10 Practical Ways to Thrive On a Vegan Diet
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Anything worthwhile in life requires time, patience and effort.
This sounds cliche but it’s an undeniable truth. Making the switch to a vegan diet is no different. You won’t experience the benefits overnight.
To feel good on a healthy diet requires consistency and a long-term growth mindset.
I had no idea what I was doing when I started eating clean. For many years I thought healthy meals came in packaged microwavable containers.
I possessed no understanding of nutrition and often wondered why I wasn’t making progress in my training.
Why can’t I build more muscle? Why do I cramp up halfway into every run?
Then I heard John Joseph on a podcast. He talked about how a healthy vegan diet is the best way to improve health and performance.
Naturally, I was skeptical. But I was intrigued.
How was it possible to thrive on a diet without meat or dairy? Cultural norms and media have been telling me I need to eat meat my entire life.
I read Joseph’s book, Meat Is For Pussies, which led me to discover other vegan athletes like Rich Roll and Brendan Brazier.
After reading several more books and diving into online research, I decided to make the switch to a vegan diet.
I told myself, “If I start losing any muscle at all I’m quitting immediately!”.
Five years later, I’m in the best shape of my life and haven’t looked back.
I’m able to run marathons while setting personal records for lifting weights. I never experience cramping and my inflammation is next to nothing.
The benefits weren’t only in physical performance. I started thinking more clearly, sleeping better and had way more energy. Even my moods improved.
The changes didn’t happen overnight though. They slowly revealed themselves over weeks and months.
My fitness continues to improve and my diet continues to evolve.
I have a desire to share with others the lessons I’ve learned over the past 5 years so they too can reap the benefits, or at least gain some inspiration.