Can you eat a Raw Food Diet and be a competitive Athlete

It is not my intention to beat people over the head and get them to see the light and embark on a vegan raw food lifestyle as i do not believe that would get and converts or would it endear you to your circle of friends.

I still cringe when I think of my Born again Christian days ( not that I am saying it was not an important part of my journey).  I was not the life of the party carrying around a bible and breathing fire and brimstone Aaghh ….!!!  I am sure you have encountered the type of behavior I am speaking about.

The real things that influence people are your actions s if you walk your talk it becomes more obvious and impactful then being a clanging cymbal.

It all starts with education and understanding what is required for optimal nutrition for the human body a plant based diet is more then adequate indeed in the right balance will enable a human form to age gracefully and have a quality of life that is based on a sustainable food gathering regime and integration with all other aspects that make up life here on this tiny blue bubble.

As an athlete it is often the mindset that nutrition is a complex thing that needs planned diets , expensive supplements and a dose of mega vitamin to stay with the program.

So this is where you start to examine the available truth of an alternate thinking that has the possibility to set you on the road to conscious choices for your eating choices based on a harmony with sanctity of life and sustainable agriculture.

Can you achieve a high level of competition on a plant based diet ?…… most certainly !…… check out

Tim VanOrden  at http://www.runningraw.com Tim has made the statement I’ve had to stop doing upper body workouts at the gym, because I now build muscle too quickly, which slows me down as a runner.

Brendan Brazier www.vegacommunity.com the 2003 Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion.  He competes successfully placing near the top at international Ironman triathlon events.

I  wrote a post  awhile back on Carl Lewis      Vegan Olympic Super star

His story is a great inspiration 10 Olympic medals to his credit  he wrote,

“In the spring of 1991 – eight months after beginning to eat vegan – I was feeling listless and thought I might need to add protein from meat to my diet. Dr. McDougall, however, explained that my listlessness was due to my needing more calories because I was training so many hours each day, not because I needed more animal-based protein. When I increased my calorie intake, I regained my energy. I was drinking 24 to 32 ounces of juice a day. I ate no dairy products. And I had my best year as an athlete ever!”

What Raw Food Choices Can You Make

Vegetables contain the highest proportion of protein for energy, with around 10% of their calories coming from protein,Nuts and seeds being higher in protein weight for weight as they also contain a lot of fat adding to their calorie content.

Raw foods are an easy and healthy source of high GI foods. Containing vital enzymes  which your body needs during exercise.  By keeping the  food raw,  it helps  retain most of the nutritional value.

For muscle building fruits, veggies, and soaked/sprouted nuts and seeds are excellent sources of the most absorbable amino acids available

If you look at your diet and decide to make a change keep in mind

1. Regularly consume energy soup or green smoothies to guarantee the proper amount of greens beginners and some more experienced raw fooders do not eat enough greens

2. Starting on a raw food diet too many fats are in the regime trying to imitate cooked dishes by substituting starches with nuts.

3. Gradually adjust and work out your own individual diet to help you ease into the best choices for you.  Variety is very important!  experiment  in the veggie , and fruit aisle.

Hey I try all sorts of recipes some work out better then others but a bit of imagination is all that is required To purists this might seem a sacrilege but get a portion of Durian in a bowl take some frozen Strawberry’s (  I live in a strawberry growing area so I make a point of freezing a bag or two ) throw them into the blender for a few seconds to mush them up add small amount of pure vanilla essence to the durian

and pour the frozen strawberry blend over the top Yummo !!!!

So your mission ……….should you choose to accept it……. is to question what impact is my diet having on me and my environment ?

What do you think …… can you, do you think you need to, change your dietary habits for greater athletic and personal growth ?

As always looking forward to   hear your comments if you want somebody to give you a head start with making a decision to upgrade your diet follow along with

Kardena Pauza she walks the talk and has a great information click on the Image below for more details

Related posts:

1. Raw food Protein Myths and The athlete
2. Raw Food Transition Report
3. Chia Seed and The Raw food Athlete