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A new study has found that a vegan diet wasn’t linked to any performance decreases. Contrary to popular belief that a vegan diet isn’t as good for athletic pursuits, a new study has shown evidence in favor of a vegan diet.

The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the study that found little evidence that a vegan diet is hurting athletic performance. In fact, the study found that vegan athletes might have slightly better endurance in some measures, compared to their meat eating counterparts.

In strength tests of 56 women, half of which followed vegan diets for at least two years, half of which were omnivores, researchers calculated endurance and compared with maximal oxygen consumptions (also called VO2 max).

Vegans had significantly better VO2 max scores in the group. This difference was true even after accounting for age. Researchers are still unsure about why this is true but theorized that the vegan group ate more carbohydrates. Other studies have shown that a diet higher in carbohydrates leaders to the body making more glycogen, which brings more energy to muscles.

More studies are needed, but it’s more evidence of the powers of a vegan diet.

Interested in becoming a vegan athlete? Check out these recipes:

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

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