Thanks to a powerful blend of omega-6 fatty acids, B vitamins, amino acids, and its natural pain-relieving properties, more and more people are recognizing CBD as an ideal supplement for any fitness regime. It passes even to the most diet-conscious fitness enthusiasts: vegan athletes.
How CBD complements a vegan diet
While many blogs have been devoted to inspiring stories of vegan athletes, high-quality scientific studies on how veganism affects the high-performance athlete remain scarce.
It is clear that going vegan offers health benefits, such as reduced rates of heart disease and cancer, and even lower blood pressure and reduced numbers, but restrictive diets can also have downsides.
The most well-known challenge that vegan athletes face is ensuring adequate amounts of protein to maintain muscles and energy levels.
A study published in the journal Nutrients (2014), found that vegans have the lowest energy intake of all dieters. Insufficient energy can lead to a host of problems for athletes, including loss of muscle mass, lower work capacity, less adaptation to training regimens, and a compromised immune system that can lead to more illness (and more time off for recovery).
More specifically, vegan diets are generally lower in protein, fat, vitamin B12, riboflavin, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and zinc than other diets, according to research [2 published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2017) .
While full spectrum CBD oil is definitely not a substantial meal, it does contain a robust profile of vitamin B, all twenty amino acids, and modest amounts of iron and zinc.
In other words, taking CBD regularly helps compensate for the places where a normal vegan diet can hinder athletic gains. And it can easily fit into any meal plan.
Can CBD help with pain and stress?
Vegan athletes also benefit from the potential pain and stress relief properties of CBD in disproportionate ways.
Every athlete or casual fitness enthusiast understands that there is a mental component to physical exertion. Often, the brain is the single most difficult part of the body to train. Forcing yourself to work under pressure, commit to training schedules, and overcome plateaus requires tremendous emotional energy.
CBD can help the mental game by improving mood and reducing emotional stress. Taking care of pre-competition jitters and providing encouragement before training sessions can help vegan athletes prepare and perform better.
A study published in Frontiers in Public Health (2019), found that most people (70%) who consume hemp before training find the experience more enjoyable and rewarding.
Just as importantly, CBD helps repair the toll that training takes on the body. By relieving post-workout soreness and muscle pain, CBD topicals and oils can help vegan athletes stay in the game longer without costly injuries.
This can be vital for vegans whose nutritional game is out of balance. CBD also directly boosts the body’s immune system. More than that, athletic performance puts the body under stress and overloads the body’s defenses.
CBD supplements can help an athlete stay healthy when starting or increasing training intensity. This may be one reason why people who consume hemp are statistically more likely to exercise than their peers.
Today’s vegan athletes compete in the highest ranks, alongside the world’s best. Ricky Williams, the former NFL standout running back, was famously vegan and a fan of hemp. But, other big name stars have come out of the vegan closet in recent years.
That list includes Alex Morgan, who was part of the 2019 Women’s World Cup winning team; Tennis star Venus Williams; NFL mobile quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and NBA great Kyrie Irving.
But it’s not just traditional sports. Vegan athletes have reached incredible levels in all types of physical competition. Notable examples include heavyweight boxer David Haye, MMA fighters Jake Shields and Mac Danzig, and endurance athletes like cyclist David Zabriskie and ultramarathoner Scott Jurek.
Believe it or observe, vegan athletes are also strong competitors in bodybuilding. Barny du Plessis, who was crowned Mr. Universe in 2014, attributes his attractive physique to his plant-based diet. American Olympic weight lifter Kendrick Farris placed 11th in the 2018 Rio games while maintaining a vegan diet.
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