Vegetarian Star

Brendan Brazier

Brendan Brazier has the formula for a how a vegan athlete stays the course–through every Iron-man, Ultra Marathon and National Long Course Triathlon.

No stranger to the kitchen, Brazier has his own line of supplemental powders, bars and smoothies, all of which are vegan.

“To provide staying power, the optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio immediately before a longer workout or race is about three parts carbohydrate to one part protein,” he told NJ.com. “I like to have half of a banana, a couple of dates and a Vega bar before a long-distance workout. I’ll also make an energy gel to eat if I start to feel hungry or weak during a workout

Grab the recipe for Brendan’s gel after the jump.

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Brendan Brazier

A New Jersey online news publication, NJ.com, just completed part 2 of an interview with vegan triathlete, author and vegan foods entrepreneur Brendan Brazier.

NJ.com asked Brazier if he missed anything in particular being since he became vegan. His response was that if you’re following the diet correctly, you shouldn’t have big problems with cravings.

“I don’t miss any of the foods I ate before becoming vegan. At first I would crave certain things, but as my body became more and more accustomed to getting whole food, plant-based fuel, I stopped wanting to eat unhealthy foods. In fact, something I really appreciate about my diet now is that I don’t have cravings for any specific foods.”

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Robin Quivers is training for her first marathon, which will take place in New York city in November. Quivers keeps her fans and interested readers updated on her progress and thoughts at more.com and recently, she brought up the subject of energy gels.

“I’d heard from some followers on Twitter that most gels were vegan and vegetarian-friendly. A friend had given me a brand to try, but how was I going to carry it? I already tote a big bottle of water around, so I couldn’t hold the gel at the same time. I decided to wear a belt with a pouch that I picked up once in the travel section of a drug store. It wasn’t perfect, but it should work.”

Several energy gels or shots exist for the vegetarian and vegan athlete, as well as recipes to make them from scratch. Gels are designed to replace carbohydrates and electrolytes during physical activity.

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Brendan Brazier

Brendan Brazier has an exclusive interview with VegNews on all the details of how actor Hugh Jackman got in touch with him for some advice on training on a vegan diet and how Jackman agreed to write the foreward for the vegan triathlete and supplement creator’s latest edition of his book Thrive.

“In the past he had eaten a lot of chicken for his role, but he took a lot of Vega, too. It turned out I was going to New York City so he said “well why don’t you just come over,” so I went over to his place and we had a great chat and he told me how he was trying out veganism for environmental and health reasons and to set a good example for his kids. It’s not just for his own career anymore, which he wrote in the forward. He was listing the reasons why he was interested in Thrive, and he was concerned for the environment. That’s definitely something that he was aware of, and wanted to help instead of hurt.”

More at VegNews.

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Brendan Brazier

Vegan professional triathlete, author of fitness books and creator of the all plant-based nutrition line Vega, Brendan Brazier gave his five tips for eco-friendly eating to the Calgary Herald. Obviously not consuming any animal products is the best advice for sustainable eating, especially considering the amount of land set aside to harvest food just so animals that humans will eventually eat can feed.

“That takes up a lot of land and a lot of minerals from the soil to feed the animals,” Brazier said.

But even as a vegetarian or vegan, there are further steps you can take to lighten your carbon footprint.

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Vegan athlete Brendan Brazier has taken to CrazySexyLife to talk about us being unbalanced!

That is, the average American consumes too high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids and not enough omega-3s, as reported by a World Health Organization finding.

Some believe the shift in eating more processed foods that are rich in the omega-6 acids, but also refined oils and manufactured fats designed to protect shelf life,  may be responsible for the ratio, and recommend supplementing with omega-3 for balance.

According to nutrition guru Dr. Weil, this imbalance may be linked to depression, obesity, hyperactivity and even violence. We need to stop building prisons and provide funding for omega-3 in criminals’ diets. A British study found that violence in prison dropped by 37% after omega-3 oils and supplements were added to the prisoners’ diets.

Brazier believes supplementing is like taking vitamins without ever eating a vegetable and the best way to cure the imbalance is to eat a well rounded diet.

“Taking into account the WHO’s findings on the ideal ratio, those of us who eat a diet that does not regularly contain large amounts of high-temperature fried foods, hydrogenated fats (such as those found in some margarines) or trans fats have no reason to use supplements with a greater ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. It’s just not necessary. If, however, a large part of your diet consists of denatured fats, fried foods and manufactured oils…stop eating them!”

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Brendan Brazier, a vegan athlete and author who created his own line of vegan energy bars and drinks, recently interviewed with Media Bistro’s Morning Media Menu show, where he discussed his idea to write a book, being vegan and his contributions to Moby‘s collection of essays, Gristle.

“In 2004, I wrote and self published a short book about my nutrition plan. I had been racing Iron Man triathlons professionally for seven years–eating a completely vegan diet. I was getting asked all the time where I got my protein, my calcium, my iron, and all these things. It came out in 2004, and did better than I expected. I expanded it and it was published by Penguin Canada.”

Listen below to hear the entire interview.

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Triathlete, author and food entrepreneur Brendan Brazier has been a vegan since the age of 15.

Although his first attempts to follow the diet didn’t work out (too many refined carbohydrates), he eventually found a way to eat to sustain energy without meat and dairy products.

A few highlights from hlifemedia on how he did it.

On his typical salad:
“Different types of lettuce, kale, sometimes a bit of nutritional yeast, different types of seaweed like dulse, a good dressing made up of apple cider vinegar and Vega oil. Also, usually avocado, different sprouted things, carrots, beets, sometimes cucumber.”

How he gets his protein:
“I think quality is way more important than quantity. I’m 165 lbs, so I should, according to a conventional sports-nutrition book, eat about 165 grams of protein a day – and I don’t eat half that. The protein I get is from leafy greens, which is about 45% protein, pretty high, and hemp, a natural source of protein, as well as lentils, legumes, beans, peas, so it’s about quality. I get probably about 70 grams a day.”

On how to put coconut oil to use:
“Coconut oil has medium-chain triglycerides. So it’s a type of fat and it acts more like a carbohydrate than a fat, and it goes to your liver, gives you energy straight away. I often put coconut oil on dates and have that right before a workout – it’s just quick, simple energy. I use it as part of some of my recipes too in Thrive. It’s in Vega Sport, too, in powder form.”

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