February 14, 2010
(last updated May 17, 2014) 
Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope you’re having nice celebrations.
So I think it’s pretty clear by now that the majority of Choosing Raw readers are ladies. This is no surprise, given the food blog world demographics. And it’s nice for me, because I can often address some of the women’s issues—birth control, for instance—that are near and dear to my heart, along with others—such as eating disorders, body image, and peer pressure—that impact both genders, but affect women more prevalently.
That said, I have a solid and awesome male readership (wassup, Ian!) and I love to open up the conversations on the blog so that they’re of interest to men and women alike. In addition, I have a bunch of wonderful male clients, and I like to keep them reading, too!
I notice one big difference between my male and female clients. Women are mostly concerned with how proper nutrition will make them feel: how will their digestion improve? How will their energy levels increase? How will their relationship with eating and body image shift? How can they foster feelings of pride and enthusiasm for the foods they eat? My male clients, on the other hand, are interested in what proper nutrition will enable them to do. How will it boost their athletic performance? How will it help to transform their bodies? Will increased energy help them to function better at work, and accomplish more? Can it get them dates?
The answer is, of course, that proper nutrition can and will do all of these things. It’s not unusual for my male clients to ask me for evidence of that promise over the course of our first few sessions. They want guarantees that, if they’re willing to clean up some of their nasty little habits (fast food, drinking too much, too much red meat, or—for the gym rats—junky soy protein powders and brick-like meal replacement bars), they’ll see results. So what guarantee can I give them?
I give them Brendan Brazier. Which is to say that I nearly always give my male clients—especially the very athletic male clients—Xeroxes from Brendan’s first book, The Thrive Diet. I consider it one of the definitive books on vegan athletic performance, and it answers (better than I can or do!) some of my clients’ most burning questions about the vegan diet for athletes. Calcium, protein, iron, stress, recovery? The answers are all in there, in simple, well researched, and authoritative language. Brendan has a knack for making such complex concepts as acidity/alkalinity, athletic recovery, and adrenal fatigue feel comprehensible and clear. Best of all, he speaks from experience, from the vantage point of a professional ironman triathlete who has been fueling with a 100% plant based diet for over a decade now. Just as my own experience with raw and vegan foods can often help to inspire my female clients directly, Brendan’s lifestyle and achievement is an inspiration to my male clients. And he is, of course, an inspiration to athletes everywhere—male, female, vegan, or omni.
The cornerstone of Brendan’s advice is this: reduce bodily stress by optimizing diet. Reducing stress will, in turn, shorten and maximize recovery time. Brendan noted early in his career that recovery was an oft-ignored, but significant component of athletic performance–more, even, than the training process. Shorter recovery times mean more prolific and higher quality athletic output. Brendan began research the benefits of a plant based diet in depth, and what he found was that eating a diet that maximized alkalinity and minimized stress (stress to the adrenal system, the liver, and the kidneys) was likely to minimize recovery time. This diet, he concluded, was 100% plant based, with a focus on raw foods, along with ancient grains and legumes.
Sound familiar? 🙂
Adopting this diet has allowed Brendan to maximize his own athletic performance, and it has inspired him to help others. Since The Thrive Diet was published, Brendan launched his now famous Vega brand: drink infusions and bars that are 100% whole foods and plant based. Many bloggers have blogged about them already. I had my first introduction to them this month, when I was offered the chance to sample some of Brendan’s new Vega whole foods Vibrancy Bars. These—to quote from the Vega site–are:
“…a unique and utterly delicious blend of all-natural, raw, organic, and enzymatically-active plant-based superfoods including sprouted buckwheat, sprouted almonds, acai, Salba and hemp seeds.
Unlike any other bar on the market, Vibrance bars maintain a taste of guilty pleasure while also being vegan, gluten-free, sprouted, alkaline-forming, and rich in Omega 3, antioxidants and phytonutrients…Clean and green, Vibrancy bars contain no refined sugars, oils, gluten or soy and are GMO and pesticide-free. Decadent and delicious, Vibrance bars are available in Chocolate Decadence, Green Synergy, and Wholesome Original!”
