The Vegetarian Cycling & Athletic Club
Established 1888

Book Review - Nutrition

Vegetarian Sports Nutrition D. Enette Larson-Meyer Foreword by Scott Jurek Human Kinetics, 2007 £11.99, Paperback, 263 pages. ISBN: 0-7360-6361-7 or 978-0-7360-6361-6

I approached this book with interest because I have read other titles from the Human Kinetics stable and found them to be very useful. Having studied nutrition in some fair detail a few years ago I was expecting to find a comprehensive run through of standard nutrition theory, and to be able to mentally tick off each chapter with a casual acknowledgement of having read it all somewhere else before. The less likely prospect was that it would be another half baked raw food almanac from the loonier outreaches of the vegan florasphere. So, I sat down in my train carriage on my daily commute and opened the book expectantly at the first chapter.

The first chapter didn't seem too encouraging. I've yet to see the made up words such as peskytarian or pollo-vegetarian appear on restaurant menus or on food labels. One presumes any food is suitable for a "semi-vegetarian" depending if it's a semi-day or not. Probably the best place for these types of words is dry academic journals and Sunday supplements. The rest of the first Chapter flip-flops between diverse topics to try and cover all bases. Quoting Biblical stories about Daniel has about as much relevance to Twenty First Century sports nutrition as consulting an Astrologer on whether a superior conjunction with Venus the night before a major race will improve the chances of a PB.

After the faltering start, Larson-Meyer gets into the real issues and her clear understanding and experience of Vegetarian Sports Nutrition starts to shine through. She has a lively writing style that kept me engrossed for several days on my regular train journeys. I refreshed my memory on things that had become hazy, but also found some new ideas that made me sit up and think more carefully. Reading the book is generally motivating and has given me the feeling that I can make changes to my diet now, and start to feel the benefits over the coming months. Maybe by improving my diet I can help to rid myself of those nagging joint and muscle injuries that never seem to go away.

For anyone starting off on a vegetarian diet I have no hesitation in recommending this book as a reference for nutrition theory, but more importantly for its wisdom. For laggards such as myself, I suggest you start at Chapter 2 for an entertaining read. My only other quibble is that there are several slick action shots of athletes throughout the book. It doesn't give any indication as to who they are, so one assumes they are mostly for decorative purposes, rather than illustrating vegetarian athletes in action. Something for the editors to consider for the Second edition of the book in a few years time.

Max d'Ayala
30th September 2007, March 2008

 

Club members can get a 15% discount off Human Kinetics books when they are ordered via their web site. Ask in our Yahoo Group for further details.