Vegetarian/Vegan Diet for climbers?

[Ballss]

I've been toying with the idea of cutting meat out of my diet for a long time now. Is this a good idea for a climber?

Are there protein issues?

Also, any tasy food ideas would be helpful cuz I'm a bit cooking impaired.

Thanks,
Chris

[Christian]

I have been vegetarian since 2000. I am no dietician but I feel okay.

[skychick]

I've spent weekends climbing with vegetarians. I am a huge fan of protein, so I updated their diets. It's easy to take a high-carbo meal & add something like tofu or black beans to add protein.

Here's some ways to add protein to 'easy' foods:

1. Squish up soft tofu & add to just about anything on a camping stove. You can also find soft tofu that is flavored like cheese. I've added tofu to beans, spaghetti/lasagna and misc. cans of veggies. Soft tofu advertises that you need to keep cold. I've had it out of a refridge for 4 days, in July, in Yosemite. No probs.

2. Add Peanut butter....or better yet--almond butter. yumm!

3. Avacado's and cottage cheese (again, I've had Cottage Cheese out of a refridge for a day or two, no probs)
--heck, avacado's are good on just about anything! (wrap them up with a tortilla, tomato & spinach & olive oil...yum)

4. Yogurt is one of the best foods in the world...(2 warm days is my limit), depending upon whether you are going to leave milk out of the diet.

5. Apple Sauce w/ Raw Oatmeal. (or if you are ambitious, use ground up apples) Don't use instant oatmeal (it lacks the good stuff). Put it in a ziplock & you have breakfast for a couple days. Day 1, it's a little crunchy...after that, it gets squishier & squishier. If you are feeling crazy, throw in a red hot or cinnamin.

6. Miguel's pizza w/ veggies...duh

[marathonmedic]

I went vegetarian about a year ago after thinking about it for a while and it was one of the best ideas I ever had, but I also worried about the whole protein thing. After researching it and talking with some nutrition people I know, here's the scoop as I understand it. First, it is VERY possible to not eat meat and still get all the protein you need or could ever want. Check out some of the hundreds of vegetarian cookbooks out there and many of them have an entire chapter at the beginning about this very issue and ways to avoid it. Another option is to supplement. Just because you're vegetarian doesn't mean you can't occasionally supplement with meat every now and then. There are so many different kinds of "vegetarians" out there that the term has lost it's meaning. I still eat a bit of meat about once a month or so but the vast majority of the time I don't. Finally, climbers don't need to worry about getting as much protein as a body builder does. Your body re-uses most of the amino acids generated by protein degradation and turnover and really doesn't NEED a lot of them to maintain adequate levels (i.e. nitrogen balance) in your body. Wow, I'm having biochem flashbacks here.

I recommend doing it. If nothing else you can "cheat" a bit here and there or change your mind later. Besides, green shit is good for you.

[air canada]

There's no reason for it to affect you climbing adversely, assuming that you're reasonably careful about it. Depending on the way you eat, it may be a big help to you. Its not just about cutting meat out-you're going to have to your eating habits.

I've met some guys that have been vegetarian for years, and they are strong like bull.

[SCIN]

Being vegetarian will cause you to fart excessively and you will develop major acne. This, of course, would impact your chances of getting a belay.

[superjen]

[captain static]

I was a vegetarian for a number of years but found it harder and harder to find a climbing partner. So I gradually re-introduced meat into my diet. ... Seriously, any vegetarian needs to use several protein sources to make sure they are geting all of the essential amino acids. I would second the suggestion of getting some vegetarian cookbooks. Since you indicated that you are cooking impaired, I would suggested spirulina smoothies or soy protein shakes. Check out my website for some great products for the vegetarian climber: spirulina, spirulina/bee pollen energy bars, & Protivity amino acid supplement for bodybuilding. We also have great tasting chocolate & vanilla flavored protein drinks.

[dhoyne]

If God didn't want us to eat animals, He wouldn't have made them taste so good.

[meetVA]

Paul3eb told me that in order to get an appropriate compliment of something important--and that was, I believe, Protein or amino acids or something (Gawd, I sound like an idiot.)-- to follow the nutrition "N" + Don't Get Love Sick.

Okay, imagine an N with each point being D.G.L.S.
D-dairy
G-grains
L-legumes
S-seeds

Any of the two connected nutrition sources will provide you with what you need but not ones that don't connect.

Example=rice and beans. (i.e. grains and legumes)
Or, yogurt and granola. (i.e. dairy and grains)

However yogurt covered sunflower seeds...I don't think so! (i.e. dairy and seeds).
Just something to keep in mind.

Good luck with the vegetarianism. Remember to keep your diet varied.