More on these below!
Since Brendan has been such a personal inspiration to me, I asked whether or not he might be willing to answer a few questions about his experience and his nutritional philosophy with my readers. And, much to my delight, he graciously said yes! So it’s with great excitement that I present a short Q & A with bestselling author, ironman triathlete, and environmentalist Brendan Brazier.
1) Welcome, Brendan! Let’s start at the beginning. How did your fascination with vegan and raw nutrition begin?
Well, I guess it began in 1990, when I was in 10th grade. I liked running and swimming and biking and wanted to do it as a career. I was constantly looking for ways to improve. What I noticed was that the top training programs didn’t differ much from most regular programs. And those programs didn’t really differ much from one to the next. This led me to suspect—though it would become clearer later on—that recovery was more decisive than training in boosting athletic performance. And I quickly realized that recovery was all about nutrition. So I understood the value of recovery at the beginning of my career, and that has made a huge difference for me.
Of course, this didn’t all come together for me right away. Like most athletes, I tried a bunch of popular regimes at the beginning: high carb, low carb, high protein. I even tried a plant based approach, but it didn’t work at first. I was always tired. My coach (this was in 1990) was a great coach, but he didn’t understand the connection between nutrition and performance, and he was dubious about vegetarianism. So I became proactive, and I took a good look at my diet, determined to clean it up and also see what I was lacking.
Well, it turned out I was lacking a lot of basic things: protein, B-12, calcium, and iron. I decided to put them in a blended drink after my workouts; it seemed like an easy and efficient way to do it. I added pumpkin seeds, for example, and my iron levels immediately shot up. The whole experience—adding whole foods to a blended drink—planted the seed and the habit that later that became Vega.
2) It’s definitely not an unusual experience for a new vegan to find that he or she hasn’t quite mastered the art of getting enough dietary variety, balance, and nourishment. Tell us more about what you were low on, and how you remedied it.
Well, iron was the main thing. But again, when I started adding ¼ cup soaked pumpkin seeds to my smoothies, my iron issues disappeared. Today, I’m also sure to frequently eat greens with citrus, because Vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron. This means big salads with citrus dressing!
3) Talk to me about calcium.
Well as you know, the problem is that we’re losing calcium, not that we need to ingest more and more of it. High acid foods force our bodies to leach calcium from our bones. So what we really need to do is increase our alkalinity. But what I did to boost calcium through food was to add unhulled sesame seeds to my blended drinks, and it worked really well.
4) I find it interesting that all our national conversation about athletics is all about training or performance—with almost no attention paid to recovery. Can you talk about how you discovered the importance of recovery?
Well, as I said, noting the similarity of various training programs and had a lot to do with the “aha” moment. It must have been recovery, rather than training, that helped to distinguish who excelled.
Really, exercise is nothing more than muscle tissues and cells being broken down. And when you rest, the body grows back stronger — it overcompensates. Good food provides the building blocks for this process. The body pools the resources you take in through food and helps you to grow muscle back. If you eat poor nutrition, cells don’t grow back after athletic strain—they don’t have the resources—or they grow back abnormally (which can proceed to cancer). So although lots of athletes load up on junk food after grueling performance—they figure they can afford to, or that they’ve earned it, now that a competition is over—it’s actually the worst time to eat junk food, because that’s when the body will assimilate most quickly and seriously. If you want to eat junk, fine, but eat it later—not right after a workout, when the body will assimilate it directly, and be less likely to filter it out.
5) How has your athletic performance changed since you went vegan?
Once it started working, I was able to train significantly faster, which meant that I could become professional more quickly. I think my having been able to go professional so fast was a testament to my attention to detail and to good nutrition. I feel like a lot of athletes are overfed and undernourished. They’re getting the total calories they need, but not the enzymes and vitamins and nutrients. They suffer overconsumption and weight gain later on—and all the problems that accompany them.
6) Amazing point, and part of the reason I think calorie counting is such a flawed practice. Many of my athletic clients do, though, get very hyper-concerned about caloric intake. How many calories do athletes really need?
