Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life [Paperback]

Brendan Brazier (Author), Hugh Jackman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 23, 2008

"The Thrive Diet feeds your body all the nutrients it needs without empty calories and with minimal stress."

- Chicago Tribune 

"Mr. Brazier's vegan principals have garnered a cult following."

- Globe & Mail

"...The Thrive Diet, a guide to vegan diets in sports...has become something of a bible..."

- The Wall Street Journal

The thrive diet is a long-term eating plan to help all athletes (professional or not) develop a lean body, sharp mind, and everlasting energy. As one of the few professional athletes on a plant-based diet, Brendan Brazier researched and developed this easy-to-follow program to enhance his performance as an elite endurance competitor.

Brazier clearly describes the benefits of nutrient-rich foods in their natural state versus processed foods, and how to choose nutritionally efficient, stress-busting whole foods for maximum energy and health. Featuring a 12-week meal plan, over 100 allergen-free recipes with raw food options--including recipes for energy gels, sport drinks, and recovery foods--and a complementary exercise plan, The Thrive Diet is "an authoritative guide to outstanding performance" (Neal D. Barnard, M.D., Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I am forever grateful to Brendan...I have noticed increased energy and more restful sleep. My desire for sugar and salt is waning, and what's more, I am following these recipes and loving them."
-- Hugh Jackman (from the foreword)

"The Thrive Diet is an authoritative guide to outstanding performance, not just in top-level athletics but in day-to-day life." 
--Neal D. Barnard, M.D., president, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

"Brendan Brazier's Thrive will increase the micronutrient density of your eating style and enable you to live longer, live healthier, and thrive." 
--Joel Fuhrman, M.D., bestselling author of Eat to Live and Eat for Health

"Thrive is a must read." 
--T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., bestselling author of the The China Study

"Quite simply, Thrive is the most comprehensive nutrition and lifestyle program we've ever seen." 
--The G Living Network

Dave Zabriskie, professional cyclist, Tour De France stage winner, and record holder of the fastest time trial in Tour De France history
“Thrive is an eye-opening and a life-changing book. It should replace bibles in hotels.”

About the Author

Brendan Brazier is a former professional Ironman triathlete, bestselling author on performance nutrition, and the creator of the award-winning line of Vega nutritional products. He is from Vancouver, British Columbia.

brendanbrazier.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books (December 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738212547
• ISBN-13: 978-0738212548
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Personal Health > Healthy Living
  • #50 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Vegetables & Vegetarian

More About the Author

Brendan Brazier is the bestselling author of The Thrive Diet (Penguin, 2007), a former professional Ironman triathlete, and the creator of an award-winning line of whole food nutritional products called Vega. He is also a two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion.

Brendan is recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on plant-based nutrition for athletes. In an online Cornell University certificate program, Brendan presents a lecture based on his best-selling books entitled: Plant-Based Diet and Elite Athleticism. It is part of a new course presented by eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Foundation. www.ecornell.com/brazier

Brendan was chosen as one of the 25 Most Fascinating Vegetarians by VegNews Magazine, the Top 40 Under 40 most influential people in the health industry by Natural Food Merchandiser and has been nominated for the prestigious Manning Innovation Award twice for creating Vega.

Brendan's intentions of spreading the word of an ethical, environmentally friendly, and healthy lifestyle through plant-based foods have taken him across North America, speaking at events such as the Chicago Green Festival and the United States Humane Society Gala. Brendan was also invited to address US Congress on Capitol Hill, where he spoke of the significant social and economic benefits that could be achieved by improving personal health through better diet. The focus of his speech was to draw attention to the role that food plays in the prevention of most chronic diseases currently plaguing North Americans.

Spanning the whole month of October of 2008, Brendan was a keynote presenter on a cross-Canada university speaking tour called "Students for Sustainability." Speaking at 21 universities, along with others such David Suzuki and Stephan Lewis, the tour went coast to coast offering practical environmental preservation solutions to students. It was Canada's largest environmental tour.

Among Brendan's other achievements are his active involvement with initiatives such as a new exploratory adventure movie on health and wellness, 'Back from the Edge', and a photo feature alongside the likes of Barack Obama and Bill Maher in the Charity book 'A Rare Breed of Love' (Simon & Schuster) recently featured by Oprah Winfrey. Having appeared on CTV and CBC in Canada and on NBC, ABC and FOX in the United States, Brendan has become a sought-after speaker.

Aimed at helping individuals and companies improve productivity through greater fitness Brendan's latest book, Thrive Fitness: Mental and Physical Strength for Life, was published by Penguin in January, 2009. And was published in the United Sates by Da Capo in January, 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

163 of 165 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST (and only) BOOK FOR VEGAN ATHLETES, January 30, 2008

By 

Anthony Torres "anthonytorres .com" (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, and Stay Healthy for Life (Hardcover)

Thrive Diet is a relatively easy to follow program for athletes that have food allergies, are vegan, or just want to get their nutrition from whole foods. The hardest thing of going plants only is accepting you can get solid protein and nutrition. Thankfully, the author knows how to research and presents his findings dispassionately and with reason. The page on protein powders is worth the book itself. No where else have I found this information, and I've been looking through all vegan, vegetarian, and bodybuilding books. Keep in mind that this book is soy and tofu free, due to the author's concerns with allergies. That's a good thing. Tofu/Soy products are used MORE in N. America. I'm not anti-soy. Just pro-variety (and frankly soy hasn't gotten me to where I want to be anyhow.)

