| interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's Raw Food | | | | food you eat? |
| Summit which can be found at In this excerpt, Brendan | | | | Brendan: Yes, sure. On a typical day, when I was |
| Brazier shares more specifics on the way foods can | | | | training lows I would swim in the morning about four |
| either provide or deplete energy and the effects of | | | | and a half kilometers pretty early in a day. Before that |
| stress. | | | | I would have usually half an energy bar, the ones that I |
| Raw Food Summit Excerpt with Brendan Brazier, | | | | just make for myself and a food processor for really |
| tri-athlete thriving on living foods, author, speaker and | | | | basic. Get home from that, I would have usually a |
| the creator of a meal replacement formula. | | | | smoothie with quite a bit of fruit and oat mixed vega in |
| Kevin: So, you talked about what you do before a | | | | there to have all the protein, essential fats, fiber, greens, |
| race, I mean I remember in high school we used to | | | | all of that, and that would pretty much do it after the |
| have posh parties the night before. What is the better | | | | swim workout. Then I would go for a bike ride or |
| option than loading yourself down with processed | | | | depending on the day. I might have a nap after that if |
| wheat? | | | | it’s going to be a really long day, but usually |
| Brendan: There are now a lot of better options but, | | | | I’d just get on my bike ride anywhere from four |
| yes, it’s funny and people still do that. I | | | | to five hours. As I ride, I would drink a sport drink that I |
| don’t change my diet before a race at all. I just | | | | would make for myself. Really basic, the recipe is in |
| continue to eat really good, clean foods. I’ll just | | | | the tried diet as well but I really want to avoid of |
| have a big salad and then, one of the really important | | | | course Gatorade and things that are full of |
| things is to make sure you eat the right stuff right after | | | | high-fructose, corn syrup, artificial flavor and color and |
| exercise to rebuild. So, before, I just make my own | | | | seems funny that there are so many sport drinks out |
| energy bars that’s why I have the Vega bars | | | | there and all the ones I’ve seen are really not |
| that developed out of what I used to make and really | | | | very healthy. So making my own seem like a good |
| simply you just throw everything in the food processor, | | | | option and it’s really easy. |
| dates and some proteins, some flax and... it’s | | | | People often ask about that but it’s really just |
| really simple. And I actually even have the recipes for | | | | easy. I use coconut water as a base from young |
| the bars in the new book. | | | | coconut and you can either just buy the coconut pack, |
| I would spend maybe 60 to 90 minutes once every 4 | | | | or you can buy a tetra pack that has young coconut |
| months to make a huge batch, cut them up individually, | | | | water and it is pasteurized if it’s in a tetra pack |
| wrapped them, put them in a freezer and just grab | | | | so it’s not raw but you can find one that have |
| one on the way out each day. It was really simple | | | | just 100% coconut water and that’s the only |
| ingredients, aren’t that expensive and that was | | | | ingredient, so it’s still a pretty good option if you |
| a total of like four hours a year of food preps, so | | | | don’t happen to have your machete on you to |
| it’s not exactly a big commitment. | | | | open the coconut. And that would become the base |
| They digest these well, they’re really easy on | | | | of my sport drink and I’d blend in a date and a |
| the stomach and you’re not having all that | | | | bit of lemon and lime zest just like with the jellies I |
| processed foods that actually rob you of energy but | | | | talked about before but just have more liquid. |
| give you that false impression that it’s giving | | | | Kevin: Just zest, no juice? |
| you energy. Some of the energy bars, ironically | | | | Brendan: Sometimes squeeze a little juice in there too |
| enough, are the most energy robbing foods there are | | | | and a bit of sea salt or even a bit of dull seaweeds. |
| out there. | | | | Some people have a hard time getting their head |
| Kevin: Yes. And why is that? | | | | around drinking, but they actually didn’t even |
| Brendan: Because of the processed ingredients. High | | | | taste it. I would just have it in a very small amount or |
| fructose corn syrup is one of them that you’re | | | | just taste a little bit salty, and it was really good and it |
