The Thrive Diet was created by professional ironman, Brendan Brazier, and is based on following a vegan diet to achieve optimal performance and health.
He designed his vegan program for anyone, no matter if you are an athlete or not.
Can this restrictive plant based diet improve performance and allow for balanced nutrition?
The Thrive Diet allows no dairy, gluten, wheat, soy, corn, refined sugar, or animal products. Specific energy gels and sports drinks are allowed, however. Foods that are highly recommended are legumes, vegetables, seeds, some grains, fruits, oils, and nuts. Lower body fat and increase muscle toneDecrease signs of agingIncrease energy and mental clarityIncrease sleepImprove moodStrengthen the immune systemLower cholesterolDecrease junk food cravingsThe main struggle when going vegan and soy-free is figuring out how to get high quality protein into your diet. Brendan recommends specific legume powders to add to smoothies and homemade energy bars to sneak in additional complete proteins. It can be done, but it is hard to consume more than 80 grams of legume/nut/grain protein in one day.The only other concern is adequate vitamin and mineral intake. If following this diet, you might need supplementation of B12, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and possibly iron.
This diet will likely reduce your cholesterol since it is practically a cholesterol-free diet, and will likely lower your body fat percentage since you will be eating fewer calories. I am doubtful the diet could improve your immune system or sleep habits much, but all the other claims seem reasonable.
Since this diet is pretty restrictive, it would be hard for the average athlete to follow. It takes more time, energy, and money to prepare for a diet like this. It can be done, but you need to focus on getting enough calories, protein, and fuel for your lifestyle.
The book can be found on amazon here.