People put so much faith in calories out, calories in. I was doing that for a long time, eating a ton of peanut butter and bread, but they were the highly processed variety, which means that that I was expending so much energy trying to digest them [of course, my readers know that hard-to-digest foods sap us of energy and make us exhausted!]. The net-gain, in other words, was low.
That’s what I wrote about in Thrive—high net gain foods—foods that allow you to expend very little and gain a lot of energy.
After I changed my diet, I was getting far fewer calories than I had before—at least 20-30% less. And I was performing so much better. You would think that more calories would mean more energy, but if that were the case, people eating a ton of McDonalds would have a ton of energy! Today, I eat far fewer calories than the conventional athletic book would dictate. People would never see my age and calorie intake and believe that I maintain the kind of training and athletic regime I do, but again, it’s about net gain, not a calorie in, calorie out abstraction.
7) So this clearly factors into the idea of smoothies and recovery shakes. They’re a ton of nutritional gain with very little expenditure, since they’re all whole foods and they’re blended, to ease digestion…
Right. Here’s what the drinks have going for them:
1) Convenience—they’re quick to make
2) Digestive ease
3) After a workout, blood needs to be in extremities, delivering oxygen and cleaning up lactic acid, so you can’t have it rushing all to your digestive tract to digest heavy food
4) They can add a lot of high quality, plant based protein really easily, as well as variety of foods in one single source
5) You don’t crave things as much, because you’ve gotten all the nourishment you need
7) They provide energy through nourishment, as opposed to stimulation in the form of short term chemicals
8 ) Let’s move on to your incredible understanding of high-raw, vegan foods. You offer, I think, the best, most condensed account of the acid/alkaline balance of any author I’ve read. In fact, I Xerox your chapter on it for new clients! Say a few words about acidity and alkalinity, and how/why they matter.
Well, it sounds complex, but when people hear it, it makes such sense. If your body is acidic from too much caffeine, processed food, toxins, and tough to digest animal proteins, everything suffers, and your body, again, has to leach minerals from your blood to neutralize the acidity. The more alkaline you become, the better. It’s that simple!
9) So here’s a confession: compared to most people in the raw community, I have a fairly skeptical attitude towards “superfoods.” I know that you’re a fan of some of these, but not to the kind of fanatical degree I’ve seen elsewhere. Could you share a bit more about your feelings on superfoods? Which ones do you really support, and why?
Thrive Diet mentions a few of these. Maca, chlorella, spirulina, and rooibos tea—these are the kinds of foods that can really give you a boost. But without the basics—proper diet and lots of greens, etc.—they’re not going to guarantee health.
10) I usually tell my clients and readers that, if you’re eating well, dietary supplements aren’t necessary—with the qualification that many vegans do need B-12 or D3. I know you’ve mentioned before that multivitamins shouldn’t be necessary if you’re eating a varied and plant based diet. But of course, the Vega infusions are supplements of a sort. Can you tell me more about them? What purpose do they serve, and how did you formulate them?
Vega is a fairly faithful replica of what I was making myself when I was fifteen. The vibrancy and energy bars are the same as what I used to prepare at home. I really liked them and they worked for me. The bar recipes are in the book, so people can make them themselves, without too much cost. None of the Vega products are proprietary, and there are no special secrets. My recipes aren’t hard to make. It’s all just food. The same idea goes for the Vega line, and it’s important for people to get that.
The Vega smoothie infusion is really popular. A lot of parents like giving it to their kids because it tastes so good, and it has fiber, so it won’t create a sugar spike. Stable, nice. Several parents have actually said that they thought their kids had behavioral problems, and in fact it was just dietary—usually too much sugar.
The Vega smoothie infusions and whole foods optimizers also have EFA oils. As athletes, you breath more and oxidize quickly, so you need more antioxidants.
Vega sport is a pre-workout drink. It has brown rice protein, herba mate, green tea, trace minerals, naturally occurring caffeine, which preserves muscle glycogen, kombucha, and coconut oil.
As for vitamins, well, I thought I needed them, but I got over that when I stopped taking them, and nothing bad happened. My bloodwork stayed the same, and my health stayed the same. If people want to take supplements, fine, but for people who are looking for alternatives, they can get everything they need through good, conscious food choices.