An important part of this book are the early chapters on different types of stress and how nutrition can assist recuperation. The author is not a big supplement taker, and focuses on nourishment rather than calories/protein/carbs counting. The recipes are simple to prepare. It's actually, dare I say it, kind of lazy food prep, minimal tools (food processor & blender), and maximum return. These are positives. Other vegan cookbooks have 20 steps, consume an hour of time and the end result is just a side dish. Of potatoes....

Now, the book is affordable, but there's a sticker shock that comes from going whole foods whole cloth. Thankfully I have a Whole Foods within 8 miles. They had most everything on the list, except yellow pea protein powder. The clerk said the co. that made that went bankrupt, so it's put a lot of folks in a lurch. My total bill? $227.00 The protein powders are about $15 each, the oils are around that price point, and maca and chlorella cost $15 a bottle. AND THIS IS WITH ALMOST NO PRODUCE OR VEGETABLES. $227. The upside is the convenience of Whole Foods having all this stuff. Nutrition costs...

I copied the shopping list to a pdf here: [...] Or AnthonyTorres.com and Click on the Thrive link. Again, it's costly to just jump into it, so maybe transition using the energy bar recipes and grow from there. Still, this book is awesome and if you're serious about training or casually interested in losing weight or just understanding HOW your body functions, get this book.

UPDATE: Feb 09 2011- The prior link to the shopping list pdf was dead for a few years, so I updated the link. Otherwise, review is as stands. Thanks!

119 of 123 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dream Come True, July 17, 2008

By 

Fearless (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, and Stay Healthy for Life (Hardcover)

Sounds a bit over the top, but I'm an actress in Hollywood with an athletic build. I've always found it hard to stay really lean, even though I'm a hard-core athlete, and that makes it hard to compete with the waifs. I bought Brendan's book two months ago and for the first time I am shredded without starving myself. I feel better than I ever have in my entire life and I honestly can't believe it.

I love the diet, love the food, love the philosophy. (I'm also an environmentalist)

I read the book cover-to-cover, excited by the philosophy but dismayed by the foreign foods that I needed to learn to locate, sprout and soak in order to start. This was just initial panic. I got over it.

I started with the smoothies and energy bars. I bought the Vega Complete Whole Food Optimizer he recommends and I found that making the smoothies was super-fast (throw my fruit, water, optimizer in a blender and go) and that while the energy bars took a little time, I could make a 2-month supply at a time, and then have a quick, easy snack always ready. I like them best frozen, so I'm not worried about spoilage. That was week one.

Week two I did my big shop (it was a bit pricey to start, but it's been very cheap ever since) which took a little to psych up for, washed and sanitized my fruits and veggies, and started sprouting. As soon as my sprouts were ready (a few days later) I took a full day and made pizza, burgers, crackers, sauces, salad dressings, etc. I basically made a little of everything. The joy was that I then could eat all week without doing anything but opening up the fridge. Since then, I've run out of things one by one, but since I've done it before, I had all of the ingredients on hand and it was no big deal to replenish; getting started was the hard part. I was glad I just bit the bullet and did it all at once.

Sprouting and soaking have become part of my routine and I actually find it kind of fun. It's very fast and I get the "farmer's joy" of seeing the first shoots every few days.

I keep Brendan's book on the table and I read part of it every day while I eat. I'll probably keep doing that until I feel like I have fully absorbed it and can really remember what nutrients are in which food.

Last night I did I bathing suit scene in my acting class and didn't think twice about stripping down in front of everyone. That's a first.

I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels to look in the mirror and feel great about my body, without having to punish myself to get the look I want. When I told my husband he said, "I never thought I'd hear you say those words." Yeah, neither did I.

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I was looking for, March 6, 2008

By 

A. D. Proctor "Alissa" (Adelaide, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, and Stay Healthy for Life (Hardcover)

This book is exactly what I was looking for. A whole foods plant-based diet for athletes. Usually all you can find in this category are books for losing weight but this one is all about getting the fuel you need to excel in sport and in life. It's also a great nutritional education on whole foods and the physiological effects of stress in all its forms and how good whole foods can support the body. Brendan's recipes are really creative. I was originally suspicious of how the 'pizzas' would taste what with their base being made out of things like chickpeas and ground sunflower seeds but I have already made one and can report that it was delicious! The smoothies are also fantastic and I have already seen the amazing endergy gains. I whole-heartedly recommend this book to altheletes, weekend warriors and stressed out corporates - you will feel the difference.