Vegan foods for runners

(Yes, sometimes I do feel like I'm being tugged to the finish line of a race by the prospect of oatmeal, vegan muffins, or pasta with soy sausage!)

In this month's Women's Running magazine, three of the recipes look delicious and include only vegan ingredients:

Apple raspberry crisp
Molasses almond cookies
Tropical smoothie

I love that the tropical smoothie is dairy-free but included in the article on calcium and its importance in helping runners keep their bones safe and strong, because so many people believe that vegans are deficient in this crucial mineral.

The vegan desserts are even more exciting, especially since they're in an article that's not specifically on vegan food (it's about replacing refined sugars with natural alternatives like agave, date sugar, blackstrap mollasses, honey, and brown rice syrup).

I eat a predominantly vegan diet.  For me, that means eating low on the food chain but including occasional fish (once every week or two, I eat salmon for its healthy fats, and I take an omega fatty acid supplement) and yogurt when I crave it (which is normally once every two or three months).

When I was younger, eating vegan involved extensive label reading, which made me ultimately feel like I was too obsessed with food.  I stopped eating vegan for awhile, first dropping my whole vegetarian identity in the aftermath of a meatloaf craving but then rebuilding so that I was eating vegetarian in a mindful but not obsessive way.  Now I don't stress too much about being vegan; I just am.  I feel stronger and healthier when I eat balanced vegan meals, and I don't beat myself up if something non-vegan winds up on my plate: a few days ago, the barista at my favorite coffee shop accidentally gave me non-vegan chocolate banana bread instead of the vegan blueberry bread I normally eat.  I knew after the first bit that he had made a mistake, but chocolate banana bread was a fun treat.

For runners, especially runners adding mileage, eating vegan does require some planning.  I'm used to it after more than 20 years of vegan or vegetarian eating, but I have evolved over the years.  Now I can quickly plan meals that involve a grain plus protein plus good fats plus either fruit or vegetables.

I get frustrated when vegetarian and vegan options aren't included in training plans for runners, because I know that the right combination of vegan foods can be incredibly satisfying and sustaining.

Earnest Bars in chocolate peanut are one of my favorite pre-run foods.  I normally eat one plus a pack of raisins around two hours before my run.  Afterwards, I refuel with stel-cut oats, peanut butter, fruit, and flax. I also love experimenting with vegan muffins and quick breads: I want to try to veganize the butternut oat muffins in Women's Running.

Does the word "vegan" on a label make other runners skeptical about taste or nutrition?  Do you have go-to vegetarian or vegan products that make you feel strong, healthy, and well fueled on a run?