11) A lot of my male clients who are vegans or vegetarians get skepticism, even teasing, from other men about their diets. Of course, they look and perform better than their doubting friends! Is it hard to be a male vegan athlete, socially? Is it hard within the industry?
I used to get teased, but I don’t anymore. People just see the results. They see the steady improvement, and the ability to train harder. There are a lot of athletes I know who aren’t vegan yet, but they’re close. The culture is really changing. Many used to think they needed to go plant based to perform, but now they also like the taste and the lifestyle, which is an important distinction. They eat the food cause they like it. Every athlete I know now eats no meat, and no dairy.
And by the way, I think really people are really catching on about dairy [I hope so!!]. Frequently when they become vegetarian, dairy consumption goes up, and people immediately don’t feel well.
12) So you think that professional athletic culture is shifting with regards to food, and how people think about food? That makes me really happy to hear! Is this lifestyle gaining traction?
I’m sure I’m a bit skewed, but from what I see, there has been a lot of progress in the last few years. People are open minded and willing to try. And when things work, people stick to it.
And you don’t have to make it complicated! I don’t spend a lot of time preparing food. I think people get the impression that I spend more time doing recipes than I do. When I’m on the road, I spend most of my time eating from the salad bar at Whole Foods, and I make a lot of big salads at home. Not complicated.
13) Final question: what’s the future of Vega, Bredan? Tell us how you plan to see it grow and expand!
More of the same, but keep expanding. Get more good products and messages out there that are going to help people make good choices. I’d like to do a whole sports line: recovery drink, electrolyte drink, gels. I also just started another book, one that will go beyond sports or diet. It’s going to be a food issues book—so it’ll have a lot to say about nutrition, but also the environment, health care, animal rights, and more.
Wow! I can’t wait to read that book. I have to say that what distinguishes Brendan in my mind from other athletes or fitness/lifestyle writers is this: he’s tremendously thoughtful in ways that extend far beyond food and fitness. Brendan isn’t just interested in recipes or meal plans—though he offers readers both—or in workout tips. He envisions being active and eating well as only two parts of a much bigger vision of how we ought to nourish ourselves in this world: consciously, with thought given to the environment and to each other.
I know this, because I had the tremendous pleasure of sitting down with Brendan to lunch two days ago! A phone interview simply didn’t give me enough of a chance to hear about his vision, and luckily for me, Brendan came into NYC for a few days to promote Vega at GNC (um, vegan, whole foods supplements competing with the usual sea of soy, whey, and processed junk? Yes please!!!).
Upon realizing that we are both devotees of Bonobos coconut soup, Brendan and I decided to grab lunch there, where we proceeded to enjoy the soup and giant salads (OK, his salad was slightly more giant than mine).
We chatted about healthcare, the planet, school lunches, the raw community, and the writing/editing life. And what became increasingly clear to me was that Brendan is as much an advocate as he is an athlete. He has a positive vision for changing the planet and the national dialogue about wellness, and he’ll continue to explore and expand this vision in his work. I expect that Brendan’s writing career will—to make a terrible pun—thrive for a long time to come, moving into topics that go far beyond nutrition.
But while we’re thinking about nutrition, let me mention that the Vega bars are really good. Here’s the chocolate and the green vibrancy, both of which I’ve tried:
I love that these are sweet but not too sweet. And I can taste the green, which may be a turnoff to some, but guess what? I’m all over it!! Hardly a surprise. My only issue is that the bars are a little miscombined (buckwheat + nuts/dried fruit), but the amount of buckwheat is minimal enough to be too problematic. I’ve also tried the Vega smoothie infusions, which are delicious! I like them with just a big of almond milk or hemp milk and ice.
OK. I hope you’ve made it this far in a very looooooong post, because a) Brendan is awesome and b) I’m giving away a copy of his new book, Thrive Fitness: The Vegan-Based Training Program for Maximum Strength, Health, and Fitness, along with samples of the new Vega Vibrancy Bars. In order to win, simply comment on this post. Period. And tweet it for a second entry. Winner will be announced next Sunday, Feb. 21st.
