Customer Reviews

Vegan + Sports . Vegan Nutrition and Endurance Sports

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I bought this book in hopes of discovering a better grasp of what foods and combination of foods I should eat, as a vegan, while training for the LA Marathon. Instead, this is like reading someone's personal diary with absolutely no valuable information whatsoever. The few hopes he offers as far as a menu plan or even a recipe he leaves out of the book and says there will be a recipe book published later. So, basically, he wrote this book to try to sell a different book yet to be published. I have been vegan for only a year and yet my knowledge far surpasses his. In fact, a lot of his advice is bad, unhealthy, and ignorant. For example, he claims that taking in absolutely no nutrition before a long training session is a good thing and encourages it in a rather braggert sort of way. Obviously this guy knows nothing about body metabolism or function. This book is basically from the perspective of someone saying "hey, I'm over 40. I gave up meat. I do endurance sports. Ain't I cool?" Don't waste your money or time. It is a very frustrating, empty read. Brendan Brazier's book is a bit better if you're desperate for food ideas while training for endurance sports. At least with his book you get some menu plans and recipes.

I found the book helped me completely answer the basic question...can a vegan train and compete in endurance sports and win? And the answer is...Yes. It is especially good for someone training and competing who is new to veganism and considering a change to it... for example he found..."cheese was a burden on my body (digestion) and thus cost me energy (I'll take that edge on the next guy)." A simple statement but the essential of what differentiates an animal product diet vs. a vegan diet, it turns out one develops more endurance, better mentals and less recovery, more energy on a vegan diet which bears out in this book. Can you imagine going about your usual routine the day after competition? On a vegan diet it's possible (though on a raw vegan diet its normal). I find it a little shocking thinking back to my animal product training regimens and what supplements could give me an edge, when the answer really was freeing up a lot of energy by not having to digest cooked de-energizing animal products and switching to a much more nutritious, light,live and energizing diet that digested quickly, with which you heal quicker and sleep less. Meat, he writes, contains about 20% protein, beans, lentils and soy 22 - 39%. This is a good book, how about raw food veganism on the next?