Sports nutrition- support needed

[alison_in_oh]

Well, I think that 20 lbs in span of 3 months is not too radical. But I do think I may not be getting in enough of the carbs and protein my body needs for this challenge I am asking my body to put up with. The thing with raw is that it is not a fad diet. It is much like vegan. But no cooked foods. Lots of sprouts, which I was not doing. But I think I have had enough of not sharing in with the family anyway....I miss those eggs and such... I had an egg today. I think I will slowly add in these foods and see what my body says then. But I will continue to ride. If it persists after adding in for a few days I will go see the doc. I will add in the other foods. I have to. Thanks a million ladies!

Yay, good luck! Definitely check out the vegetarian position paper I linked. As an athlete, you're going to want very nutrient-dense foods and try not to fill up on lower-nutrient stuff. Fruits tend to be very high GI, they zap your blood sugar and then leave you to crash. Same with sugary root veggies. For healthy grains, start with the least processed: whole grains like quinoa, amaranth, bulgur wheat, basmati rice. If you're thinking of adding some meat products, wild caught salmon is super-healthy, we eat it frequently (about $2 per serving at Trader Joe's). Get plenty of good fats, douse your veggies in olive oil vinaigrette and keep up your avocados!

Seriously though, pay attention to B vitamins, calcium, iron, and essential fats. There's info about all these nutrients in that paper.

I hope you feel better.

EDIT: I should clarify. The more restrictions you place on yourself, the more you have to work to get a wide variety of micronutrients and a proper balance of macronutrients through your diet alone. Raw vegan diets can work, but they take serious effort -- and I hate saying that about any vegetarian diet, because with less restriction, even a standard vegan diet, it's actually quite simple to eat healthfully as long as you incorporate lots and lots of variety!