And naturally, if you haven’t yet entered to win a Tribest Blender, you really should.
Thanks again, Brendan, for your throughtful interview. You are an inspiration to all of us!!!
xo
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This is why this is my absolute favorite new blog I’ve begun to read lately. You read my mind! I’ve only recently begun to make the transition to a vegan, raw lifestyle and the only slight obstacle in my path is my fiance, whom I live with, who is a cyclist training for the pros. He rides upwards of 30 miles a day, 7 days a week and is convinced there is no way for my food ideas to support his caloric and nutrient intakes at that level. BRILLIANT info and just what I was looking for.
Hoping to win the copy of Thrive but otherwise definitely buying my own copy to bestow upon my fiance!
P.S. I tweeted about the giveaway too!
this looks like a great book for both the athlete and non-athlete. it was also interesting to hear that the fitness world may be becoming more aware of the benefits of a vegetarian diet.
thanks so much for this post. I have a friend who is very athletic and has dabbled in vegetarian and vegan diets, but has been able to get the nutrition she needs to keep up with running. i’ll definitely be passing this along to her!
finally got around to reading his book and i really enjoyed it! can’t wait to incorporate some of the info into my own training 😉
Wonderful interview! Thank you Gena & Brendan!! RAWK ON!!!
Gena,
What an amazing interview! I have such admiration for Brendan. I read his first book and applied his teachings to my running and dancing. I have been dying to read his fitness version and would love a chance to win!
P.S. You’re blog is so addictive — thanks for keeping us continually raw-inspired!
I loved this interview! And I am passing it onto my boyfriend, maybe he will learn a thing or two about vegan nutrition for boys =D
xo
K
Thanks for the awesome interview! I’d love to read his new book!
Sounds like an interesting book! I would love to try those bars! 🙂
What an awesome interview! Thanks so much! I’ll be tweeting the give away as well!
This is a great post! When I’m doing mostly shakes, mostly raw, mostly vegan, I’m sometimes scared to exercise hard. This gives me some motivation to put my gym shoes on. As long as I’m fueling my body: I can do it.
Tweeting also!
Great interview! I’m really enticed by the sound of Brendan’s book, I’d love a copy- I feel like I could relate as I am an athlete. And those bars sound great!
Thanks for the great interview! Those bars look so yummy and I look forward to trying them when I can find them at my local markets.
Thanks for sharing this interview. I am a huge admirer of Brendan’s work and I would really appreciate a copy of his new book!
And I tweeted your giveaway!!!! I mentioned you so you have record 😀
Thanks for the shoutout!!! I would absolutely LOVE to have this book. I have his book saved in my cart on amazon right now actually. I am a runner, and I feel like his book would really be an enlightening read. I have yet to try the vega products, since I’m not such a huge fan of bars/on the go eating, but I think I will have to after your awesome review.
Thank you for this very informative post!! I would love to win the book and learn even more!
Tweeted your giveaway https://twitter.com/the_vegster/status/9142665255
The Vega bars look so great! Awesome interview Gena 🙂
fabulous interview! i bought Thrive back in September, as I was training for a marathon and as my mileage increased, I wanted to make sure I could maintain my raw vegan diet while still getting all the nutrients essential for training and recovery. It was a fabulous read, and very helpful! I would love to read his newest book!
That interview was very interesting, and I’d love to read the book.
Hey Gena,
Thanks so much for posting this interview. I’ve been reading your blog for some time now, and though I’m not a vegan (I’m a vegetarian), this interview has given me a really great perspective on the links between diet, recovery, and exercise. I’m currently training for my first 10k race and this post has given me some really useful tips to help me take my performance to the next level. Thanks again!
What a great interview – thanks for that. Winning that book would be awesome!
The guys just don’t comment Gena! I have a good 5 guy friends (6 including me) who regularly read your blog but don’t post anything on it.
OMG. You just made my day!!!
Thanks for doing this interview! Going to Borders today to check out the Thrive Diet.
