Fueling the Plant-Based Adventurer
I run, I cycle, I swim, I lift heavy things, and I do it all on a 100% plant-based diet. Predictably, a common question from friends and acquaintances is: “Where do you get your protein?” My answer: “Where don’t I?”
For me, it is not about counting macros, or weighing lunches; it’s about eating high-quality whole foods and supplementing as needed.
I don’t think of the way I eat as a diet, I think of everything I put in my body as tasty, tasty fuel.
What works best for me is adjusting my fuel based on my activity. If I’m in full-blown endurance mode and training for my next tri, marathon, or centurion ride, I am a carb and fat monster. Carbs like brown rice supply my muscles with energy in the form of glycogen, and fat like MCT oil helps make up for the upwards of 3,000 calories of caloric deficit my body is in after a four-hour ride.
When it comes to building strength and gaining mass, I focus on more protein dense fuels like hemp hearts, quinoa, and pea-protein, which help build lean-muscle and give my metabolism a kick in the caboose.
So what does a day-in-the-life of a plant-based belly look like? Here’s a snapshot:
7:00 – Wake Up/Pre-Workout Fuel 1
- Tall glass of water with the juice of 1 lemon
- 22g Genuine Health Vegan ActivFuel+ with water
8:00 – Strength Training, Sample Workout
German Volume Training Legs:
• 135lb Romanian Deadlift x 10
• 75 second rest
• 50lb Goblet Squat x 10
• 75 second rest
• Repeat x 10
– 10 to 15 minutes stretching/foam rolling
10:00 – Post-Workout Smoothie
- 1 frozen banana
- 4 cups raw, chopped kale
- Juice of one lime
- ½ peeled cucumber
- 1 ounce fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 30g Genuine Health unflavoured Vegan Proteins+
- 2 cups water
12:00 – Snack #1
- 2 brown rice crackers with raw macadamia nut butter and organic raspberry jam
14:00 – Lunch Power Salad
- Huge bowl of leafy greens (kale/spinach/arugula/dandelion)
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon hemp hearts
- 4 ounces organic tempeh
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup cooked red quinoa
- Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, raw honey, and sea salt to taste
16:00 – Snack #2
- 2 Medjool dates
- 1 apple
19:00 – Dinner
- Steamed veg (broccoli/bok choy/red cabbage/swiss chard)
- 4 ounces extra-firm grilled, sprouted organic tofu
- 2 cups cooked rice noodles
- Drizzled with miso-almond butter satay and topped with fresh birds-eye chilies
Share your daily and long-term tips for health, fitness – and happiness! – in AHAALiving.com’s #BestAugustEver contest for a chance to win $500 in Genuine Health products at: http://a.pgtb.me/BnZvG4
