Plant Baked Chats with Vegan Olympian, Izzi Batt-Doyle
We (virtually) sat down with Aussie Olympic runner Izzi Batt-Doyle to talk about being a vegan athlete, plant-based nutrition and her journey to the Tokyo Olympics.
“I started my running career a long time ago, when I was about 8 or 9 years old, when I first started Little Athletics. I think since I was pretty young, I had aspirations of getting to the highest level in sport which is making the Olympic Games, but realistically, it probably wasn’t a real goal of mine for the last few years.” the now-26-year-old recalls.
“It didn’t become a realistic goal until early this year when I was actually getting close to running near the qualifying standard… that it was going to be possible to actually make the team.”
In 2014 Izzi received a scholarship for running at The University of Washington, where she spent 5 years as a student/athlete. Alongside working towards her Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Psychology, she became a multiple All-American and school record holder at the 5,000m(i) and 10,000m.
And, what might come as a surprise for some, is that Izzi managed these incredible feats as a vegan athlete.
“One of my first classes in college was an English class, where I did an investigation report on the meat and dairy industries for a research project. I just couldn’t believe what I learned and realised in that moment I didn’t want anything to do with it, so I decided from then on to go cold turkey and go vegan.”
“I made that switch and I haven’t looked back. That was 7 years ago now, and I’m very proud to be plant-based and a plant-based Olympian now.”
For Izzi, going vegan as an athlete came with its fair share of pushback.
“I went vegan for a week when I was 17, and unfortunately my coach at the time was just like, “Are you crazy? You’re not going to be able to run and be vegan.” and I kind of got scared out of it, even though I knew it was possible.”
“It was challenging because even my medical team around me was telling me that I shouldn’t be vegan.”
“[When I tried again at 18] I knew that for me, my reasons to go vegan were more environmental and ethical, and I just kind of decided that what they thought didn’t really matter and I knew what I was going to do. As it turns out, there are a ton of health benefits and I’m going to be vegan for life, also because of the health benefits and how I feel.”
However, things weren’t all smooth sailing from there.
“It was challenging over the years having coaches and medical staff around me not really believing in what I was doing. Unfortunately, I did get quite a few injuries during my time in college.”
“A lot of people were saying that if I drank milk and if I wasn’t vegan it wouldn’t have happened, but I got a bone density scan and my bone density was really high. [The injuries] were actually to do with my training, the shoes I was wearing, not having orthotics, that kind of thing. It wasn’t really my diet.”
Despite being no stranger to the occasional injury, this year Izzi bounced back better than ever before.
“It was a silver lining for me that the Olympics was moved to this year, because last year I was still quite injured and recovering from a broken foot. If the Games would’ve gone ahead last year, I wouldn’t have been able to be on the team.”
“Each year that goes on, the less pushback I get and the more educated people seem to be, and I think that has to do with the fact that there are more people speaking out about how they’re eating a plant-based diet and doing really well. There were quite a few people at the Olympics that I know of who were eating a plant-based diet, so it’s very encouraging to see that.”
And for those of you curious to know what a vegan Olympian eats on the daily, Izzi says she likes to keep it simple and balanced.
“Most of my diet is definitely whole foods. I love a vegan Magnum every now and again, and all those yummy treats, but most of my daily plate is whole foods.”
“If you saw what I ate for dinner each night, it’s nothing fancy most of the time. I’m cooking some rice, grilling some tofu, got some roast veggies, and a bit of a salad. I might make a mac n cheese or a plant-based lasagna every now and again, or a big curry.”
Sticking to a plant-based diet as an elite athlete can sound like a chore to those unfamiliar with it, so Izzi shared with us her tips for going vegan - even when those around you don’t quite get it.
“I think one of the biggest things that is kind of misunderstood is that eating vegan is really hard. A lot of the time we’re marketed with all these superfoods and these amazing products you should add to your diet. Vegan food is often thought of as quite pricey, but really, I just encourage people to think about the basics. Think about the foods you like, cook with them, add lots of spices and flavourings, add lots of herbs and you can make some pretty simple ingredients come to life. There are some really good resources out there online.”
“Be prepared. If I'm going somewhere, I’m always the person to read the menu beforehand, make sure there’s something that I can order, and if not, maybe suggest another restaurant if it looks like there’s not going to be any good options, or call ahead.”
“I think if you want to be vegan, you just have to stick to your guns sometimes. [When people offer you non-vegan food], don’t make them feel bad about it but you know, make your choice and come with snacks, come prepared and you should be good.”
“A lot of my career as an athlete and just in [my personal life] has been sticking to what I know is best for me, and that kind of ties into my diet as well. I just know what I want to do and what works for me, and if I were to worry about what other people think, or compare myself to how other people are doing, it wouldn’t be all that fun. Just focus on yourself. You know, there are a lot of things in the world that you can’t control, but you can control your attitude and what you consume, whether that’s on your plate or on your screens and in your mind. Make sure you’re doing what’s best for you.”