Using Nutrition to Improve Recovery and Fuel Your MTB Rides

We speak with Registered Dietician Nutritionist Nichole Dandrea-Russert to learn how anyone can improve MTB performance by incorporating more plants in their diet.

Nichole Dandrea-Russert is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and the author of The Vegan Athlete’s Nutrition Handbook. Her website Purely Planted offers tips for adding more plants to our diets, and she’s based right here in Atlanta.

  • How did you get interested in nutrition? Have you always been an athlete?
  • For the vegan athletes you work with, is improving performance a primary reason for adopting a plant-based diet, or are other considerations that tend to come first?
  • How does a plant-based diet help athletes with recovery and reducing inflammation?
  • How does eating less saturated fats and cholesterol improve athletic performance? Is it helpful for endurance sports like cycling?
  • How do you know if you are not getting enough fat?
  • What are some good plant-based sources of protein?
  • What are some other advantages of a plant-based diet for cyclists?
  • Do you have any tips for keeping to a healthy diet while traveling?
  • How big of a factor is diet in athletic performance?  
  • Can mountain bikers get some of the advantages of a plant-based diet without giving up meat and dairy completely?

The Vegan Athlete’s Nutrition Handbook is out today and you can purchase it online or keep up with the latest at purelyplanted.com.


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