Optimizing Performance: A Case Study on Transitioning to a Vegan Diet in an Elite Gaelic Football Player

This case study looks at an elite 25 year old male Gaelic football player who decided to switch from an omnivorous diet to a vegan diet. Gaelic football is a popular sport in Ireland that is played between two teams of 15 players on a large grass field. It involves a mix of aerobic exercise from running up and down the field, along with anaerobic bursts of sprinting and changes of direction.

The athlete was concerned about issues like climate change and wanted to reduce his personal impact on the environment, which is why he decided to try a vegan diet. There can be health risks with a poorly planned vegan diet, so the athlete worked closely with a sports nutritionist to make sure he would still get adequate nutrition.

Some key nutrients that can be lacking in a vegan diet are:

Protein

Omega-3 fats

Iron

Calcium

Iodine

Vitamin B12

Vitamin D

To help avoid deficiencies, the nutritionist gave the athlete an initial meal plan to meet his needs for training days versus rest days. The plan focused on getting enough protein from plant sources like legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy foods. The athlete also used a pea/rice protein powder supplement after workouts. His diet was enriched with foods containing omega-3 fats like walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds. A multivitamin, vitamin D and calcium supplement helped provide missing nutrients.

The athlete tracked his diet using an app at first to be sure he was meeting targets for total calories, protein, carbs and fats. There was an adjustment period to the new vegan diet where the athlete reported needing more time for meal planning/preparation and gastrointestinal issues during intense exercise that required reducing high fiber foods before training sessions and games. However, after 2-3 months he reported being used to the new routine.

The research team monitored the athlete’s:

Nutrient intake

Body composition using DXA scans

Running performance via GPS during games

The nutrient analysis showed the athlete was able to meet all his nutrition needs following the vegan diet, except for vitamin B12 which required supplementation.

Body composition scans measured the athlete’s lean muscle mass and body fat percentage. Over the course of the season, he saw an increase in muscle mass following his training program to levels matching his previous season while still eating an omnivorous diet.

The researchers also compared the athlete’s running statistics during 10 games in the 2018 season versus 10 games in 2019 following his switch to a vegan diet. There were no significant differences seen in total distance covered, high intensity sprinting, changes of pace, etc.

Overall, this case study demonstrates that with proper planning and supplements, an elite Gaelic football player was able to adopt a vegan diet without negative impacts on his performance or body composition compared to his previous omnivorous diet. The researchers conclude that a well designed vegan diet can meet the needs of competitive athletes, although it requires effort, commitment and ongoing monitoring.

Davey D, Malone S, Egan B. Case Study: Transition to a Vegan Diet in an Elite Male Gaelic Football Player. Sports (Basel). 2021 Jan 5;9(1):6. doi: 10.3390/sports9010006. PMID: 33466231; PMCID: PMC7824752.