I’d love to enter because to the best of my knowledge we don’t have Vega products here in Ireland and I would love to try them! I keep reading about Brendan on blogs but this is the first recent interview I’ve read with him and it was super interesting. Great questions!
Fantastic post Gena, as per normal. I love Brendan’s approach also and so appreciate this interview! I also share his teachings with my male and athlete clients and friends. Thanks for sharing!
Love,
Casey
Loved the interview! Brendan is a fascinating and super intelligent guy, and I love reading about all his nutritional and athletic advice. Thanks!
Great interview. Being a runner, I really enjoyed reading Brendan’s “Thrive Diet”. Thanks!!!!
Absolutely wonderful interview! Brendan is such an inspiration! I am a fan of the Vega powder – great product. Oh how I would LOVE to win this book! Thanks for this awesome giveaway!
I would love to read Brendan Brazier’s new book!
It is really exciting to see someone performing so well on a plant-based diet. I was an avid athlete until a shoulder injury set me back for a few years. I was never a runner but was limited to doing only that. Since transitioning to mostly raw I CAN RUN! It is amazing!
I have more energy and stamina in an injured state than I ever did when I was at the peak of my performance uninjured! I’m getting all healed up now and can’t wait to get back into the game. Would love to have Brendan’s book to help me out in doing so!
I tweeted too 🙂 Great information in this post!!
I’ve heard a lot about this book, but reading this interview makes me really want to read it!
Fabulous interview! I’d love to win a copy of his book. I admire Brendan and love the products (esp Vega hemp protein powder, which I use all the time), but I’m concerned that he’d say vegans can get ALL their nutrients by eating a balanced diet. As far as I know, people can only really acquire Vitamin B12 (well, at least one that’s bioavailable) through animal products or supplements–unless he’s assuming we’re eating enriched foods like soymilk with added B12?
I think that’s what he means, Ricki, yes!
I have found that his book Thrive is one of the most useful raw-transition books out there. It’s simple in concept and the recipes, for the most part, are easy and tasty. I plan to try his pre-workout drink as I train for a 1/2 marathon. If anyone out there is using it already – I’d love to hear about it. Thanks.
This interview was really great! I would love to read Brendan’s new book!
I have been re-reading Thrive on/off for the past few weeks and every time I read it I find something new to highlight– I just love it so much. Oh, and I made Brendan’s popped amaranth which is so delicious! Would it be inappropriate to say that you guys would make a cute couple? Haha, because it’s kind of true.
Heather. Please. Have you met me? Nothing is inappropriate on my site — except for nastiness or vegan-bashing. And thanks for the compliment 🙂
OMG! That is so awesome that you had a lunch interview with Brendan Brazier! I have his Thrive Diet book and would love to read his new book. I really enjoyed the interview. Thank you for it!
wow this looks great! as a college athlete, i would love to read both his books!
What a wonderful interview! And such graet advice for other runners like me 🙂
I would love to read this book!
i’m fascinated by the different reactions and questions of your male and female readers/ clients that you mentioned at the beginning of this post – it says so much about the two genders.
but anyway, thank you for this wonderful interview! obviously athletic performance plays little of a role in my life, but it’s nonetheless wonderful to hear the perspective of someone other than the typical female looking to solve weight or digestive troubles. just further proof of the importance of good nutrition! i also love what he said about calories vs nutrients – i would like to bold that and plaster it on every magazine and restaurant menu. it’s always about quality over quantity, no matter what the topic in life.
Great post, and I’d love to try those bars!
Well, you know I am not raw or vegan. But I am trying hard to incorporate more vegan meals into my life. It is hard – particularly because I need to gain weight, etc…and I do not NOT want restrictions, deprivations…or worse – obsessions. So those paths are not for me. However, it is always interesting to see the stuff and INCORPORATE it into my life versus let it BE my life.
I read the book a long time ago and it was interesting of course.
Would love to win some bars Gena honey 🙂
And you guys look cute! Is he single 🙂
I am playing match-maker….
It’s nice to know that the vegan stereotypes are gradually dissipating. I’m also slowly learning to incorporate variety of food items instead of just a plant-based diet.
