Are you a Vegetarian?

[lostintime]

Can you quantify any improvements in your health? Has your cycling improved? For example when I dropped meat from my diet my times for various events continued to improve so I was happy that I wasn't causing any harm.

Just to be upfront ... I no longer ride competitively. The first things I noticed was more endurance, and with that came much less muscle fatigue the day after. I feel ready to ride every morning, even after riding hilly rides the day before. In the past, I needed a mellow ride to recover from harder rides. I can rides hills a little better too, stay seated and spin in the same gear I needed to stand in before.

Circulation. Huge improvement. I live in a cold US climate. I've always had poor circulation. Cold hands especially, despite wearing mountaineering mitts. I used to forgo riding in the cold(20-30 degrees F, because of this. This winter... totally different. My hands are now sweating in the mitts, I often have to take them off for short periods. Even after chilling them like that.... they warm right back up. The days I just hike when it snows .... I can't wear the same coats I used to because they're too warm, and I don't need the lined pants anymore either.

During the day.... no more after eating tiredness. No afternoon sleepies. I have better mental clarity and ability to think. I can't quantify that in a number, but it's a big difference. I sleep deeper and longer at night too.

I just feel good all the time, a feeling of well being. The crap of everyday life that used to bother me so quickly, doesn't . I can't say fruit has done all of this , because I've worked really hard to let go of all the crap that no longer serves me before I started eating so much of it. The fruit eating has just accelerated it.

The downsides aren't really anything. Peeing every 2 hours and less sometimes can be inconvenient, as is 4-5 bowel movements a day(completely effortless though) Learning to manage all the fruit in various stages of ripening can be challenging. Grocers are fun ... " hey man ... what are you doin' with all this fruit?" Always fun conversations from it!

All this is just my experience.... I can't say it would work for everyone as it did me. I would think anyone that tried it will improve somehow... you can't predict it. I know the social aspect of eating mostly fruit can be challenging. But, I think even eating lots of cooked carbs would offer some improvement too. I do still eat cooked yams every now and then, cause I dig 'em . We don't have to be super strict about it. It may help more to eat more fruit, but not everyone has the freedom to make such changes in a family, and it can challenge many personal beliefs. . You may find though, a change in you, sparks interest in those around you! Who doesn't want to feel great? The more the merrier.

 

[stephens]

I think we all acknowledge that fruits are good for us and that all that sugar makes us feel good.

I suspect that in any "fringe" lifestyle-diet, there is quite a bit of success that comes from simply having a plan and following it. We don't feel well mentally when we just plod along aimlessly. We do much better as people when we believe in something and how it will work for us and how we are going to get better and feel better. (that's why when you study something's effectiveness, you have to do double-blind so that no one involved knows who has gotten the substance and who is getting the placebo).

This general sense of thriving and well being can be found in just about anyone who has made a commitment to a lifestyle choice (or has fallen in love). The success is even stronger if the system they are using carries with it a certain cultural baggage and belief system, for example, veganism, martial arts, or religion that can reinforce the system.

But just as a christian can thrive despite the fact that what he believes in is fantasy and no god exists to really help him, people can make themselves feel great eating just about any reasonable diet as long as they believe that it is going to work for them. (the low carb diet is probably an exception: damn, people get hella cranky without enough carbs, ha!).

 

[craig1985]

It's not that they are sooo bad . ... I mean , they just are not really that great of food. Now ... people will always counter argue that... I accept that ... because to challenge a long standing tradition of eating refined foods will be met with strong opposition. Everything needs to be challenged, or else we have nutritional dogma.

I accept people for who they are , but at the same time, when I have experienced something that has worked for me and many others, I am at times drawn to speak about it.

Like I said, yes, people live long lives on refined foods. They do great things. At the same time ... what if there was a better way to live ones life? I am dumbfounded by what eating fruit has done not just for my body, but my whole life. I was drawn to try this, because I was dissatisfied with just getting by in life. This is entirely personal of course, so I offer no judgments of others for their choices. But... if no one speaks up and says hey. . . this has helped me change my life for the better! ... heck ... we'd go nowhere as a people in general. yes?

I noticed Craig ... you said "I seemed to survive all right." Is that not telling ? would you rather survive... or thrive, if it was possible? No judgments here brother, just observations. I recognize I can never know your life , and how you are to live it. I don't know if or what eating more fruit would do for you, but you have nothing to lose, but opportunity, yes?

