Running On A Plant Based Diet: How Eating Unprocessed Organic Food Can Improve Athletic Performance

By Paul Rogers

Why a Plant Based Diet is Best for Runners (and Everyone Else for That Matter!)

In 1977 Jim Fixx published his book entitled The Complete Book of Running, which sold over a million copies and was instrumental in the launch of the American running boom of the late 1970’s. Fixx himself became a fitness icon, and his name became synonymous with the ideal picture of health. It is for this reason that his death at the age of 52 shocked the running world. On July 20th, 1984, Jim Fixx was found on the side of the road dead after suffering a massive heart attack during his morning run on a rural road in Vermont.

Fixx had a family predisposition to heart disease – his father died at the age of 43 from a heart attack. During his autopsy it was determined that Fixx had major blockages in three of his arteries, the worst of which was 95% clogged. Despite knowing that he had a hereditary risk, Fixx felt that his compulsive running regime would keep him immune to health issues. Fixx never addressed the issue of diet, and despite having high cholesterol and a bad family history was a devoted meat eater until his premature death.

We are just starting to understand the causal link between eating a meat based diet and illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. Exercise alone is not a wellness guarantee, but running and eating a plant based diet will arguably get you to the highest point of personal health you might ever hope to achieve.

Running on a Plant Based Diet: How Eating Unprocessed Organic Food Can Improve Athletic Performance

This book is divided into two sections. The first section will outline the argument for why a plant based diet is preferable to a meat based diet for general health. The second section will explore areas of interest for the plant based runner, including:

• Debunking the Plant Diet Myths
• Plant Based Sources of Carbohydrates, Proteins & Fats
• Plant Based Smoothies Suggestions
• Plant Based Meal Suggestions for Training and Recovery
• And More!

Switch to a Plant Based Diet Today for Better Running and Better Health!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul Rogers
• Release date: Aug 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516364503

Book preview

Introduction

If you are already a runner, congratulations! You are a participant in one of the best exercises available for clearing your mind and bringing your body to a tremendous level of fitness.  If you are considering becoming a runner, please join the club of members who revel in self-accomplishment and elevated health. Regardless of which category you fall into, if you take the journey and transition to enjoying a plant based diet, prepare to see your level of fitness grow exponentially.

In 1977 Jim Fixx published his book entitled The Complete Book of Running, which sold over a million copies and was instrumental in the launch of the American running boom of the late 1970’s. Fixx himself became a fitness icon, and his name became synonymous with the ideal picture of health. It is for this reason that his death at the age of 52 shocked the running world.  On July 20th, 1984, Jim Fixx was found on the side of the road dead after suffering a massive heart attack during his morning run on a rural road in Vermont.

Fixx had a family predisposition to heart disease – his father died at the age of 43 from a heart attack.  During his autopsy it was determined that Fixx had major blockages in three of his arteries, the worst of which was 95% clogged.  Despite knowing that he had a hereditary risk, Fixx felt that his compulsive running regime would keep him immune to health issues.  Fixx never addressed the issue of diet, and despite having high cholesterol and a bad family history was a devoted meat eater until his premature death.

Perhaps if Jim Fixx transitioned to a plant based diet he would still be with us today. We are just starting to understand the causal link between eating a meat based diet and illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. Exercise alone is not a wellness guarantee, but running and eating a plant based diet will arguably get you to the highest point of personal health you might ever hope to achieve.

This book is divided into two sections. The first section will outline the argument for why a plant based diet is preferable to a meat based diet in general. The second section will explore areas of interest for the plant based runner, including the different type of foods to eat and their nutritional composition.

It is not a complicated formula. Eating fruits and vegetables can provide us all of the protein, carbohydrates and fats that our bodies need. Runners demand a higher level of nutrition in order to compensate for their training and recovery, and the plant diet has got us covered there too.  I hope that if you are reading this book trying to decide whether to transition your diet, you do start on your journey to eating correctly, and hopefully improve your running times as well.

Run long!

- Paul Rogers

Part I - The Case for a Plant Based Diet

Chapter 1 – Humans Were Meant to be Plant Eaters

It’s hard to address the topics of plant based eating and exercise without at first laying out the groundwork that humans were originally a primarily plant eating species. The fact that our diet has evolved to contain ingredients other than plant sources does not mean that this is a healthy end. Quite to the contrary, from the standpoint of diet, we are evolving ourselves into a state of sickness of epidemic proportions.

Many anthropologists and historians argue that man is historically omnivorous. However, the anatomical features of man show that the human body favors