Alkaline vegan diet proves a responsible pattern for athletes and everyday people

books:


	• The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, and Stay Healthy for Life Brendan Brazier Da Capo Press, 2007 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 10 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

It gets easier

I just finished my second marathon season, and am ready to take a step up in the laziest manner possible. ha ha! My previous diet was vegetarian, no dairy, but fish and eggs were included because I didn't feel like I was getting the right fats and protein. What I like about this book is that Brendan gives you the info to dive right into a vegan diet, but he also gives you the basics for someone that wants to slowly ease in, with regards to effort. I have started by adding to my intake every day: a veggie rich salad, a smoothie, and an energy bar. They were pretty simple, and did not involve spending $237 at whole foods (beside, I found a great co-op which is way cheaper). I pick a few things, and then shop only for the ingredient they require. I have tried sprouting quinoa and buckwheat, and the quinoa has become a new favorite in salads and energy bars. I'm also a big fan of BOKU Superfood powder, which has a lot of the ingredients he talks about like Chlorella, Sea Vegetables, and other good stuff. I don't spend much time cooking during the week, so I prep all my veggies, salad items, and energy bars on Sundays, and then everything is really fast during the week. I'm not much of a dinner person either... I often go out with friends and follow his eating out tips, and or myself eating a bowl of cooked psuedograins for dinner, and that's enough. After a few weeks, I'm down from 130lbs to about 127, and my body fat has decreased about 2% as well. Weightloss is appealing, but its not really my priority, mind you. Its all easy enough, becomes easier after you try recipes a few times, and you feel very good since you're getting proper nutrition for once without crazy supplements! This is a lifestyle change and something I feel like I can do on an ongoing basis.

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THRIVE on the food nature intended for us

"The cornerstone of the Thrive Diet is high net-gain foods. It's that simple. By eating more high net-gain foods, your energy will rise, body fat will decrease, mental clarity will be enhanced, and cravings for refined foods will fade." ~ Brendan Brazier from "The Thrive Diet"

We all want to Thrive in our lives, don't we? It's kinda hard to live at our highest potential if we're having a hard time getting out of bed, eh?

As an active, athletic vegan, I've worked hard to make sure I'm as healthy as I can be. That's why I was thrilled when I first met Brendan Brazier (we actually met at John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods' ranch). Brendan's a professional Ironman triathlete and is one of only a few professional athletes in the world whose diet is 100 percent plant-based.

Yep. Ironman. And no meat. No dairy. No refined foods. Nothing but plants.

I'll repeat: Brendan only eats plant-based foods and he's a professional athlete in what must be THE most grueling sport out there. (For those curious souls, an Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride and wrapped up with a 26.2 mile marathon. The best athletes in the world do it in under 9 hours. Brendan's among that group.)

"He does THAT and he only eats plants, you say?!?"

Yep.

"But where does he get his protein?!?!"

From plants. Tragically, plants don't have quite the same marketing spend as the meat and dairy industries so you don't hear quite as much about their nutritional value but you'll learn how to best THRIVE on the food nature intended us to eat in Brendan's brilliant book, "The Thrive Diet."

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A Dream Come True

Sounds a bit over the top, but I'm an actress in Hollywood with an athletic build. I've always found it hard to stay really lean, even though I'm a hard-core athlete, and that makes it hard to compete with the waifs. I bought Brendan's book two months ago and for the first time I am shredded without starving myself. I feel better than I ever have in my entire life and I honestly can't believe it.

I love the diet, love the food, love the philosophy. (I'm also an environmentalist)

I read the book cover-to-cover, excited by the philosophy but dismayed by the foreign foods that I needed to learn to locate, sprout and soak in order to start. This was just initial panic. I got over it.

I started with the smoothies and energy bars. I bought the Vega Complete Whole Food Optimizer he recommends and I found that making the smoothies was super-fast (throw my fruit, water, optimizer in a blender and go) and that while the energy bars took a little time, I could make a 2-month supply at a time, and then have a quick, easy snack always ready. I like them best frozen, so I'm not worried about spoilage. That was week one.

Week two I did my big shop (it was a bit pricey to start, but it's been very cheap ever since) which took a little to psych up for, washed and sanitized my fruits and veggies, and started sprouting. As soon as my sprouts were ready (a few days later) I took a full day and made pizza, burgers, crackers, sauces, salad dressings, etc. I basically made a little of everything. The joy was that I then could eat all week without doing anything but opening up the fridge. Since then, I've run out of things one by one, but since I've done it before, I had all of the ingredients on hand and it was no big deal to replenish; getting started was the hard part. I was glad I just bit the bullet and did it all at once.

Sprouting and soaking have become part of my routine and I actually find it kind of fun. It's very fast and I get the "farmer's joy" of seeing the first shoots every few days.

I keep Brendan's book on the table and I read part of it every day while I eat. I'll probably keep doing that until I feel like I have fully absorbed it and can really remember what nutrients are in which food.

Last night I did I bathing suit scene in my acting class and didn't think twice about stripping down in front of everyone. That's a first.

I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels to look in the mirror and feel great about my body, without having to punish myself to get the look I want. When I told my husband he said, "I never thought I'd hear you say those words." Yeah, neither did I.

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The answer for healthy living...

I have MS and it is important to me to be able to sustain energy with nutrients maximized; following this path has made this possible. I recommend following this triathletes wisdom and guidance. Minimizing to eliminating sugar, salt, fats and processed foods is a win/win combination that is no fail.

Alkaline vegan diet proves a responsible pattern for athletes and everyday people

In a mere coincidence, I bought this book when I just had completed the Golden Bridge Yogi cleanse, an alkaline based vegan cleanse, with a real sense of where my diet should be at. I was vegan based during my marathon trainings in the past, but had developed Hashimoto's disease a year after my last marathon, which made me quit soy products, thinking I had to go back to dairy for protein sources, only to not feel good about it physically and mentally. In addition, the skin on my arms and face getting rough, my energy levels not improving either.
So I read about Brendan Brazier, a vegan triathlete, and wanted to give his plan a try. I love his ideas and I love the fact that his food lists are based on alkaline levels, explains how eating this way can improve muscle recovery, help endurance, and just generally make you feel really good, and it is true. I LOVE the pizza recipes and have been sprouting like crazy. My husband loves them as well. This book is great for any vegan who wants to be back to basics, and develop a real love of raw food eating with some low temp baking options.

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reviews: page 1, 2

The Thrive Diet is a long-term eating plan that will help you develop a lean body, sharp mind, and everlasting energy, whether you?re a professional athlete or simply looking to boost your physical and mental health. One of the few professional athletes on an entirely plant-based diet, Brendan Brazier researched and developed this easy-to-follow program to enhance his performance as an elite endurance athlete.Brazier clearly describes why it?s easier for the body to utilize nutrient-rich foods in their natural state than refined, processed foods and how to choose nutritionally-efficient, stress-busting whole foods to maximize energy and health. And because plant-based foods are more environmentally friendly to produce, you?ll also help the planet while improving your personal health.The Thrive Diet features a 12-week whole foods meal plan, over 100 easy-to-make recipes with raw food options that are free of dairy, gluten, soy, wheat, corn, refined sugar, including exercise-specific recipes for pre-workout snacks, energy gels, sport drinks, and recovery foods, and an easy-to-follow exercise plan that compliments the Thrive Diet program. With The Thrive Diet, you can lower body fat and increase muscle tone; diminish visible signs of aging; increase energy and mental clarity; sleep better and more restfully; experience better moods; build a stronger immune system; lower cholesterol; and eliminate junk-food cravings.

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