Sorry, that was some lazy posting on my part, a long day at work, and having to do some crappy housework does that do you

But I'm interested about bread, jam etc., is that I'm certain Harley said it wasn't a bad thing to eat, especially for long rides, and the day I did meet him at a race, I was eating a bread roll with jam, and a banana, and he seemed to think I wouldn't have too many problems, indeed I didn't, the break I was driving nearly stayed away as well. I would be greatly interested in what Harley eats on a day-to-day basis, when training, having time off, at social gathering etc.

Out of interest LNT, when you went vegan, what has grocery bill been like each week compared to when you weren't vegan?

 

[lostintime]

Sorry, that was some lazy posting on my part, a long day at work, and having to do some crappy housework does that do you

But I'm interested about bread, jam etc., is that I'm certain Harley said it wasn't a bad thing to eat, especially for long rides, and the day I did meet him at a race, I was eating a bread roll with jam, and a banana, and he seemed to think I wouldn't have too many problems, indeed I didn't, the break I was driving nearly stayed away as well. I would be greatly interested in what Harley eats on a day-to-day basis, when training, having time off, at social gathering etc.

Out of interest LNT, when you went vegan, what has grocery bill been like each week compared to when you weren't vegan?

I'm sure Harley will be around sometime soon . He says he eats mostly fruit these days, but I'm sure you want to hear it from him.

Grocery bill .... since I've not really noticed any difference . . it's about the same. Now that I don't by all those bottled things.... like spices, oils, etc.... all that adds a lot to a food bill. I'm buying fruit, celery, seedless cucumbers, and deep green lettuces.. and some raw Brazil buts. I'm good at shopping for the lowest prices, so It's all good. You gotta think too of the health benefits. What cost do we put on those long term? Priceless.


And Yes... this is "fringe" eating at if finest. We must remember what the fringe is. Outside of the mainstream. Who says the mainstream is any more valuable than the fringe? If the Earth didn't have an Ozone layer(the fringe) we'd all be dead. If we all ate the same, we'd be dead too. The Earth being round was waaaay fringe at the time. The social norms of the day are based largely on fear and conformity. If no one dared to challenge these fears and no longer conform ... we'd all still be in the prison of the same beliefs.

 

[stephens]

Sure, as long as you realize that it's very rare for a fringe theory to actually turn out to be better than what had been previously accepted. There are millions of crack pot theories for every one that turns out to be true. Is the all-fruit diet one in a million? Could be... but you can't cherry pick success stories and say "it's like that one (round earth theory)," when odds are it's more likely to be like the hollow earth theory.

 

[craig1985]

I'm sure Harley will be around sometime soon . He says he eats mostly fruit these days, but I'm sure you want to hear it from him.

Grocery bill .... since I've not really noticed any difference . . it's about the same. Now that I don't by all those bottled things.... like spices, oils, etc.... all that adds a lot to a food bill. I'm buying fruit, celery, seedless cucumbers, and deep green lettuces.. and some raw Brazil buts. I'm good at shopping for the lowest prices, so It's all good. You gotta think too of the health benefits. What cost do we put on those long term? Priceless.


And Yes... this is "fringe" eating at if finest. We must remember what the fringe is. Outside of the mainstream. Who says the mainstream is any more valuable than the fringe? If the Earth didn't have an Ozone layer(the fringe) we'd all be dead. If we all ate the same, we'd be dead too. The Earth being round was waaaay fringe at the time. The social norms of the day are based largely on fear and conformity. If no one dared to challenge these fears and no longer conform ... we'd all still be in the prison of the same beliefs.

I've been looking at websites like this one http://allrecipes.com.au/recipes/vegan-recipes.aspx, and this one http://www.veganchef.com/, so I've been curious at what you eat each day, and what it does for you. Now obviously some of those meals wouldn't be appropriate to eat the night before a race, or a hard day on the bike etc., but looks like there is enough variety in the vegan diet, and TBH, if I ever decide to go vegan, that is what I want, and you might be different, plenty of variety as I frankly I can't stand eating the same thing day after day.

So LNT, how have your family and friends been like when you started eating vegan, and have you been invited to any social gatherings (like dinners) etc., and if so, what your experiences been like?

 

[lostintime]

Friends and family know I'm eclectic, so they readily accept whatever I do. I'm okay with it... so they're okay with it. If not .... it's okay too.

We can't please anyone.... in truth. We please ourselves with our own beliefs of whatever we take in from our own perceptions of "life".

If I really lost you there. . .don't worry about, I won't worry about it . . . And I mean that with the greatest honor I can bestow a fellow human.

 

[durianrider]

I endorse starches and grains but endorse fruit more. End of the day its about eating 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day from your fav sources. For me that means a kg of dates on average a day and/or other fruits from literally hundreds of different varieties.

