Brendan Brazier - Thrive Energy Cookbook: 150 Plant-Based Whole Food Recipes

PRAISE FOR BRENDAN BRAZIER Thrive Energy Cookbook is a must-have for gourmets and athletes alike. Sean Hyson, C.S.C.S., Group Training Director for Mens Fitness and Muscle & Fitness magazines When world-class athletes want to get even better, Brendan is the man who gets the call. Brendon Burchard, New York Times bestselling author of The Charge As our head of nutrition, Brendans implementation of purpose-driven nutrition has allowed our pro cycling team to meet the demands of grueling training better than ever before. Matt Johnson, President of Garmin-Sharp Pro Cycling Team and founder of The Feed Brendans commitment to the study of plant-based nutrition and research makes for a wonderful cookbook. Joe Hogarty, Baltimore Orioles strength and conditioning coach Brendans systematic approach to performance plant-based nutrition has helped me to reduce inflammation, speed my recovery, and has boosted my overall performance. The recipes are delicious! Mike Zigomanis, NHL player and member of the 2009 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins This guide is what your plant-based kitchen is missing.

Youre going to feel better, and youre going to enjoy every bite. Oh, and in case you were wondering: Youre not going to miss the meat. Angela Haupt, senior editor, U.S. News & World ReportThrive Foods offers a diet thats good for you and the planet. The Washington Post Thrive focuses on vegan foods that help fuel your way to uber athleticism. CNN Copyright 2014 by Brendan Brazier Photos by Kevin Clark All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information, address Da Capo Press, 44 Farnsworth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02210 Cataloging-in-Publication data for this book is available from the Library of Congress. First Da Capo Press edition 2014 Thrive Energy Cookbook: 150 Functional, Plant-Based Whole Food Recipes was originally published in 2014 by the Penguin Group (Canada). This edition is published by arrangement with the Penguin Group (Canada). ISBN: 978-0-7382-1741-3 (e-book) Library of Congress Control Number: 2013957210 Published by Da Capo Press A Member of the Perseus Books Group www.dacapopress.com Note: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. This book is intended only as an informative guide for those wishing to know more about health issues.

In no way is this book intended to replace, countermand, or conflict with the advice given to you by your own physician. The ultimate decision concerning care should be made between you and your doctor. We strongly recommend you follow his or her advice. Information in this book is general and is offered with no guarantees on the part of the authors or Da Capo Press. The authors and publisher disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations.

For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail . 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To my Grandma, Helen Brazier, who led by example. Seen here in 1942, cycling over Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. ALSO BY BRENDAN BRAZIER Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health Thrive Fitness: The Vegan-Based Training Program for Maximum Strength, Health, and Fitness Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life CONTENTS What follows is a brief overview of my approach to clean, plant-based nutrition that I introduced in my first book, The Thrive Diet. I intend it to serve as a quick refresher if you are already eating the Thrive way.

However, if you are eating a traditional North American diet and aim to revamp it, or even just fine-tune your already solid nutrition plan, this section can serve as your introduction to my Thrive philosophy: plant-based, whole food, high-net-gain, and alkaline-forming, without creating biological debt. If youd like to delve deeper into these topics, you may want to consider reading The Thrive Diet. It expands on these subjects in great detail. When I was fifteen and beginning to train for triathlon, it took hundreds of thousands of swim strokes, pedal rotations, and running strides before I could even begin to race Ironman. I didnt put in much mental effort. I simply went out and swam, cycled, and ran.

It was a basic, haphazard approach, but it workedI got better. Yet I noticed that as I continued to improve over the years, my rate of improvement slowed. It became clear to me that my workouts needed to be better targeted to what I was trying to achieve. They had to have purpose. So I developed a systematic training program. I approached my workouts with purpose and intent for each session.

I had a specific goal for every workout, with regard to both what I intended to put into it and what I wanted to get in return. And it worked. My routines yielded quicker gains. I continued to improve, but this time, the rate at which the gains came stayed steady. This was a breakthrough for me. I realized that purpose and intent in all energy expended return a greater level of fitness than I could ever have imagined.

I began looking at other aspects of my program with the same critical eye. Was there purpose and intent in all aspects of my training? I saw clearly that there wasnt. And, as I now shrewdly realized, that lack directly translated into a loss of potential. With this purpose-and-intent mindset now firmly ingrained, I began evaluating what I ate. I considered how my diet affected my training and whether it was mindful eating. When I ate something, what did I hope to get in return? Was it more energy? Was it inflammation reduction? Was it greater rate of recovery? Was it going to affect my ability to get a deep, restorative sleep? Was it going to help me build lean, functional muscle? If I didnt know why I was eatingother than because I was hungryI asked myself, what gain is this going to give me, and is that what I need right now? Could I make a better choice that would further my progress more quickly? For example, some foods are best eaten as fuel, before a workout, while others are ideally consumed immediately after a workout to help along the recovery process and rebuild what the exercise broke down.