Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high quality content. Please support us!

Alright ladies, listen up! If you’re an athlete, a gym rat, or just a bonafide yogi, chances are you need a little extra get-up-and-go to support your active lifestyle and rockin’ body, right? Anyone serious about their health and performance knows the importance of nutrition for overall excellence. You can pump weights, run 10 miles, and do yoga until your joints become as flexible as rubberbands but without proper nutrition, you’ll only get so far.

Myths About Athletic Performance and Nutrition

We were once told that skinless chicken breasts, brown rice, and broccoli or egg whites with non-fat yogurt were “clean” athletic foods that could support a lean body. Meals of canned tuna and diced celery with lettuce are still eaten in suffering by many athletes and dieters thinking those foods are the best option. Well, that’s not entirely wrong. The brown rice, broccoli, celery, and lettuce are all pretty good for you, stellar even. But the other foods? Not so much.


Why Plant-Based Nutrition Improves Health and Performance

Animal-based foods contain very inflammatory sources of fats and proteins. When you think about it, at the heart of our food lies what we end up becoming. Food is just language to our bodies’ cells. Cells are pathways of communication that control everything from our metabolism to our brain function. They do it all. What are we telling them to become?

Athletes or active individuals need high-quality sources of nutrition, not inflammatory-promoting foods or foods with cholesterol, toxins, and contaminants from animals. Because these foods are so highly processed, we can never really be sure what happens behind the scenes of their production, no matter what marketing hypes may tell us or what sports performance magazines may promote. Ignore the advertisements for whey protein and Greek yogurt and go plant-based for performance instead. These foods provide raw, living nutrients your cells easily recognize and can process into energy, along with care for your muscles, heart, and overall body.

Getting an amazing app like the Food Monster App on iTunes — which has over 15,000 delicious recipes and is the largest meatless, vegan and allergy-friendly recipe resource can do wonders in making you healthy and strong!

The Plant-Power Female Athlete’s Needs

Women need specific amounts of carbs, fats, and protein to thrive, nutritionally speaking. These macro-nutrients should come from clean, plant-based foods and should be eaten at each meal. This balance will provide the body with fuel for performance and speed up recovery, muscle growth, and repair. It will also prevent any nutritional shortages that can hinder performance.


Ladies, don’t diet. Reducing calories to lower levels than your body needs won’t only shortchange your active lifestyle but also your long-term health. Let’s ditch the dieting and wasting your money on pricey yogurts and whey-based protein shakes.

Follow this satisfying, healthy whole food meal plan for female vegan athletes instead:


The Female Vegan Athlete’s Plate:

Three Macronutrient Ratios Choices: (Choose One Depending on Your Nutritional Preferences)

(A) 30% Protein, 50% Carbs, and 20% Fats

(B) 40% Protein, 50% Carbs, and 10% Fats or

(C) 40% Protein, 40% Carbs, and 20% Fats

Upon Rising:

Water with lemon juice (decreases morning inflammation and increases energy) or a green juice made with kale, lemon, ginger, green apple, and cucumber (also decreases inflammation and provides vitamins and minerals)

Breakfast Choices (pre or post-workout):


A bowl of steel-cut or rolled oats (1/3-1/2 cup) mixed with 1/2-1 cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk and water, with 1/2 sliced banana or 1/2 a sliced apple, 1-2 tbsp. chia seeds and/or 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds, berries of choice, and stevia if needed

A green smoothie with spinach or kale, acai berry puree, cranberries, blueberries and/or banana, a whole foods vegan protein powder, unsweetened non-dairy milk, and coconut yogurt or raw almond butter

Chia pudding topped with fruit of choice and sliced almonds

Steamed quinoa with 1/4 avocado sliced, 3 ounces grilled or sautéed savory tofu or tempeh, kale, and matchstick carrots

Quinoa or wild rice cooked with unsweetened non-dairy milk, berries, and ground flax; add some almonds for more protein and fats if desired

