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

diet. It calls for eating many foods in their natural state, with little preparation. These foods consist entirely of primary sources of nutrition—plants.
     

what can we do?
     
    Money greases the wheels of our cultural machine; therefore, it is the greatest initiator of change. We simply have to use the power of economics to help ourselves. To not support corporations that practice poor environmental policies such as unsustainable and inefficient land use, use of toxic herbicides and pesticides, and destruction of old-growth forests is only half the solution. We as informed consumers hold the power.
     
    Smaller, environmentally conscious companies are beginning to attract more and more informed customers each year. Supporting these companies is twice as effective as simply not buying from those whose practices are destructive. For example, to buy non-genetically modified hemp foods grown without pesticides or herbicides puts money toward promoting a clean, sustainable industry. If these sustainable industries are able to flourish because of our support, others will see the economic carrot of “green” agriculture, and they will follow. This is one problem that we can eat ourselves out of.
     
    At a Glance
     
    • When we bite into food, part of the environment becomes part of us.
    • More fossil fuel is burned in the production, processing, and delivery of food than in any other industry.
    • The more energy used to produce food, the more greenhouse gases created.
    • As individuals, the single greatest thing that we can do to preserve environmental health is to base our diet on primary-source foods.
    • Simply by changing our eating habits we can significantly reduce pollution, and in doing so improve our health and the health of generations to come.
    • Supporting companies that have environmental consciousness will help make their standards the new benchmark of food production.
     
     

four
     
    exercise for lifelong health
     
    It is possible to grow a younger body. A younger body is simply one that has regenerated its cells more recently. The key to developing or maintaining a functional, young body is to encourage it to be in a constant state of regeneration. But the body regenerates only if it is given a reason. The best reason comes in the form of regular exercise. Remember, exercise is really nothing more than breaking down body tissue. Once cells are broken down through exercise, the body must grow new cells to replace them. This is an ongoing process. Activity level is largely responsible for the rate at which regeneration occurs, provided that the body has the dietary resources to support it—that it is supplied with premium fuel.
     
    Poor nutrition can convert the complementary stress that exercise provides into uncomplementary stress by virtue of degeneration. Performing strenuous exercise regularly without eating a nutrient-rich diet will speed degeneration of the cells and the aging process. And if the body is not supplied with the building blocks it needs, a stress response will be triggered, causing cortisol levels to rise and body fat to be stored.
     
    How often have you said to yourself, “I did my exercise today; I’ll treat myself to a cheeseburger,” or, “I’ve had a stressful day at work— I deserve ice cream this evening”? People crave junk food during stressful times. But this is when it should be adamantly avoided. Or at the very least, you need to make sure your body also has the necessary building blocks to regenerate after it experiences stress. Immediately following a hard bout of exercise, the body will try feverishly to rebuild what was broken down. At this time, premium nutrition is of even greater significance than usual. For this reason, I have included exercise-specific recipes later in this chapter that will help provide the best possible fuel and building material for active bodies. Providing your body with the best nutritional building blocks after a workout will ensure it continually regenerates muscle tissue. And if nutritionally empty food is eaten later in the day, after the nutrient-rich food, it will not have such a detrimental effect, since the repair process will already be underway. You’ll also find that the desire to eat junk food fades if nutrient-rich foods are consumed immediately after exercise.
     
    Exercise has another anti-aging attribute: sweat production. Sweating helps cleanse the pores, which is necessary for skin health.