»

[Picasso]

For the record, I'm not a vegan. But I am curious though... with the high intensity of training that we're exposed to from most Kyokushin/Kyokushin-derived dojos, does this pose as a major problem for anyone who is vegan (i.e., no meat or animal-derived products, nada. Just 100% pure fruits and veggies) but still wants to maintain that competitive edge as a karateka? What about vegetarians who can still eat dairy products but no eggs (e.g. yogis)?
I'm an omnivore, but I'm still selective on the meats that I eat (i.e. only halal or kosher meat), but I do know people who are vegans (they're non-karatekas.)
If a thread has already been made on this topic, then I do apologize.

[MilkManX]

Sure they can!

Now they will just have to make sure they are getting enough protein and high energy foods.

Now they have to be a good Vegan who is serious about their diet and not a lazy Vegan who eats junk all the time(I have met a few of those!)

[Nix]

Yup, definatelly. I know at least two former karateka who are vegetarians. One of them ate a lot of eggs, as well as protein shakes. Not sure what the other one did - she may in fact be vegan, I'm not sure.

[Picasso]

Originally Posted by Nix

Yup, definatelly. I know at least two former karateka who are vegetarians. One of them ate a lot of eggs, as well as protein shakes. Not sure what the other one did - she may in fact be vegan, I'm not sure.

See, the eggs I know are rich in protein, which can very well make up for the lack of proteins that one would suffer as a result of not eating meat. As for the one who is vegan, she probably would have had to eat a whole lot of beans (soy in particular), since beans I know have protein. But is there any other non-animal product out there that is rich in protein as well? If I was vegan and I wanted the extra protein, I don't think I'd want to come to class after having 10 servings of beans for lunch. Can you imagine the flatulence that would result? Everyone would have to be covering their noses by the time they're ready to spar with me, lol.

Originally Posted by MilkManX

Sure they can!

Now they will just have to make sure they are getting enough protein and high energy foods.

Now they have to be a good Vegan who is serious about their diet and not a lazy Vegan who eats junk all the time(I have met a few of those!)

Oh, do you mean the ones who proclaim "I'm vegan!" and feast on ten bags of potato chips and Doritos all day? lol... I think a good vegan is one who can probably take down a full bag of carrots, a pound of tomatos, 12 bananas and an apple and let that carry him all day. I actually tried a full raw-food diet for a week on mornings, where I blended raw spinach, garlic, tomatoes, carrots and celery, and I must say, I was so full of energy, even when I went to Karate class in the night time.

[Nix]

I completelly forgot that I am per definition a vegetarian, but not out of my own free will. Meat is quite expensive for a struggling lazarone, so I rarely treat myself to it, but instead eat more beans and eggs. Works for me, but then again I don't really do any weight-lifting or strenght excercises, other than pushups, squats, situps etc.

[mary222]

why not
there is a pretty well known competitive bodybuilder in us who is a REAL vegan.
sorry couldn find a pics

[seienchin]

Vegetarianism is entirely and relatively easily compatible with karate training and other elite level sports.

Veganism requires a whole other level of knowledge and discipline, and until the karate-ka has that knowledge themselves, professional advice is the best option.

Protein, vitamin B12 and iron are the biggest challenges for a vegan sportsperson. Tofu and soya beans are the richest vegan protein sources that I know of. Will be interested if someone else can post other suggestions. Nuts are quite good, but high in fats so not a great suggestion if weight control is on the agenda.

Mushrooms are a good source of B12, but when you think about why, they seem a whole lot less appealing (B12 is found almost exclusively in animal-based foods. Mushrooms have it because they are usually grown in manure.).

[Dent]

Osu!

Vegans.............

Hmmmmmmm.............

I've only met two, but their world view was, er, unusual..........

I'd be careful about allowing them to train.

Osu!

[nzproud]

My gf is a vegan and trains in kyokushin.
So my answer is that vegans can train in kyokushin with no problem. Like seienchin said the vegans need to have good diet to keep their good nutrition. My gf has been off training for a while now as she has become pregnant.

For B12, she has been eating nutritional yeast, natto, soy products, alfafa etc..
For iron, silverbeat and spinach etc..

