Smoothie Bowl