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

sprouted grains.
     
    Standard diets can precipitate sensitivities caused by altered foods.
     
     

peanuts
     
    Although still relatively low numbers of people are affected, peanut allergies and sensitivities are on the rise in North America, affecting children the most severely (though about 20 percent outgrow their allergy or sensitivity). Reactions from peanuts range from mild to severe—some people are affected by simply the presence of peanut-containing foods in the same room, thanks to air-borne peanut particles. The reason for such a severe reaction to peanuts is still not well understood. The immune systems of those people affected seem to perceive the peanut protein as a form of poison, an invader to the body. In response to the perceived threat, the body produces antibodies. When there is no real poison to fight, yet antibodies have been released, an allergic reaction is typical. Symptoms of the allergy include swelling around the eyes, difficulty breathing, and rash. Those who have a severe peanut allergy may experience restricted breathing, possibly even anaphylactic shock. For those of you who like peanut butter but have a peanut allergy, the Thrive Diet’s Sunflower Seed Pâté is a good alternative (recipe on page 264).
     
     
     
    IT IS ESTIMATED that upward of 98 percent of all processed foods in the typical North American diet contains at least one common allergen. In fact, corn and wheat by-products can be found in all conventional fast food. The Thrive Diet is not based on any of these foods. A few of the recipes contain oats, which do contain gluten, but I also suggest substitutions.
     

eliminating biological debt
     
    I use the term biological debt to refer to a state that the body goes into after energy from stimulation has dissipated. Often brought about by eating refined sugar or drinking coffee to gain energy in the short term, biological debt is a state of fatigue. Unfortunately, it is a state that many North Americans are accustomed to living in.
     
    For long-term health and vitality, we need to understand the difference between two types of energy: one obtained from stimulation, the other from nourishment. As a general rule, the more processed the food is, the more stimulating its effect will be on the nervous system, and the less nourishing. In contrast, the more natural and whole a food is—raw and sprouted being the best—the less stimulating and the more nourishing it will be. Because of our insatiable desire for quick, convenient energy “on the go,” our streets are crammed with coffee, donut, and fast food establishments. This solves the convenience problem and offers a short-term energy solution through stimulation. However, it does nothing to help with the payment inevitably required by the body if this route is taken regularly. The body can subsist on stimulating, nutrient-absent food only so long before becoming either exhausted or sick—and where the body goes, the mind is sure to follow.
     
    In the afternoon, about 3 P.M., lunch has started to wear off, and hunger and fatigue is creeping in. Reaching for either a cup of coffee, a snack high in refined carbohydrates, or both is common. Coffee and refined carbohydrates give a short energy boost but stress the body. Coffee also raises cortisol levels, which lowers the immune system, making the body more vulnerable to infection and eventually leading to the storage of body fat. Refined carbohydrates cause an insulin spike that will elevate cortisol levels. Excessive consumption of coffee and refined carbohydrates will also result in inflammation, a key cause of premature aging (see page 46).
     
    Many of us are in a constant state of biological debt. Simply put, it is a huge contributing factor to overall stress and therefore has become a major precipitator of fatigue, weight gain, and compromised health in general. If untreated, it can lead to serious diseases.
     
    One measure of health is having cost-free energy—energy that lasts and does not have to be “stoked” continually with processed carbohydrates, manufactured sugar, or caffeine. The stoking of energy can end in one result only: less energy. Ironically, many so-called energy foods are the biggest energy-suckers. The high level of processing they undergo ensures that their shelf life is dramatically extended, but this is accompanied by a marked decline in nutritional quality. These foods are certainly not part of a sustainable, high-energy