Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life

foods and 25 percent acid-forming foods. I believe that trying to hit a specific dietary ratio is unnecessary. This is partly because, as I noted above, several factors other than food affect the body’s pH. Stress in general has a significant impact on pH. The body will sway to the acidic side even if the diet is alkaline-forming when it is confronted with high levels of non-nutritional stress. In this case, trying to hit a certain dietary ratio of alkaline-forming to acid-forming foods will not be useful. Simply adopting the Thrive Diet is the simplest thing you can do to ensure the body’s pH is neutral or slightly alkaline.
     

one-step nutrition
     
    One-step nutrition is the term I use to describe food containing nutrients already in a form usable by the body, with no breaking down required. The nutrients get into the body and go straight to work.
     
    Nutrients in foods in a typical North American diet are in a form that the body must first break down and convert before it can utilize them.
     
     
     
     
form in typical north american food

form the body uses directly, prevalent in the thrive diet
Complex carbohydrates
must convert to …
Simple carbohydrate
Fat
must convert to …
Fatty acids
Protein
must convert to …
Amino acids
     
     
    By consuming one-step foods, the body is fueled and able to rebuild efficiently. Requiring minimal energy to become usable and assimilated, foods containing one-step nutrients in effect provide the body with more energy by helping conserve energy. Gaining the greatest amount of energy from the least amount of food is the goal of the Thrive Diet.
     
    Food has three main components: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Carbohydrate, accounting for most of the food we eat, consists of sugar, starch, and fiber. The ratio of each in any given food varies. Generally, fruits have high sugar levels; bread, pasta, and rice have large amounts of starch, also known as complex carbohydrate; and vegetables are fiber-rich.
     
    The base of the Thrive Diet pyramid (see Chapter 1, page 40) consists of fibrous vegetables. In addition to fiber, these foods deliver a large amount of chlorophyll, vitamins, and minerals, as well as fluid to help maintain hydration. For fuel, though, fruit is the food of choice. This is in keeping with the Thrive Diet’s one-step principle, since it is easily digestible and rich in simple carbohydrate. Also known as simple sugar, simple carbohydrate is a one-step nutrient; it can be directly used by the body for fuel. Conversely, the body must break down complex carbohydrate into simple carbohydrate before it can burn it, which takes extra work. Extra work requires energy, leaving the body with less.
     
    Whole, unrefined complex carbohydrates do have their place in our diet, though. Pseudograins and other seeds, Thrive Diet staples, provide high-quality protein but also contain complex carbohydrate, yet in a form that is more easily used by the body than traditional sources, such as wheat. In addition, vitamins and minerals found in fruit and vegetables are nicely complemented by those present in unrefined whole grains such as brown rice, and in starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes and yams. Therefore, these foods are found at the top of the Thrive Diet pyramid: They are part of the diet, but their role, in terms of quantity, is modest.
     
    Foods Rich in Simple Carbohydrate
     

     
    Protein, which reconstructs body tissue, is the body’s building nutrient. Regeneration is an ongoing process: In the course of the day, through normal wear and tear, body tissue is constantly being broken down and rebuilt. From the food we eat, the body converts protein into amino acids for use; it cannot utilize protein directly. We can help our body speed the regeneration process and be more efficient in the fabrication of new cells by eating foods rich in amino acid—one-step foods. This way, the body does not have to expend energy to convert protein into amino acids. Greens have the highest percentage of amino acids per ounce of any food. However, since greens do not weigh much, they need to be eaten daily to reap the full benefits that their amino acid profile offers. Eating a large green salad each day is part of the Thrive Diet.
     
    Foods Rich in Amino Acids
     

     
    Dietary fat is necessary for the lubrication of joints and for the activation of fat-soluble vitamins. It is also drawn on as an energy source when the body’s carbohydrate supply is low. As with