Can you maintain a vegan diet in lower league football?
Within the sporting world and indeed in football, there are high-profile athletes who have opted for vegan or plant-based diets. Hector Bellerin, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic are but three notable examples.
Their profile and financial backing mean they have the help of personal dietitians and nutritionists. However, this is not the case for everyone within sport.
It begs the question, can having a plant-based diet allow you to maintain a career within sport, especially with less resources available?
Documentaries played a part in becoming vegan
Sutton United midfielder Adam Lovatt is showing that with good research and planning, plant-based diets can support a sporting career.
The 22-year-old, who is currently on loan at Tonbridge Angels, made the transition to a plant-based diet during the first lockdown:
“There were two or three documentaries that were released on Netflix. They were talking about diet and animal agriculture. I think that’s what started my interest in looking into it.”
The documentaries showed Lovatt the pros and cons of being plant-based as well as how it could improve your diet, if done correctly.
Lovatt transitioned over a few months, becoming fully plant-based in December 2020. This was around the time he signed for Sutton United from part-time Hastings United.
Being vegan in the lower leagues
The change to a full-time club has seen an improvement in many areas for Lovatt, including nutrition, with the club providing meals after training sessions.
At Hastings, Lovatt was left to his own devices regarding food, and with it, his own diet plan. This is common practice at that level:
“Even in the semi-professional game, I think most people like to keep track of their diet and eat well. “It wasn’t anything coming from the club, it was all myself looking into it.”
Lovatt is the only vegan footballer at Sutton United to his knowledge, however this does not mean he is left out when it comes to meals:
“The cooks always provide a completely separate meal for me which I really appreciate, and the food’s always really nice as well, and healthy”
Balancing the diet can be a stumbling block
Although he is the only player at Sutton United who opts for a plant-based diet, Lovatt knows that some of his teammates have previously had spells where they were vegan:
“A few of them have done it in the past, I don’t know whether for a few months or a month or so.
They said they really enjoyed it and liked it, some of them said they liked meat too much or found it too hard.”
Finding it difficult to balance life as an athlete as well as maintain a strict diet is something Lovatt understands, as there is more work and effort involved with this type of diet:
“You have to plan your meals a bit more. With a plant-based diet you have to eat more to get the right amount of protein.”
Understanding diets
Protein is one of the biggest hurdles for someone who eats a plant-based diet, and Lovatt noticed early on in his journey that he needed to consume more.
Given how important protein is for the body, especially after exercising, it is key for him to plan a diet that maximises its intake:
“The first few months when I started eating plant-based I noticed I wasn’t taking in enough protein as I should be. A chicken breast has around 60 grams of protein, and to get that in a plant-based diet you have to eat around four cans of chickpeas.”
He has spoken with other people in football who are, or used to be, vegan and has heard stories of illness after a few months where the body has been deprived of certain nutrients.
Research is key
Not having a team of dietitians and nutritionists to support him meant that Lovatt had to take it upon himself to learn about balanced diets.
Lovatt is a big advocate of researching thoroughly before beginning a journey towards a diet that leaves out several foods.
He has looked at the various options that will supply his body with what it needs, and plans a diet effectively with that knowledge:
“You’ve just got to do your own research and make sure you know enough about it before you go into it. Now I know exactly what I eat every day, and what I have to eat to get the right amount of protein.”
Lovatt has shown that, with good research and a well thought out transition, it is more than possible to have a vegan or plant-based diet whilst maintaining a professional career in football.