A baked sweet potato with salsa, kale, and tahini; one cup of plain soy yogurt with chia seeds on the side for protein

Tahini spread over sprouted grain cinnamon raisin bread with an apple or orange on the side

Coffee or chai, green, or herbal tea (nix the sugar and use stevia and non-dairy milk instead of cream)

Morning Snack Ideas (if needed)

15-20 raw almonds with celery, red bell peppers, and raw carrots

An orange or apple with 1/4 cup raw cashews

1/3 cup raw superfood trail mix made with raw almonds, coconut flakes, mulberries or goji berries, Brazil nuts, and walnuts

A soy, coconut, or almond milk-based yogurt (choose unsweetened) with some flax and berries

A green juice

Lunch Ideas:

1 large salad with romaine, shredded kale, matchstick carrots, 2-3 tbsp. hummus, sliced red bell peppers, roasted sweet potato or roasted squash cubes, 1/4 cup each of edamame, lentils or black beans, 1/4 cup cubed avocado and a lemon/mustard/tahini based dressing

1 large salad with kale, romaine, arugula, or spring greens with cucumber, raw olives or avocado (1/4 cup), carrots, peppers, celery, chickpeas, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, dried raisins or strawberries, and a vinaigrette dressing

Seared tofu with roasted butternut squash, steamed kale or spinach, and fresh sliced tomatoes

Chickpea Salad Sandwich Deluxe with an orange or apple on the side

a sandwich made from sprouted grain bread, raw almond butter, fresh sliced strawberries or bananas, and a container of soy yogurt (unsweetened) on the side with cinnamon and chia or flax seeds

A bowl of oatmeal or steamed quinoa (see breakfast recipe suggestions)

A bowl of vegan chili topped with avocado slices

A simple bowl of lentils, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and kale

A simple bowl of brown or wild rice, broccoli, butternut squash, and tempeh

A black bean wrap with tomatoes, corn, avocado and other veggies of choice

Water to drink ( hydration is key for athletes)

Afternoon Snack Ideas (if necessary, especially if workouts are in the afternoon):

Dinner Ideas (emphasize protein at dinner for overnight recovery):

Any of the lunch ideas above or :

Nighttime Snacks (only if hungry, at least two hours before bed)

berries with non-dairy yogurt

chia pudding made with chia, non-dairy milk, stevia, cinnamon, and coconut flour to thicken

a square of 80% or higher cacao content dark chocolate with an orange

an apple with raw almond butter

pumpkin protein yogurt made with vanilla vegan protein powder, canned pumpkin, stevia, pumpkin pie spice, and non-dairy milk

1/3 cup homemade vegan granola with unsweetened non-dairy milk to eat like a cereal

healthy oatmeal cookies (2)

a glass of water before bed or a small glass of non-dairy unsweetened milk for extra calcium

The Last Little Dish for Plant-Based Ladies:

As you can see, female vegan athletes get to eat a variety of healthy, plant-based dishes of their choosing all day long- not suffer in silence through dieting or deprivation of energizing carbs or fats. Be sure to include all three fats, carbs, and protein at each of your meals and find what ratio of carbs to fats to proteins work for you.

Here’s how to tell if you’re getting enough protein, why healthy fats are important for athletes, and what carbs will serve you best.


Recommended Resources to Eat Like an Athlete:

Curious about other ways to get enough protein on a vegan diet? Check out the following resources:

BONUS Recommendation: Download Food Monster App For Amazing Plant-Based Recipes!

We highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! it’s a brilliant food app and a great resource for anyone looking to cut out or reduce allergens like meat, dairy, soy, gluten, eggs, grains, and more! You can also make meal plans, add bookmarks, read feature stories, and browse recipes across hundreds of categories like diet, cuisine, meal type, occasion, ingredient, popular, seasonal, and so much more!

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter!

Also, don’t forget to download the Food Monster App on iTunes — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy!

Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!

Image Source: Jennifer/Flickr