Vegan ultramarathoner Matt Frazier (No Meat Athlete and founder of the popular website of the same name) teams up with health coach Stepfanie Romine to shatter the misconception that athletes require animal products in their diets. Together they've created The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, with 125 plant-based recipes providing a powerhouse of essential nutrients for strength and endurance.
"It's everything in the food--and the remarkably complex interactions of countless nutrients--that our bodies thrive on, not a single constituent," the authors state. Because the body also requires less time to process whole foods, more energy is available for workouts and a full recovery afterward.
In The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, Frazier and Romine advocate a gradual transition to a plant-based diet, emphasize cooking without oil and offer suggestions for numerous plant sources of protein. Nutritional supplements and protein powders are discussed, along with tips for stocking a plant-based kitchen and food preparation techniques.
Easy-to-follow recipes for every meal (including dessert!) feature simplified, meatless versions of comfort foods such as burgers and stews. People avoiding gluten, oil or soy will find plenty of options, with recipes labeled accordingly and further categorized as fast food (ready in less than 30 minutes), slow food (requiring an hour or more of prep or rest time) and suitable for pre-athletic event carbo-loading. Several dishes are presented as blueprints designed for culinary improvisation, and the authors' concept of "A Grain, A Green, A Bean, A Spice Blend" offers flexibility and versatility for quick meals.
Although athletes are this cookbook's focus, Frazier and Romine's approach is a winner for anyone seeking a healthier way of life. --Melissa Firman, writer, editor and blogger at melissafirman.com