I just got the first Thrive book and love it. Brendan does a great job of breaking down the information and explaining how nutrition & stress effects our bodies. I’m an RN and I’ve found myself reading certain chapters twice and three times because it’s so good! I would love to read the second book.
The book is great. I read it a few months ago – and it was my inspiration to start moving towards a vegan diet – and becoming more interested in raw.
amazing interview. so inspiring to read the perspective and success of a raw athlete. of course I would love a copy of the book. thanks G and B for this great interview.
as a vegan athlete, I would love to read this book for more information!
I have and love Brendan’s book but it would be great to give a copy to my athletic father! Wonderful interview. I had my suspicions that Brendan was an incredible guy, even more far reaching than just his athletic feats. Thanks for all the great info!
Cassie was JUST telling me last week how I need to read this book! I was concerned now that I am getting into higher mileage on my long runs that I will need to start fueling mid-run and I didn’t know what to do since I can’t eat anything solid while running, and before runs all I have is green juice. She told me I don’t need to — and shouldn’t — worry about eating solid food and I need to read this book for help! So, I hope I win. Just tweeted!
I would absolutely love this book!
That aside, Gena, would you ever think of doing a post on alkalinity/acidity stuff? It’s all really confusing to me! it different from food combining?
Thanks and great interview too!
Great interview, awesome information and you guys look good together. 🙂
This was such a good interview! Brendan obviously is very knowledgeable so I’m going to pick up his new book whether or not I win a copy from you.
Great interview. I’ve read Brendan’s first book and would love to read the second one!
What a great interview! Very interesting. I need to get this book…!
Awesome interview. I am very interested in the information presented. I would love to learn more through his book! Thank you for giving your readers such compelling information.
I’ve been interested in his books for a while, but just too cheap to buy something I’m not sure of! Would love to try it for free.
I went right over and ordered some after reading this interview–I’ve been looking for a product like this for a long time and finally found one to get excited about. thank you!!!
love the interview! such good information…
Forgot to mention that I’m a runner and Vega products are the best recovery I’ve found.
As a college senior and half-marathon trainer, I’ve been trying to take the small steps toward a vegan lifestyle in order to better fuel and treat my body. Thanks for the insight and interview! I look forward to posts in the future.
I found Brendan’s books & products late last year. In my out-of-the-way corner of the world it can be hard to get products like Brendan’s. Fortunately, I can get them online and, even better, at my local GNC (who knew)!
Thanks for interviewing him for us.
I’m interested to learn more about athletic performance and the vegan diet. This book would be a great read for my husband. Thanks.
Thanks for a great interview and a chance to win!!
My husband has had off this week and he is finally reading THRIVE. I’m going to make him read this too, haha. I definitely agree with your comparison to females and males and their priorities. Awesome interview!
I’m training for my first marathon this year so am all over what raw vegan athletes have to say. Although I’ve not consumed spirulina in my diet, I have downed hemp and spinach smoothies and green juices after long runs and I find that I do recover much better than I did when I was on a SAD diet. Would love a copy of his book!
The next time someone asks me, “But WHERE do you get your protein!?” i am going to direct him/her to this interview.
What an amazing interview and experience! I love vega products because it does fill in the gaps for those times I can’t make things from scratch. Have not tired the new bars but they would be great options for those travel times.
B
loveee brenden brazier’s vega products!
What a great post and giveaway! My beau is slowly coming around from tons of McDs to tons of salads (and just a little McDs). I would love to share this book with him to give him that last push. 😉
Pick me!!
Thank you so much for this, Gena! I loved Thrive and think Brazier is such an inspiration. What a fantastic interview, I love showing people that a vegan diet is wonderful for building muscles, strength, and endurance.
Thanks so much for this great interview. I am not raw or completely vegan, but I am moving in that direction. This was so helpful to me, because I have a thirteen year old boy and I am trying to help him strengthen his muscles and build endurance. He is awfully skinny and not very coordinated, so I thought running and biking might just be the ticket. Very inspirational, Thanks!
