Meat, Dairy, and Athletes

A diet heaped full of meat and dairy grows the strongest, sturdiest athletes, right? Wrong. Michele Deppe introduces you to top- performing vegan athletes who achieve amazing feats by powering up with plants. Read on to learn their healthful, performance-enhancing tricks.

When it comes to world-class athletes, there's a proven principle: plants can fuel people through the most demanding sports on the planet. Consider ultramarthoner Scott Jurek, a vegan since 1999, who set a U.S. record in 2010 for running 165.7 miles in 24 hours. Primarily plant-powered Tour de France bicyclist, Dave Zabriskie, set the record for the fastest individual time trial in the Tour's history, and has claimed multiple podium finishes at the World Time Trial Championships, as well as five wins at the National Time Trial Championships. A vegan since 2004, Mac Danzig is a tough-as-nails mixed martial arts competitor, under contract for the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). Pat Neshek is a major league pitcher for the San Diego Padres, who tweets about his favorite vegan recipes. The list of no-meat athletes continues, including football great Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons, bodybuilder Robert Cheeke, NBA guard Salim Stoudamire, hockey player Georges Laraque, and living-legend sprinter, Carl Lewis.

Another notable no-meat athlete is Brendan Brazier. A vegan since the age of 15, Brazier is a two-time Canadian 50K ultra marathon champion who competed in Ironman competitions professionally for seven years.

"People think being a vegan is a disadvantage somehow, but it's the opposite. It's an advantage, for athletes - and everyone else - to be able to feel good and perform well," says Brazier, the author of the popular Thrive book series. Acknowledged as an authority on plant-based nutrition, Brazier is a Come]] University guest lecturer and host of a free online video and short-lesson course about plantbased diets called "Thrive in 30" (www.thrivein30. com). After spending hours each week concocting his own super-healthy food mixtures in his kitchen, Brazier launched Vega health food products, in part to conveniently provide himself with energy bars and smoothie mixes.

Record Recovery

"A vegan diet makes you healthy from the inside out. I train twice a day and compete in triathlons, fueled by vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds," says Mary Stella Stabinsky, a Pennsylvaniabased Ironman competitor and USA triathlete who blogs regularly about her training. "I believe a cleaner diet makes it easier for the body to recover."

That's what initially hooked Brazier, too. "With Ironman competitions, you combine a 2.4 mile swim, 1 12 miles of bicycling, and a marathon (26.2 miles of running). I looked at the training regimens of elite athletes, and found that they weren't that different than [the regimens] of average athletes," Brazier says. "The difference that caused some athletes to be in the upper-echelon was nutrition. Diet can account for up to 80 percent of the total recovery process. For me, nutrition was the difference in having a pro-career, or not."

Recovery grows on trees for certified personal trainer, running coach, and the fifth-oldest woman to finish the 2010 Palm Beaches Marathon. At 58-years-young Ellen Jaffe Jones claims she is the only healthy person in her family. "I started running at 28 and almost always used to get an upper respiratory infection if I ran more than six miles. As part of my running coach certification, I learned about a suppressed immune system response that often happens when running distances of six miles or more. As a result, I've found that ramping up vitamin C sources with citrus or supplements and other immune-boosting foods are critical in the 72 hours after a long run or race," says Jones, author offa? Vegan on $4 a Day. "Interestingly, oranges are my favorite recovery food, and are often available at competitions," she says. "And they seem to taste twice as good after a race!"

Plants Pay Off

Brazier calls certain foods "high net-gain nutrition," because they are packed with nutrients and easily digestible. In addition to aiding an athlete's recovery, these whole, raw foods are naturally alkalizing to the pH level of the body, once digested. "Alkalineforming foods decrease inflammation, increase the body's flexibility, provide energy, and improve sleep," Brazier says. Alkaline-forming foods include cruciferous vegetables, sprouts and leafy greens, almonds, coconut, buckwheat, brown rice, a variety of fruit (such as citrus, melons, avocados, bananas, and apples), and seeds (including flax, hemp, and white chia). Brazier says that most people experience an improvement shortly after replacing a typical highly processed, acid-forming meal, based on meat and dairy, with just one alkaline-producing, nutrient-rich meal per day. "People notice that their dexterity improves. Muscles move more effortlessly, which translates to less strain on the heart and a lowered heart rate," Brazier says. "These kinds of meals help people feel better and help them to lose excess weight."

Eat Better, Eat Less, for More Energy

Brazier says another plus about a plant-based diet is a gain in energy. "Whether you're an athlete or not, you want to feel that you have lots of energy, and be able to apply your energy to something you want to do. As an endurance athlete. the goal is to conserve your fuel, and bum less, because that's more efficient."

When you're eating properly, Brazier explains, you're not burning calories to digest food - which is a good thing, despite the message we hear so often, that we need to be concerned about revving up metabolism to burn calories.

