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

snack: pumpkin seeds
     

day 6
     
    Breakfast: Toasted Apple Cinnamon Cereal (p. 216) with Hemp Milk (p. 268) and fruit
     
    Morning snack: energy bar
     
    Lunch: Cucumber Pesto Salad (p. 250) with Tomato Basil Dressing (p. 256)
     
    Afternoon snack: smoothie
     
    Dinner: Popped Amaranth Rooibos Pizza (p. 239)
     
    After-dinner snack: Zucchini Chips (p. 260) with Ginger Carrot Dressing (p. 254)
     

day 7
     
    Breakfast: Spicy Cocoa Pancakes (p. 214) with raw almond butter and fruit
     
    Morning snack: energy bar
     
    Lunch: Crunchy Cinnamon Plantain and Macadamia Nut Salad (p. 248) with Balsamic Vinaigrette (p. 256)
     
    Afternoon snack: smoothie
     
    Dinner: Pecan Sunflower Burger (p. 233) with mixed greens and Mango Lime Dressing (p. 254)
     
    After-dinner snack: raw vegetables
     

seven
     
    recipes for the thrive diet
     

my recipe philosophy
     
    I try to use as few ingredients as possible in each recipe. I appreciate simple, clean, well-balanced flavor. Each ingredient in my recipes serves a purpose. The ingredients are combined in such a way that you will begin to notice and appreciate the subtleties that each offers without being bombarded with an overabundance of flavors. Apart from simply tasting cleaner, Thrive Diet foods will help the body become aware of, and value, truly fresh, tasty food. In doing so, your sensory system will naturally gravitate toward these foods and away from over-flavored ones. The reason refined foods are so rich in flavor is simply because flavor is added—lots of it. Once naturally flavorful whole food is stripped of its nutrition, it is virtually tasteless. So, in an attempt to compensate for the loss of natural flavor, processed foods are flavored—usually greatly over-flavored. As with sensory stimulation in our society, our flavor-sensing ability could stand an overhaul. Like stimulation, the best way to reintroduce simple flavor is to recalibrate. Using fewer ingredients in a recipe will do that. As a result, the body will be less inclined to consume processed foods, helping it break cravings.
     
    Fewer ingredients also mean a quicker, easier-to-prepare meal or snack, which I certainly welcome. I like to be able to prepare complete balanced meals and nourishing snacks within a few minutes. With some planning, none of these recipes, even the main courses, will take much longer than 30 minutes to prepare.
     
    You may notice that several healthy fruits and vegetables are not included in the recipes; this is because I structured the meal plan on foods that are commonly available. If you have access to more exotic fruits and vegetables that fit the premise of the Thrive Diet, by all means incorporate them into the recipes and meal plan.
     
    Thrive Diet recipes don’t state calorie, carbohydrate, protein, or fat values. This information is not important in the Thrive Diet: Assessing food value based on calories, carbohydrate, protein, and fat is not a reliable measure of nutrition. Simply by adhering to the Thrive Diet principles, the body will be supplied with all the nutrition it needs—all the bases will be covered without having to aim for certain quantities of macronutrients. One of the appeals of the Thrive Diet is its simplicity, which allows the diet to become more of a way of life than a program to be followed.
     
    As with variations between wines, there will be variations in natural food dishes, depending on each crop of the ingredients: Crops vary from yield to yield, affecting the flavor and texture of the food, and also the moisture levels. Because of this, the Thrive Diet recipes may turn out slightly differently each time you prepare them.
     

herbs
     
    For recipes calling for herbs, the measures are for the dried form unless they must be fresh. In some recipes, either can be used, and I’ve noted this. Fresh herbs are always the best choice, but I realize that they are not always available. If space, light, and time allow, growing your own herbs is a practical way to ensure you always have the premium fresh form available. Along with taste, nutritional value is superior in the fresh plant. Whole plants are available in most garden stores for under a dollar each. If you put them in a spacious container, ensure that they get plenty of natural light, and water them a few times a week, they will provide a worthwhile bounty. Basic herbs that are low maintenance and easy to grow include:
     

     

soaking and sprouting
     
    Soaking nuts and seeds is an