Photo courtesy of Brendan Brazier
Even before Brendan Brazier’s new book, Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health, was officially released, social networks were a-buzz with anticipation. Brazier’s first book, originally released in Canada - The Thrive Diet (or as it is known in the US, Thrive) - was accompanied by the popular manual Thrive Fitness.
Brazier has been named one of the Top 40 Under 40 most influential people in the nutrition and health industry, and he has been twice nominated for the Manning Innovation Awards for his VEGA natural whole food products and supplements, so it’s no wonder health advocates, vegans, vegetarians and athletes alike are clamoring to get their hands on Brazier’s next nutritional manifesto. Vegan Mainstream recently had the pleasure of chatting with Brazier about veganism, raw food, Thrive, and more.
Vegan Mainstream: Which came first, triathlons or veganism?
Brendan Brazier: I became pretty serious about running in high school. I wanted to be a professional athlete so I really was working towards that. I looked at what separated the top athletes from the average ones and found it came down to recovery…those at the top tried to recover faster so they could train more in less time. So I started to focus on recovery, and I discovered that a huge part of recovery is centered around what we eat, good nutrition. So I really became interested in nutrition and being as healthy as I could possibly be.
VM: Do you advocate for a raw vegan diet?
BB: I don’t eat completely raw, usually…In Thrive as well as The Thrive Diet, there’s a raw option. I guess I’m “halfway raw” at any point. So 50%.
Photo courtesy of Trent & Company
VM: What made you decide to write Thrive?
BB: The Thrive Diet is actually the first book I wrote. But part of it is confusing, because in Canada it’s called The Thrive Diet… and in the US that doesn’t actually exist; it’s called Thrive here. But it’s the same book. I basically wrote that after getting asked the same question over and over about where I get my protein and my calcium, and my iron. Basically, “What do I eat?” Professionally, surrounding triathlons, I get asked a lot about what I’m doing. Then when I tell people I eat a plant-based diet, they started asking questions. So it really has grown to be a response to frequently asked questions about health… I put together a whole nutritional philosophy around that and then wrote about it. I’ve been racing professionally for seven years. There was a point when I wasn’t training and I thought, well, I don’t have to train, so I’ll use my time to do something else. I realized I could write a book to address these questions.
That [first] book came in out in 2007, then the new book just came out this September. Thrive Foods. It’s kind of like a recipe book; 200 recipes based around my nutritional philosophy that I first put out in Thrive a few years back. Using this same philosophy, the new book gives people more variety. I didn’t create all the recipes, though. I collaborated with some of my favorite chefs as well as some of my favorite restaurants who supplied them.
VM: Who is the ideal target for the new book?
BB: There’s definitely some crossover from the last book in that a lot of people who bought it are asking for new recipes. They like the philosophy but they want more recipes. The new book will also really appeal to people who are environmentally conscious and care about their food choices and how that impacts the environment. A lot of people I know care about the future of the environment but don’t really associate food with it necessarily - they just think of driving less and things like that and how that impacts the environment. So just bringing [food issues] to light. And also people who want to perform well, they’ll probably also be pretty interested to read it.
VM: What do you think of the way nutrition is taught to kids in school now?
BB: It’s really part of my long-term goal at this point to try to get a class in school, beginning at a really early age, that is all about food. We make choices every day in terms of what we eat. I think knowing where it all comes from and what’s involved in its production is important to make informed decisions. I think the process can really make more of an impact. It’s very important [for the food industry] to become more transparent. The system should encourage personal responsibility and get more involved in people’s health. Kids need to know the basics, what’s good for you and what’s not. Schools should provide more healthy options for children. If they are well educated on what to eat, the odds of them choosing the healthier food item will be greater.
VM: If you had to choose one guilty pleasure food, what would yours be?
BB: Good question. Hmmm. Well, I really like what I eat. I dunno, I guess if I’m out somewhere like at a sushi place, and if I have to it would be like white rice or something, but yeah, I really like what I eat.
VM: I read that you met Hugh Jackman. How did that come about?
BB: A friend of mine is his trainer and he gave him Thrive a while back. [Jackman] got into reading it and became really interested in it and wanted to make some changes to his diet because he wanted to feel better and become a better role model, so he emailed me and just asked me some questions. We met in New York the next day, so yeah, he eats a lot of chicken…but he’s trying to get away from that. He’s not completely vegan, but he’s much closer than he was, so he’s doing pretty well.
–
Check out more about Brendan Brazier’s new book by visiting his Facebook page, where you can download the intro and and recipes from Thrive Foods for free. Also check out Vegansaurus’ book review here.
