Can I Get Enough Protein on a Vegan Diet if I’m an Athlete or Very Active Person?

If you’re an athlete or a very active person, it’s important to consider your nutrition so you can perform at your best, stay full of energy, and recover well.

Fortunately, a vegan diet has you covered in all aspects of peak performance.

But, a vegan diet is not only suitable for sporty people, it may actually be the best option.

How much protein do you need?

According to current guidelines, an average sedentary person needs 0.8 grams of protein daily per kilogram of bodyweight. For most adults, this equates to 45 to 55 grams a day.

However, if you’re active or trying to build and maintain muscle, you may need more.

In these cases, you might want to increase this to between 1.2 and 1.8 grams of protein daily per kilogram of bodyweight.

Any more than this doesn’t seem to make much difference. With planning, this amount is absolutely attainable following a plant-based diet.

For example, over the course of a day, 102 g of protein (1.2-1.4 g/kg) can be achieved by eating:

Breakfast – porridge with plant milk, walnuts, ground flaxseed, raisins, apple and banana
Morning snack – handful of pumpkin seeds and a fruit smoothie
Lunch – tomato soup with added lentils, a wholemeal baguette, handful of rocket and a sweet pepper on the side
Afternoon snack – protein snack bar and handful of grapes
Dinner – chickpea curry with brown rice
Dessert – almonds, dried figs, some dark chocolate

Also see Viva!’s Vegan Sports Nutrition guide for sample meal plans for moderately active and very active people, endurance athletes, and bodybuilders.

What are the benefits of a vegan diet for athletes or very active people?

According to studies examining the impact of diet on our health and athletic performance, a vegan diet not only offers a wealth of health benefits, it can also improve your performance, recovery and stamina.

Not only is plant-based protein just as effective at building muscle as animal-based protein, but plant-based diets also increase athletes’ aerobic capacity, which leads to a greater time to exhaustion and to performance improvement – which is helpful for both strength and endurance training.

One of the important mechanisms underlying how plant-based diets make your body work better is by improving your blood flow and oxygen supply to the muscles.

Wholesome vegan diets also significantly lower the levels of inflammation in the body which is important for recovery.

So, rather than seeing a vegan diet as compromising your performance, it can be used to enhance it.

Are there any professional vegan athletes?

There is a growing number of professional vegan athletes, in every sport from body builders to ultra-marathoners. All of them manage to get enough protein to fuel their outstanding performance.

Harvey Lewis – ultrarunner – In October 2023, Harvey broke the Backyard Ultra record by completing 108 laps (450 miles) over five days of running.
Nimai Delgado – bodybuilder – Nimai is a IFBB professional bodybuilder who has won several championships including the NPC USA Championships.
Lewis Hamilton – Formula One driver – Lewis has been vegan since 2017 and has won four championships since then.
Dotsie Bausch – cyclist – Throughout her career, she has won eight US national championships, two Pan American gold medals and a world record.
Novak Djokovic – tennis player – In 2024, Novak ranked number one in the world, has won 98 singles titles, and is the only man in tennis history to be the reigning champion of all four majors at once.
Lisa Gawthorne – duathlete/triathlete – Lisa has won numerous medals in triathlons and duathlons including World Duathlon Champion and two medals at the 2023 European Masters Athletics Championships.
Deatrich Wise, Jr – American footballer – Deatrich plays for the New England Patriots and won the Super Bowl in 2019.

Other vegan sportspeople include: ultrarunner Fiona Oakes, ultrarunner and triathlete Rich Roll, footballer Héctor Bellerín, footballer Chris Smalling, cricketer Mady Villiers, basketballer Chris Paul, cricketer Kane Richardson, tennis player Venus Williams, sprinter Morgan Mitchell, snowboarder Hannah Teter, footballer Alex Morgan… the list goes on…