Elite professional triathlete, 27-year-old Canadian (North
Vancouver) Brendan Brazier is a staunch vegan.
Brendan in his own words:
"When I first stopped eating meat in 1990 the only
information I could find was in books written for the average
person, not the athlete. Not knowing that athletes'
requirements are vastly different form the average person, I
followed the information from the books. After only a few
months without animal products I was having trouble with
energy levels. I did research for a couple of years. It,
combined with conversations with athletes who used to be
vegetarians, lead me to this conclusion: The typical vegan
diet will not work for most athletes. It's too low in
high-quality fat, protein, sodium and calcium. However, with a
few adjustments, the vegan athlete can thrive. If implemented
properly, a vegan diet can reduce recovery time, provide more
energy and reduce post-workout stiffness. If done incorrectly,
as is commonly the case, the athlete will likely experience
four problems: constant hunger, poor muscle recovery, sugar
cravings and lack of energy. This is most often due to a lack
of dietary protein and fat. Without adequate protein, the
carbohydrate consumed will enter the bloodstream faster,
causing insulin levels to rise quickly (spike), then decline a
short time later (crash). With protein and fat added to each
meal and snack a "sugar crash" will not occur. Protein will
complement the carbohydrate, allowing it to enter the
bloodstream at a steady rate, by doing so delaying the onset
of hunger while sustaining energy levels. A four-to-one
carbohydrate to protein ratio has been shown to yield the best
muscle glycogen recovery results. The small amount of protein
(25%) combined with a high glycemic carbohydrate (sugar) has
been shown to improve recover over the conventional "sugar
only" approach. Sweetened soy drinks help provide this ratio.
Animal products contain a lot of fat. Cutting all fat from the
diet is not the goal, although saturated fat should be
minimized for optimum performance. A very low-fat diet is okay
for low to moderately active people. However, highly active
people, especially endurance athletes who have adopted
plant-based diets, will benefit by adding good quality fats to
their meals. As with protein, fat helps slow the rate at which
carbohydrates enter the bloodstream, providing sustained,
consistent energy."
Brendan runs 130 kilometres a week, swims six or seven
hours a week, cycles about 700 kilometres a week – and says he
loves every minute of his demanding training schedule! Last
year, in just his third Ironman event, Brazier finished 14th
in Penticton's Ironman Canada triathlon. He completed the
course (3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2 km run) in nine
minutes 13 seconds – about an hour of swimming, five hours of
cycling and just over three hours of running.
My idea of exercise is walking briskly to the fridge,
grabbing whatever I can lay my hands on, then hurry back to my
chair to watch Jerry Springer. But, Brendan has inspired me –
and I feel I may complete a circuit of my back garden before
getting back to the TV. Onya Brendan!
Interview by June Bird, November 2002.
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Photos: Neil Willman
| June: |
Why are you vegan Brendan? |
| Brendan: |
I first became vegan for health reasons,
which for me translates to performance gains. Soon after I
stopped eating meat I realized that there were many more
reasons other than just health to be vegan. Aside from the
health, environmental and animal welfare concerns, I also
began to dislike the way in witch society views meat
consumption. The slick marketing and complete removal of any
thought that the ground-up, plastic wrapped piece of meat
bought in a supermarket was recently an animal walking around
in a field, not to different from your dog. Society makes
contributing to killing an animal completely acceptable and
anonymous, others do all the messy work (breeding, raising,
killing) all you as the consumer has to do is walk into a
friendly, clean supermarket in the shopping mall and buy a
piece of meat wrapped with a cartoon picture of a smiling cow
on it. |
| June: |
Have you ever found it to be
difficult? |
| Brendan: |
As far as wanting to eat animal products, no. As far as
the convenient factor, sometimes. It can be hard to get a
balanced meal away from home. If I'm out with friends at a
restaurant it can be difficult sometimes but I usually plan
ahead and eat at home first, then just order something light
such as a salad. Some people think I'm a bit odd but I'm OK
with that. |
| June: |
When did you go vegan? |
| Brendan: |
I've been vegan for about 3 years (since about 1999) but I
was 95% vegan since 1990. I stopped drinking milk at the same
time I stopped eating meat, in 1990, but
I still had
cheeses once in a while, mostly only when it was in things.
Then about three years ago I decided to forego the
convenience-factor and completely cut it out. |
| June: |
What about when you're touring – what's
the vegan food like for you? |
| Brendan: |
Touring can be tricky; it definitely takes a bit of
planning. Since I try to maintain a healthy diet while on the
road, I make sure to take soy protein powder with me – it
makes things much easier. I can just rely on local fruit,
bread and rice – pretty easy to get anywhere. I've also
learned how to make oatmeal, rice, and instant black bean soup
in a coffee maker, which are in most hotel rooms. Oatmeal with
soy protein and local fruit for breakfast, then rice mixed
with black bean soup and a can of beans for dinner – fast,
universally available, and cheap. |
| June: |
What about your friends and family – are they vegan or
vegetarian? |
| Brendan: |
I don't have many vegetarian friends and even fewer vegan
ones. Most of my friends eat the 'conventional' way, it's a
good lesson in tolerance for me, I appreciate that. My Dad is
vegetarian, my Mom eats fish – but calls herself vegetarian –
guess she doesn't consider a fish to be an animal. |
| June: |
What about wearing leather? |
| Brendan: |
I have one pair of leather shoes that I got in
1993. I wear them once in awhile, I figure it's more practical
than buying a new pair of plastic ones. I certainly wouldn't
buy any leather now. I recently found out about a company that
makes faux leather shoes, jackets, belts, etc. that are really
made from recycled car tires – sounds pretty smart to
me. |
| June: |
Have you found that you've developed a stronger affinity
with animals since you became vegan? |
| Brendan: |
I've always liked animals, not to the point of having any
pets, but I have a 'coexist attitude' towards them. I live on
the North Shore of Vancouver, which has several mountains and
forest parks – where I run. I see many animals on a daily
basis in their natural environment. Bears, cougars, deers,
coyotes, all live near me – it's like I have pets but don't
have to feed them, bath them, or pay any Vet bills! |
| June: |
Jerry Springer will be back on any second so
just quickly Brendan – what are your plans for the
future? |
| Brendan: |
I'm currently working on producing my own hemp
clothing line with a Vancouver-based hemp clothing company.
The first pieces will be out by November, just basic ones to
start, t-shirt, polo shirt, and hooded sweatshirt. (The
website should be up soon). Athletically, right now I'm just
headed towards the off-season. For next year I plan to
continue racing and improving, I'm 27 right now and athletes
in my sport don't peak until their mid to late 30s. I'm headed
in the right direction, so a well-planned, smart training
program should put me in a good position over the next few
years. |
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Brendan Brazier's website:
http://www.brendanbrazier.com/
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