Wow. i really enjoyed this post. I have done a lot of research on him but it was nice to get that more one on one feeling of an interview. It was helpful hearing about a lot of the myths people have with calories and protein consumption and what the truth is. Especially the mcdonalds part. that was a great analogy.
So many treats – you’re spoiling us. 🙂 I’d love to read the book. Fingers crossed…
Oh My God!!!!!!!!!! I love this guy I have his other book and absolutely love all the recipes, I know I’m way to far away to ever win but I’m leaving a comment anyway you never know : )
x Tam x
Hi Gena. I found your Q&A with Brendan most interesting as I am eager to know more about raw nutrition. I am very interested in Brendan’s new book as I am someone who has lost a lot of weight (136.5 lbs) and have introduced a fair bit of athletics into my life. I shop at Raw Vegan Source in Redmond and Tom was mentioning Brendan’s new book to a number of us who were shopping at the time. Unfortunately he did not have any copies on hand. I would to read this book; net I am hoping to win this give-away.
Thanks!
Howard
I would love to read this book! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
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entry 2 please
Amazing interview. Too good for words. And that pic of you and Brendan. Also too good for words. 🙂
Entry 1 please.
This is an amazing interview. As a dancer of 20 years, I’ve always worried about my health and endurance. I do not get as many calories as suggested by my doc, but I feel great. I would love to win this book and here more of what he has to say!
Gena, thanks so much for the great interview! This is of special interest to me as I just signed up to run the Brussels half marathon in May and I do find it hard when training for longer distances to work out the best way to fuel myself. So the book would be very helpful as well!
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I was very luck to recently attend a speaking demo with Brendan at the Whole Foods near my house last month. Seriously, Brendan was awesome, just the talk was too short and I still had so many questions to ask. The were sampling on of his smoothie drinks (the chocolate one) and I was very impressed by the taste too. I haven’t tried the bars or any of the other smoothies, but I would love love love to test them out. I really need to learn more about this whole acidity/alkalinity business, being a very active vegan myself. I would love to win Thrive, for myself, but also to be able to share with all the other athletes I’m surrounded by (none of them veg by any means). Thanks for doing this interview Gena! It was definitely fun and informative (as all your interviews are).
Thank you for the post. I learned a great deal!
great post gena!
I would love to read this book! I am a new vegan and training for my first half-marathon and I think it would be really helpful!
Tweeted! mmhoneycutt
I am so androgynous–I’m super interested in both feel and performance. Anyway, fantastic interview! I would be psyched if I won a copy of Thrive.
I’d love to read this book! I’ve tried some of Brendan’s products and they have worked very well for me.
Wow, so many things I love about this interview! I love how he found whole foods to fill initial gaps in his nutrition, his comment about kids’ behavior problems, his optimism, and his promotion of Vega at GNC- what an awesome vision! I would love to read this book, and then pass it on to my vegetarian male gym-rat soy-protein loving friend!
If I had this book I’m pretty sure I’d lend it out all the time…thanks for an awesome interview!
Hi, this is my first time commenting on your post.
A couple days ago, I was searching on the web for a blog/website that would help me with my eating “problems”. Though I am vegan, because I don’t work out and I eat more than I need to, I really needed help. Then, I found your blog, which talked about the balance of being vegan, being raw, and the importance of exercising. This was EXACTLY what I needed.
So I read through today’s post, and it REALLY hit me. This interview banged me really hard, and I really understand the importance of working out + eating healthy.
Once again, I am back on my trail of trying to incorporate some sort of exercise in my life. I am able to start again because of this post. I really enjoyed reading it, and thank you, for doing this amazing post.
Great interview! Vegan nutrition and how it relates to athletics is really interesting.
Wow, what a great interview! I’m really interested in what he has to say about health + athletic performance. I’d love to read his book!
Sounds like an interesting read!
Tweeted the giveaway too!
OMG! This is the most exciting giveaway to me to date! I’ve tried vega sport and vega infusion and they are amazing products. I’m a dancer and have an intense schedule. I agree that recovery is the most important thing for an athlete. I would absolutely love to win a copy of Brendan’s book! I really want to learn how to maximize my recovery time so I can be the best dancer I can possibly be 🙂