I like dates cos they are always ripe, always around, always consistent and always tasty. I buy the organic Californian Medjool ones from the wholesaler. They come in 5kg boxes and you can get em world wide. I blend em up with water like in this vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xSUtRN9YX0

I leave at least 3 hours before a race and my last fruit meal. That lets you have max blood flow to the legs vs being stuck in the stomach. Animal product consumption diverts the most blood out of any food humans eat. This is another reason why the athlete on the same drugs, carbs, training, cash, motivation, coaching, calories etc will 100% of the time perform better on a vegan lifestyle.

I take 4 dates per hour during races lasting over 1hr. I drink 1 bidon per hour on average. I always drink enough so Im ****ing clear. I eat the 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day so I can CONTINUE to live the lean, strong, fit and healthy lifestyle. Cutting back on carbs means we cut back on glycogen and we cut out ability to burn fat and increase our chances of eating fatty, greasy crap that really slaps on the body blubber.

Nobody gets fat from rice.
Nobody gets fat from fruit.
Everybody stores fat from eating animal fat.

In 2011 the stereotype for a vegan athlete is someone that is anti dope, pro consciousness, pro peace, pro fun, pro health and anti mouth breathing redneck.

I guess thats why David Zabriske is a vegan then.

 

[craig1985]

So therefore I should aim for 770g of carbs a day? (I'm about 77kg at the moment)

 

[runninboy]

I endorse starches and grains but endorse fruit more. End of the day its about eating 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day from your fav sources. For me that means a kg of dates on average a day and/or other fruits from literally hundreds of different varieties.

I like dates cos they are always ripe, always around, always consistent and always tasty. I buy the organic Californian Medjool ones from the wholesaler. They come in 5kg boxes and you can get em world wide. I blend em up with water like in this vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xSUtRN9YX0

I leave at least 3 hours before a race and my last fruit meal. That lets you have max blood flow to the legs vs being stuck in the stomach. Animal product consumption diverts the most blood out of any food humans eat. This is another reason why the athlete on the same drugs, carbs, training, cash, motivation, coaching, calories etc will 100% of the time perform better on a vegan lifestyle.

I take 4 dates per hour during races lasting over 1hr. I drink 1 bidon per hour on average. I always drink enough so Im ****ing clear. I eat the 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day so I can CONTINUE to live the lean, strong, fit and healthy lifestyle. Cutting back on carbs means we cut back on glycogen and we cut out ability to burn fat and increase our chances of eating fatty, greasy crap that really slaps on the body blubber.

Nobody gets fat from rice.
Nobody gets fat from fruit.
Everybody stores fat from eating animal fat.

In 2011 the stereotype for a vegan athlete is someone that is anti dope, pro consciousness, pro peace, pro fun, pro health and anti mouth breathing redneck.

I guess thats why David Zabriske is a vegan then.

You make good points but then destroy it with hyperbole.
If you eat rice & fruit exclusively you would eventually have very high blood sugar which would eventually lead to weight gain
and i had an uncle, almost exclusively lived on meat, was very skinny was about 5 10 weighed well under 120lbs i am sure his body fat percentage was extremley low.
When you make broad generalizations to back up your view it really affects credibility.
Nice to also throw out some name calling as well, i take pride in being a redneck, because the term was originally coined for people who work outside doing physical labour all day. a cowboy isnt a redneck because he has a wide brim all around. A farm wears a seed corn hat which doesn;t shade his neck. Hence redneck.However most cyclists as far as i know are rednecks due to long hours in the sun, including David Zabriskie.
SO please explain to me with a little more definition, exactly who are you referring to when you use the bigotted term redneck?
Or is it because you are a vegan you are allowed to be a biggot?
Just wondering....

 

[oldborn]

Can i put sticker "Proud to Be a Redneck" on my new Colnago bike?
Just asking because i am not familiar with definition.

 

[lostintime]

We all might be a redneck if .....
http://www.fortogden.com/foredneck.html . . take the quiz.

 

[oldborn]

We all might be a redneck if .....
http://www.fortogden.com/foredneck.html . . take the quiz.

Well i am then, cos it is purely enigmatic category
I love this one "Your house still has the "WIDE LOAD" sign on the back"
Why the hell are you moving your houses?

 

[Polyarmour]

i had an uncle, almost exclusively lived on meat, was very skinny was about 5 10 weighed well under 120lbs i am sure his body fat percentage was extremley low.

That's not at all surprising, another version of it was called the Atkins diet. Your body runs on carbs, if you don't get enough you lose weight no question.