She does have organic free-range eggs during her pregnancy though.

[nzproud]

Dent, i know what you mean. Kinda lucky that my gf is not excessively vegan. It was hard for me to understand at first but Í do understand it now.
I have been eating a lot of meat in Japan, so my view before i met my gf was that I consume the meat for the animals which died for it. But now I think they produce the meat for men.i In some cases, the animals are treated bad through their life.. and the vegans are really against it. So they don't like to support products related to animal cruelty.

2 cents

[jcc]

Osu!

Uuuuhhm.... yes.

Being doing so for over 25 years without any proplem.

Osu!

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by nzproud

Dent, i know what you mean. Kinda lucky that my gf is not excessively vegan. It was hard for me to understand at first but Í do understand it now.
I have been eating a lot of meat in Japan, so my view before i met my gf was that I consume the meat for the animals which died for it. But now I think they produce the meat for men.i In some cases, the animals are treated bad through their life.. and the vegans are really against it. So they don't like to support products related to animal cruelty.

2 cents

Good to hear you know what I mean, NZProud. One person became very upset with my shoes (With me I can understand, but my shoes? Not very fashionable, I know, but still... ), and the other was just very, very different.

Originally Posted by jcc

Uuuuhhm.... yes.

Being doing so for over 25 years without any proplem.

I hear that it's hell on the spelling though.

Osu!

[jcc]

Originally Posted by Dent

Osu!


I hear that it's hell on the spelling though.

Osu!

Osu!

And the eyesight!

[StarKodama]

Originally Posted by nzproud

My gf is a vegan and trains in kyokushin.
My gf has been off training for a while now as she has become pregnant.

Whoa! Congratulations to both of you!!!

[Katto]

Osu StarKodama-san

Arigato gozaimasu

Ive been vegan for 2 years (vegetarian for 7 years prior) and training in Kyokushin for 18 months with no troubles - even for about 5 months of my pregnancy (have had to temporarily stop as moved suburbs and its hard to get to training after work). As mentioned I am eating about 1 free-range organic egg a day for baby's sake.

I do have problems finding opponents though, as it takes me a long time to put on weight (there arent many under 50kg in my area)

[BigAl]

They certainly could. There's a guy by the name of Mike Mahler whose training methods and ideas I like. He's a vegan is a pretty muscular and strong guy. It takes lots of supplementation so it's not exactly a "natural" diet but it can be done.



There is also that vegan UFC fighter who's pretty popular. Don't know his name though as I'm not following MMA that much anymore. Just the odd fight here and there.

[poison]

What's he supplementing with, I wonder? Soy isn't bad, but has some unwanted aspects; pea protein is OK, so is rice and hemp. But none are near the level of animal protein for muscle building.

You mean Randy Couture? That dude only eats raw food, IIRC. I read his diet: salad, oatmeal, tofu, salad, fruit, salad... Then again he's juiced. Even vegans get jacked on GH and/or roids.

[sandman]

Originally Posted by poison

What's he supplementing with, I wonder? Soy isn't bad, but has some unwanted aspects; pea protein is OK, so is rice and hemp. But none are near the level of animal protein for muscle building.

You mean Randy Couture? That dude only eats raw food, IIRC. I read his diet: salad, oatmeal, tofu, salad, fruit, salad... Then again he's juiced. Even vegans get jacked on GH and/or roids.

Maybe Big Al was talking about Mac Danzig - he's sort of an up and comer - he won The Ultimate Fighter, I think it was 2 seasons ago. I remember reading somewhere that he was a vegan, and he is pretty tough. He just lost to Clay Guida a couple weeks ago, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. And he doesn't "look" juiced.... Randy Couture on the other hand definitely looks juiced

[poison]

'Cro-magnon Head' Couture?



Mac Danzig. Vegan? Looks more like a vampire to me. :lol:

[sandman]

Originally Posted by poison

'Cro-magnon Head' Couture?



Mac Danzig. Vegan? Looks more like a vampire to me. :lol:

I guess that's his opponent's blood Didn't see any dribbling down from his mouth