With a plant-based diet, less is more. "Nutrientdense foods, foods with micronutrients, turn off that hunger signal," Brazier says. "When you're getting what you need from foods like leafy greens that are high in antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals, then we stop feeling the need to eat constantly. Instead, you feei satisfied."

Jones agrees. "I've been known to eat more than a serving of soy ice cream, or a handful of vegan chocolate chips. But that's about it. If I have sweet cravings, I just make a smoothie with frozen bananas, fruit, and greens. I don't like the way I feel if I don't eat healthfully. And I love the way my body feels when I eat the plants it needs."

Stabinsky says that she feels great, therefore it's easy to stick with her eating plan. "I 'treat,' not 'cheat,'" she says, "meaning, I don't eat things that are not vegan, but I will occasionally indulge in a vegan dessert. It is not something I schedule or do regularly."

As a personal trainer, Jones tells her clients and cooking class participants that it's important to have protein, carbohydrate, and a small amount of healthy fat, such as seeds or nuts, at most meals. "Vegetables have fat. Vegetable oil is made from vegetables, so even if I don't eat seeds or nuts at every meal, I don't stress," she says. "I find my body responds best during race season (September through June) eating adequate protein in the form of beans, or the protein-rich grain quinoa, as well as absorbable protein, calcium, and other nutrients in vegetables." She doesn't need to use protein supplements, except occasionally. "If I've run a hard race, sometimes I'll add some protein powder to a greens and fruit smoothie as a recovery drink."

Before a vigorous workout, Brazier often has dates, some coconut oil, and sometimes half an energy bar (see recipe on right). "Your body doesn't have to break down the abundant glucose in dates, the liver can use the instant energy they provide. On their own, dates are good for 20 minutes of high-intensity activity, which is why it's helpful to mix them with coconut oil, which has medium chain triglycerides also available for instant energy, almost like a carbohydrate." He prefers nutrient-dense, simple carbohydrates smoothies with just a small amount of protein and a little fiber or fat. "A cold, liquid snack is easy to get down after exercise," Brazier says. "An hour after your recovery snack, enjoy a complete meal."

Going Green

"There's a myth that you'll miss key nutrients with a plant-based diet," Brazier says. "But with high net-gain nutrition, the truth is that calcium, iron, and B12 are generally more bio-available to your body, more absorbable, than from animal sources." Brazier's diet is rich in foods such as spinach and other leafy greens, legumes, sprouted seeds, almonds, quinoa, miso, nutritional yeast, tahini (sesame seed paste), and a freshwater algae called Chlorella.

There's also a clinical way to evaluate where you are. "Because I push the envelope with running and have an ugly family history, I do get annual blood tests to make sure my B!2, Vitamin D, and lipids are optimal." says Jones. "Listen to your body. If you don't feel energized in the morning heading out the door, you may need more calories or specific nutrients that only blood tests can identify."

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I train twice a day and compete in triathlons, fueled by vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.

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I love the way my body feels when I eat the plants it needs.

Tips From the Pros

These no-meat competitors share their secrets for getting the power you need from plants:

Mary Stella St abinsky is a vegan trìathlete and Ironman competitor. "Stick to something easily digestible for pre-race fueling. I use Hammer Gels on long bike rides. And I use chocolate soymilk as a post-race recovery drink, due to the carbohydrate to protein ratio." She also says staying hydrated is critical. "I set a hydration alarm on my watch for 15 to 30 minute intervals, and drink every time it beeps."

Brendan Brazier, a former professional Ironman competitor and ultra marathoner, says he prefers to hydrate with coconut water. "It's a whole food sports drink and natural source of electrolytes," he says. Brazier's latest book, Thrive Foods: 200 Plantbased Recipes for Peak Health, is loaded with recipes to fuel a busy life. "Carbohydrate is for fueling, protein is for rebuilding. That's why it's carbohydrate before a workout, and protein for recovery," Brazier says. Before a super tough activity, such as running a marathon or intense cycling, try Brazier's Energy Pudding (see sidebar for recipe). "It's balanced to be 60 percent carbohydrate, 35 percent fat, and five percent protein, to best fuel the body for an intense activity."

Ellen Jaffe Jones, an author, marathoner, and running coach, recommends eating a whole-grain breakfast, usually oats with berries before running, racing, or working out. "Carbohydrate loading is often what runners hear they should do the night before a long race," Jones says, but for her, dinner is a salad followed by cooked vegetables with a protein source. "My experience is that if it is anything shorter than a 5K race (3.1 miles), extra eating - especially plate loads of pasta - is not really necessary." Florida-based Jones prefers water for hydration. "Water is my drink of choice, but I don't overdo it. In races shorter than a 5K1 1 find I don't need much water during the race if I have had 16 ounces of water upon rising." Jones used to drink coffee and loved the performance enhancing energy it provided, but as concerns about heart issues developed, she gave it up for healthier options. "In longer races like half marathons and marathons, I usually bring an electrolyte gummy-bear type of sports bean to eat every mile or so."