Recently I have been experimenting with a mainly “plant based” diet to fulfill all of my nutritional needs after seeing a documentary on this type of diet and the benefits gained at a cellular level called “Forks over Knives” and “Fat, sick and nearly dead”. Since then I have thoroughly looked into the science end of what our bodies need to maintain healthy cells for optimal performance and I have been experiencing some serious results! Not only have I lost body fat but I have seen a huge increase in energy and mental clarity. My blood is healthier and I continue to experience strength gains faster than I have ever had using a animal based diet.
So a good friend of mine asked me for a menu of what I eat on training and non-training days as a strength athlete and I thought this might be something other people would like to look at as well. I encourage anyone to experiment with themselves when it comes to your diet...by “tinkering” we find what works and what doesn't.
A few tips...first, do the research. Don’t just take my word for it (or anybody's for that matter). Read/watch/research the medical information, and dietary data from a variety of reputable sources (sorry wikipedia...your out). And as always consult your doctor before you go all Dr. Moroeu on yourself.
Also, invest in the basics. If your going to do it, do it well (Thank you Pano’s for the catch phrase!). Invest in a good juicer and have a plan, get your shopping list together and recipes too. There is nothing that will torpedo your experiment faster than not having something prepared...all of the sudden you find yourself at McDonald’s snorting big mac’s because you had a long day. Don’t set yourself up for failure, so plan every meal AHEAD of time!
Ok, enough with my ramblings, here is my plant based diet on a daily basis. At the end I’ll post a recipe list and some links for resources. Enjoy the experiment and the new found energy!
NON-TRAINING DAY:
*Note: I am not putting times on this as I don’t always follow a set timed schedule, use common sense...if your hungry then eat, duh.
- When I wake up I have a full glass of water usually with some lemon (Lemon aids in digestion and detoxification of your intestines)
- Mean Green Juice - (use a juicer...not a blender, trust me) 6-8 Kale leaves, 4 celery stalks, 1 cucumber, 2-3 med. apples, 1 cup of parsley, 1 lemon and 1” of ginger
- 32 ounces of water
- mixed salad - put whatever you want in this but use dark green veggies instead of iceberg lettuce. Also, beware of salad dressings...look at labels here people. don’t use stuff with crap ingredients or better yet make it yourself (its easy in a blender and way healthier)
- “Orange” juice - 3 carrots, 2 med. apples 1” ginger, 1/2 lemon or lime
- vegetarian burrito (at Moe’s this is the Art Vandalay Jr.) - beans, rice (1/2 cup spanky...lets not get crazy here), salsa, corn, cheese, cucumbers and cilantro on a tortilla
- 32 ounces of water (I typically drink 2-3 of these throughout each day, its a great way to “flush out toxins and stay hydrated)
- Dinner - Usually we have a vegetarian dish with a salad (use google and find recipes that you will like and enjoy. some examples are : veggie chili, 3 bean soup, veggie lasagna, etc...)
TRAINING DAY:
Essentially this is the same as a non training day with the addition of during training I mix BCAA’s (Branch Chain Amino Acids) in water and drink it throughout the work out. About half way through (typically after the Snatch work and before the CNJ begins), I have an apple or a banana and some almonds or cashews to help re-fuel and rest.
Immediately after the work out I try to eat a good meal and drink a juice. The veggie burrito at Moe’s is great for this, but it’s easy enough to make one or a salad or whatever.
Also, if I get hungry or snacky I will eat some fruit or veggies to sustain me but truthfully I rarely feel hungry at all anymore. The whole time I was on a animal based diet I often felt hungry AND bloated at the same time. Sometimes after a meal I would struggle to breathe I was so full! With a plant based diet I am full and satisfied but I have yet to feel “over-full” or “bloated”.
Here are a few other juice recipes I use, I encourage you to find and/or make new ones! Side note on Juice....it allows me to ingest the volume of dense nutrients that I need for optimal mitochondrial health. Our body is made of cells, those cells regenerate every 8 months or so, you have the power to make those cells either healthy or sick depending on what you feed them. Nutrient dense juice is the fastest way to feed your cells to promote health and natural energy.
Gazpacho Juice:
4 plum tomatoes
1 cucumber
2 celery stalks
1 red bell pepper
1/4 red onion
2 cups of parsley
1 lime
Citrus Green Juice:
6-8 Kale leaves
8 Swiss Chard leaves
1 cucumber
6 clementine oranges
Sunset Juice:
1 sweet potato
1 carrot
1 red bell pepper
2 apples
1 orange
1/2 lemon
*You can find these recipes and others at resources like rebootwithjoe.com*
In closing, I want to address the one question that I asked at the beginning of my experiment and the one question everyone seems to have when exploring a plant based diet for strength athletes...where do I get my protein from? The answer is...(Drum roll please)....the plants. It’s true, 1.5 cups of Kale gives you 3 grams of protein, as a matter of fact all vegetables have some amount of protein.
In animal based protein sources you lose more than half of the protein when you cook it, then your body only absorbs around 12-14% of the remaining protein leaving the rest to literally rot in you intestinal tract until you dispel it. In the meantime it leaves toxin deposits in your intestines and pumps the building blocks of arterial plaque into your blood stream.
With plant based proteins you absorb around 43-48% and it digests easily through your intestines. This type helps maintain intestinal health and helps lower blood pressure as well. As for the essential amino acids needed to aid in muscle recovery, again I use quality BCAA’s. I rarely eat animal proteins any more and at first the very idea made me sad, but surprisingly I don’t miss it. I never went through any “withdrawal” type symptoms and I have more energy than I knew existed prior to this change.
I hope this helps you and leads you to experiment with your own diet. If Ilya Illin and Dimitry Klokov get their nutrition through a plant based diet and rarely eat meat (Ilya is a vegetarian and also a two time Olympic champion...no biggie), my question is why aren't you doing the same?