By the way your definitions of redneck are entirely your own. Do a Google Image search on the word redneck and come back and tell us which one resembles you the best. ;-)

 

[lostintime]

Well i am then, cos it is purely enigmatic category
I love this one "Your house still has the "WIDE LOAD" sign on the back"

or .... you've ever referred to your girlfriend/wife's rear as a "wide load" . . . you're surely a redneck

 

[Boeing]

or .... you've ever referred to your girlfriend/wife's rear as a "wide load" . . . you're surely a redneck

that would be Double wide and dangerous to you mate!

 

[Rip:30]

Animal product consumption diverts the most blood out of any food humans eat.

Nobody gets fat from rice.
Nobody gets fat from fruit.
Everybody stores fat from eating animal fat.

It's amazing what people will believe.

 

[oldborn]

By the way your definitions of redneck are entirely your own. Do a Google Image search on the word redneck and come back and tell us which one resembles you the best. ;-)

That s hurts.
Poly i am becoming moderator on CN for SE Europe, North Africa and Tasmania, so be careful next time.

Lostintime i start to questioning myself about how i treat my wife

Boing i am flying with Genitalia flight No.4378 from Rome, wait me on LAX

 

[Polyarmour]

That s hurts.
Poly i am becoming moderator on CN for SE Europe, North Africa and Tasmania, so be careful next time.

Lostintime i start to questioning myself about how i treat my wife

Boing i am flying with Genitalia flight No.4378 from Rome, wait me on LAX

A moderator really? Well now you will always be right instead of always wrong . Next time someone disagrees with you about weights, suspend them for two days.

 

[oldborn]

A moderator really? Well now you will always be right instead of always wrong . Next time someone disagrees with you about weights, suspend them for two days.

You vegans really knows how to hurt people. Shame on you.
You have a warning, do not tell me that i did not gave you another chance

Poly you are a vegan or vegetarian wright? What do you think, does people becomes vegans more or less these days when depression and Wall Street guys take their toll?

I mean hear it is not cheap at all to be a vegan, but you can allways had well fed couple of nice pink pigs instead.

So EU birocracy issued some really stupid law about human killing of those pigs, instead of knife small farmers must use some kind of sleeping pills first and then.... i do not know further details.
Anyway result is same.

 

[Polyarmour]

You vegans really knows how to hurt people. Shame on you.
You have a warning, do not tell me that i did not gave you another chance

Poly you are a vegan or vegetarian wright? What do you think, does people becomes vegans more or less these days when depression and Wall Street guys take their toll?

I mean hear it is not cheap at all to be a vegan, but you can allways had well fed couple of nice pink pigs instead.

So EU birocracy issued some really stupid law about human killing of those pigs, instead of knife small farmers must use some kind of sleeping pills first and then.... i do not know further details.
Anyway result is same.

Not another moderator warning!! I had my first suspension the other day for daring to argue with one of them. Just don't let the fame go to your head and you'll be fine, . Actually I think it's much cheaper to be vegan than a meat eater, most fruit and vegetables I buy are between $1.50-$5.00/kg, whereas most meat is $10/kg++. I started out vegetarian but at this point I follow a vegan diet. Seems to work for me.

I worked on the design of a pig abbatoir once. The pigs had to be gassed in an enclosed chamber with CO2 to knock them out, but not kill them, then they were hung upside down and had their throats slit. It was important that their hearts were still pumping though.. to get rid of the blood.

You know vegetarians have just had a famous cyclist added to their ranks?

One thing Contador could confirm however, was his impending vegetarianism.

"One thing is clear - I am not going to ingest any more meat," he said

 

[oldborn]

No problemos Dude, just joking, Here fruit and vegatables are still cheaper than meat if you look per kg, but if you can eat one kg of meat for days, and you still need a couple of kg fruits per day.
Those farms look a like concentration camps these days.

That skinny legs Spanish *** with vegan diet is history Dude

 

[Boeing]

Mike Tyson Credits Vegan Diet With Massive 130 Pound Weight Loss

 

[yourwelcome]

Probably somebody's already pointed this out, but one great performance benefit of eating a mainly/completely vegetarian diet for those of us over 30 is the ability to enjoy a few drinks with dinner during winter without instantly growing a beer/wine gut.

But admittedly I basically don't eat meat for ethical reasons, the health benefits are a welcome bonus, very much so in the above case.

 

[Elagabalus]

I guess (after 39 pages) I should mention that Hitler* was a vegetarian!!




*Yes! THAT Hitler ...