Validation And Application Of The Vegan & Vegetarian Athlete’s Plate

PURPOSE: The Athlete's Plate (AP) is a validated visual tool designed to help athletes adjust their nutrition to variable training loads. Vegan and vegetarian versions of these plates were developed to represent plant-based protein options. The purpose of this study was to determine if the Vegan/Vegetarian AP nutrition education tool is understandable and useful for guiding athletes about how to eat a nutritious vegan or vegetarian meal. METHODS: This mixed-method study included college-aged athletes (n = 17; 13 males; 4 females) who completed The Vegan/Vegetarian Athlete’s Plate Education Survey (TVAPES) online prior to and after viewing a 30-minute presentation about the plates. Next, athletes checked in at a university dining facility and chose a card according to their diet pattern (vegetarian or vegan) and training load (easy, moderate, or hard) before building their plates. All plates, bowls, and secondary plates were photographed and analyzed using a validated visual evaluation tool. Athletes were also invited to participate in a focus group on Zoom (n = 8; 4 male/4 female). Quantitative data were assessed by dependent t-test and Pearson Product Moment correlations. Responses were examined by experience with vegan and vegetarian nutrition via Mann-Whitney U Test. Qualitative data from the focus group were coded for themes and subthemes using an open-coding approach to create a codebook. RESULTS: TVAPES scores improved significantly from pre to post educational session (9 ± 5.1 vs 15.7 ± 2.1, p < 0.001), indicating improved understanding of vegan and vegetarian nutrition for athletes. Experienced athletes (n = 7) had higher pre and post TVAPES scores and built better vegan/vegetarian plates (8.9 ± 1.6 vs 5.7 ± 2.7, p < 0.05) than inexperienced athletes (n = 10). Three key themes emerged from the focus group, including the Vegan/Vegetarian AP is “An interesting new take” and that “It’s a huge awareness piece.” The majority (94%) of athletes (n = 16) reported that the Vegan & Vegetarian AP is a useful tool and 59% (n = 10) reported willingness to choose a vegan or vegetarian diet for environmental reasons. CONCLUSIONS: The Vegan/Vegetarian AP is a useful tool for teaching athletes about how to integrate more plant-based eating according to variable training loads.