Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life
Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life
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).
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars A must have for the health concious athlete
I have had this book for two weeks and have shared information from it with many of my friends. I like the recipes for electrolyte and recovery drinks from scratch and look forward to the energy bars and gels as well. The first four chapters have good information about nutrition. I like the assortment of raw recipes, the almond flaxseed burger is delicious cooked or raw. I found the section about soaking and sprouting seeds, nuts and legumes very helpful. I was all ready a vegan, but this book has changed my life by adding more raw, nutritious energy packed foods into my diet. I can feel the difference especially when I am cycling or hiking. I gave it 4 stars because the 12 week meal plan looks like it will take a lot of make ahead planning and an extensive grocery list.
4 Stars Healthy Advice
I used to be a vegetarian and gave it up for reasons I am still trying to work out (though one is that I like to eat meat). After gaining 20 pounds and a high cholesterol problem (at 24 no less!), however, I have been looking for healthy, realistic and affordable ways to become healthy again. Though the plan laid out in this book is certainly healthy, it is not exactly the very definition of affordable. That being said, it is not the author’s fault that we live in a world where a meal at McDonald’s is often (though certainly not always) cheaper than a home-cooked vegan meal. In addition, the author does make note that while good quality ingredients cost more to begin with, the health benefits outwiegh the wallet pinch (the idea being you’ll spend more later in life on medicines that only treat sympotoms of debilitating diseases rather than the causes, and eating well will prevent a myriad of these diseases). I was already leaning in the vegetarian/vegan direction when I discovered this book and was surprised when I tried a pizza recipe and loved it (so did my meat-loving boyfriend). I was so impressed at how great I felt after following his plan for a few days, that I bought his exercise book, which I have already picked through a bit (note: though this is not a review of that particular book, I would highly recommend it). In addition, once you get the hang of it, the recipes are effortless, easy and quick to prepare, and delicious. I recommend this book to anyone interested in alternative, concise, and healthy ways to feed their bodies so they can live long and happy lives.
4 Stars Good Information, not well organized
I bought this book looking for some ideas on how to improve my way of eating. I am an aquatic and equine athlete who is older and trying to come back from severe auto-immune and fibromyalgia. I eat raw foods often and juice because I feel better when I do.
The book is full of wonderful information. The recipes are quite good and some of the author’s ideas are practical and useful. He includes sports gels that are brilliant because of the healthy ingredients, unlike the commercial ones full of maltodextrin and sugars and dyes.
I only left off one star because I feel like the recipes could have better organized and indexed. Some groups of recipes has a lengthy explanation before them which would have been better served by writing about the ingredients in a chapter beforehand. Visual layout is not easy to use, I feel confused when I use the book to find recipes
Some reviewers complain about the cost of these recommended foods and ingredients, but that is not the fault of the author. Eating well costs alot and you can spend it there or at the pharmacy and doctors later when you fall ill.
5 Stars Must read for athletes
Great nutrition plan for athletes. You can build with this plan. Great info for everyone.
4 Stars Not an athlete or a true vegan, still found book helpful
I think I originally bought this book because I was amazed that an athlete could be a vegan, but was skeptical as I did not want as many calories in a diet as a full time athlete would consume. I found the diet plan somewhat hard to follow for a new vegan, but the concept of how food and the way we digest it can be a form of added stress was very interesting and informative. I am hooked on the smoothies, this alone was worth the book- with in a few days I felt more energized, had fewer allergies and better mental clarity. I have tried a few of the other recipes and the buckwheat pancakes were the best- the pancakes with yam were too long to make and never formed into pancakes- burgers had the same problem- there are vegan burgers at the store from a company called just good energy- [...] that take the place of making my own. Overall I really enjoyed the book and found it a new and exciting reference for total body health.
Filed under: Weight Loss Book Reviews
