Posted on May 17th, 2011

Question: What do you eat to fuel up after a yoga practice or other exercise?

Brendan Brazier eats plants. Well, plant-based whole foods. For some people, this is a surprise. Especially when they find out Brazier is a professional athlete, bestselling author, sought-after speaker, creator of the award-winning line of whole food nutritional products called Vega, and a two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion. We sat down with Brazier to ask him about all of this, and thank him for providing this week’s Tuesday Giveaway.

MYO: You’re one of the few professional athletes in the world whose diet is 100 % plant-based. Why did you choose this way of eating?

BB: When I was 15, I knew I wanted to become a professional athlete. While I was training, I began looking for ways to improve my performance. I did a ton of research and spoke with top professional athletes, whose training varied only slightly. My focus shifted from training to recovery and specifically, diet. I tried all kinds of diets and through countless trial and tribulations; it was a vegan diet that gave me that edge.

MYO: How does eating this way impact your athletic performance?

BB: Eating a plant-based whole foods diet allows me to train more because I am able to recover faster between workouts. And aside from improving athletic performance, there is so much more to be realized about eating this way, which I talk about in my books, The Thrive Diet, Thrive Fitness and my latest title, Whole Foods to Thrive.

MYO: There are many myths about vegan diets and sports performance. Are there any key myths you wish to debunk?

BB: The number one question I get is where do vegans get their protein. Really, protein is not that difficult to get if you eat a plant-based whole food diet. Spinach and Kale for example, are around 45% protein and if you eat a big salad you are getting enough protein.

In terms of performance, plant-based whole food sources of protein are more alkaline forming than animal sources or isolates, which allow you to reduce inflammation, speed recovery and increase functionality. Eating plant-based whole food sources of protein facilitate your body’s ability to work harder and improve performance.

MYO: For athletes or others wishing to transition to a vegan, whole nutrition diet, what are your key recommendations for making this transition more easy and functional?

BB: Start slow, with one meal or snack, a day. A smoothie is a great option. Something that is convenient, nutrient-dense and tastes good! 

MYO: How does eating this way impact the planet?

BB: I just wrote a whole book about it. Whole Foods to Thrive is out in Canada in May, and the US in September. Less of each natural resource (arable land, water, fuel, and C02 e emissions created) is required to produce nutrition from plants than from animals. 

MYO: As a guest lecturer at Cornell University and teacher of an eCornell course called The Plant-Based Diet and Elite Athleticism, you must get a lot of questions. What’s the most common one and what is your answer?

BB: I am often asked how I eat well while traveling... I graze on basic, simple foods such as fruit, nuts, seeds, and of course, Vega.

MYO: When you addressed US Congress on Capitol Hill, and spoke of the significant social and economic benefits that could be achieved by improving personal health through better diet, what was your most impactful point?

BB: If plant-based whole foods were more accessible to the public, they’ll eat more of them and be less likely to get sick. This will reduce the burden on our over worked health care system.

MYO: What one key message would you share if you had under 2 minutes to do it?

BB: You have control over your health.  

Win your own Vega gift basket!

Vega is giving one (1) lucky My Yoga Online member a complete Vega gift basket featuring Brendan Brazier’s new book Whole Foods to Thrive, 4 Vega Sport Performance Optimizer single serving packs and 4 Whole Food Health Optimizer single serving packs.

How to Enter:
Just add your answer to the following question to the comments section below: What do you eat to fuel up after a yoga practice or other exercise?

With apologies to our international friends, this prize giveaway is only available within North America (USA and Canada). Contest runs until the end of Tuesday, May 17, 2011 11:59 PST.

Enter on Facebook, too! Join your My Yoga Online community on Facebook and enter to win there, too.

Share the love. Tell your friends about this great giveaway. Just click ‘SHARE’ at the top of this post.

The fine print: Click here to read the official contest rules. By submitting a comment on this blog or commenting on or ‘liking’ the Facebook post, you agree to the official contest rules.

Tags: Nutrition, Ahimsa, yoga diet, whole foods, healthy eating, vega, brendan brazier, performance, vegan diet, benefits of being vegan, environmentalism

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