A growing list of pro athletes eat plant-based, and the science is not the obstacle it was once assumed to be. The position papers put vegan diets squarely inside the range that works for sport.
Vegan Brief·Evidence last reviewed July 16, 2026
This is a summary of the cited evidence, not medical advice.
Suitable for athletes?Yes, well-planned
ProteinAchievable from plants
Worth attentionCreatine, B12, iron
01
The headline
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics does not hedge on whether plant-based eating is compatible with sport. Its position paper lists athletes explicitly among the groups a vegetarian or vegan diet suits.
Primary source 01 / 03
These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes.
Meeting needs is not the same as ignoring the details. Plant eaters carry lower muscle stores of creatine, which matters for short, explosive efforts, and this is one place supplementation can help more than it does for meat eaters.
Primary source 03 / 03
Vegetarians, for example, with their lower muscle creatine content, might have greater responses to supplementation than meat eaters.
The honest summary is that a vegan athlete has to plan a little more deliberately, enough total protein and calories, a B12 source, an eye on iron and creatine, but the diet itself is not the ceiling on performance. For the protein details, see our page on protein and the protein combining myth.
Protein on a vegan dietThe 'where do you get your protein' question has a boring, well-documented answer: from plants, across the day, and the complete-versus-incomplete framing was retired years ago.
The protein combining mythThe old rule was that vegans had to pair rice with beans at every meal to make a complete protein. The people who write the position papers say that was never true.
Creatine on a vegan dietYour body makes some creatine, and the only foods that carry the rest are meat and fish. That leaves vegans with lower stores, which may be exactly why they respond so well to the supplement.
Iron on a vegan dietPlants have iron, just the kind your body absorbs less easily. The government fact sheet quantifies exactly how much less, and what raises the odds in your favor.
Frequently asked
Can you build muscle on a vegan diet?
Yes. Protein needs, including those of athletes, are well met by balanced plant-based diets according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Enough total protein and calories matter more than the source.
Do vegan athletes need creatine?
It can help more than for meat eaters, because plant-based diets provide little creatine and muscle stores tend to be lower. Creatine is one of the best-evidenced sports supplements and is available in vegan form.
The primary sources
The documents this page quotes. Read them yourself.
