Book: The Thrive Diet
by Brendan Brazier
While Brendan Brazier was still a teenager, he discovered that he loved running and later developed a love for biking. After competing in some decathlon and triathlon races, he decided that he wanted to become a professional triathlete.
Brazier started researching what it would take for him to advance from the amateur level to become an elite triathlete. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that nutrition might be the key and after trying several different diets, he decided to go with a plant-based diet. It worked. Brazier went pro and spent seven years racing as a professional Ironman triathlete.
What he discovered was that not only are plants the best source of fuel for endurance activities but plants also provide the best sources for nutrients needed for fast recovery. Working out is 50% workout and 50% recovery. Brazier realized that if he could recover faster then he could actually do more workouts in the same amount of time.
Over his career, he refined his nutrition to what he believes is the optimum diet/lifestyle for endurance athletic performance. The Thrive Diet is not just about food. It takes virtually every aspect of modern life into account. The amount of daily stress, the types of stress you experience, your sleep patterns and even the timing of nutrition intake and your workouts.
As for the food side of things, The Thrive Diet is a whole food, plant-based diet that puts emphasis on raw ingredients. The process of heating food removes nutrients so raw is preferred. The diet puts priority on the food that your body really needs instead of food that your body needs to convert to what it really needs. For instance, when you eat protein your body has to break it down into amino acids. This uses a surprising amount of energy so it just makes sense to just consume amino acids directly and conserve the energy.
Brazier says that nearly all of the nutrients our body needs come from the earth and food is merely the conduit that we use to transfer them to our bodies. Why do so many people feel that it is better for their food to go through another animal before they consume it?
Although I am a vegan, the raw plant-based diet has been somewhat of a mystery to me. This book really helped me understand the benefits of it. It is also interesting to read bout the impact that food really has on our lives. None of cells in your body right now were there eight years ago. Our bodies are constantly replacing old cells with new ones. These building blocks come from what we eat so why not provide it with the best resources?