| body has an incredibly hard time turning into usable fuel. | | | | has lots of electrolytes in it which what you sweat out. |
| it’s trying to digest that and it’s so | | | | Of course you don’t just sweat water, you |
| artificial that the body doesn’t even recognize it | | | | sweat magnesium, potassium and other electrolytes |
| as a nutrient type of food. It’s just pure | | | | so replacing that with dulls is a really good way do it |
| stimulation. | | | | as well. So I drink that as I rode and often at the end |
| Kevin: And it is just the high fructose corn syrup? I | | | | of that I would then have some usually another |
| mean, even some of the other ones, you know sugar | | | | smoothie with quite a bit of protein, essential fats, all of |
| and soy too. | | | | that. |
| Brendan: Yes, absolutely. Soy is in so many things and I | | | | Kevin: Also have some seed in it. |
| know a few vegetarians who use to eat soy every | | | | Brendan: Yes, yes. Some seeds are good and then |
| meal and have actually developed sensitivities to it. | | | | later on that night I would have a big salad, have |
| I did actually find in research that more people are | | | | avocado, lots of super additives, lots of seaweed, all |
| becoming vegan in North America than ever before, | | | | kinds of different lettuce, sometimes some kale ripped |
| but fewer people are sticking with it. The theory is that | | | | up in there and really load up that in. That has quite a |
| because there’s so many options now for | | | | lot of protein. I think sometimes people don’t |
| meat alternatives like there’s soy hotdogs, soy | | | | realize how much protein you got from greens. |
| hamburgers, tofu ice cream but then at the end of the | | | | Spinach for example has almost 50% protein, around |
| day, they’re still not that healthy. Sure, | | | | 45% and it’s such high quality that |
| they’re better than the meat version but | | | | you’re getting a significant amount of protein to |
| they’re not great food. They’re good | | | | rebuild muscle tissue. |
| for transition. I think they do have their place. But then, I | | | | Kevin: Wow! And now you are burning about how |
| would caution people against staying on those and | | | | many calories you think a day? |
| really once you have transitioned. The reason people | | | | Brendan: I was probably burning around 5000 but the |
| aren’t sticking with vegan diet is because they | | | | thing is as you’re body get used to this training |
| are not feeling good on them, because they are not | | | | and adapts, it burns fewer calories. The more fit you |
| healthy diet food. It can very easily be said now that | | | | get, the fewer calories you burn. That’s |
| there are vegan junk food options out. | | | | important for an endurance test, like they don’t |
| Kevin: I used to know a vegetarian who had a bagel | | | | want to burn more than you have to. It’s all |
| and lettuce and onion and tomato and that was her | | | | about conservation and economy, really. |
| lunch. She was always sick and it was sad. You talked | | | | Kevin: That’s one of the biggest challenges I |
| about these soy products and you talked about all the | | | | think, a lot of people think that it’s about |
| foods that are coming out, even the fruit bars and the | | | | powering through and powering through an exercise |
| energy bars, what are you looking for and what do | | | | work out too. |
| you know is good and what do you know is bad? | | | | Brendan: Right. A lot of people and think okay, this is |
| Brendan: Well, I’ll try and keep things pretty | | | | the week that I’m really going to get fit and |
| simple. I’m, when it comes to eating, I’m | | | | healthy. I’m going to go and start this big |
| really simple to feed. I just eat lots of fruit and | | | | workout routine and they do way too much too soon. |
| vegetables and try and avoid packaging as much as | | | | Any kind of change is stress and this is true for |
| possible... | | | | exercise or even changing the way you eat. Even |
| Kevin: Okay. | | | | though it’s a positive change, too much too |
| Brendan: But it’s difficult because we’re | | | | soon is going to be a stress. You got to start slow and |
| all starting in a different situation and there are some | | | | just ease into it. Let your body adapt. There has to be |
| people who use standard American diet for 30 or 40 | | | | physiological changes to take place and don’t |
| years but are genuinely interested in a healthier way | | | | try and do it overnight. The odds of sticking with it |
| now because they realized they have to do something | | | | throughout the rest of your life is far greater than if |
| about their diet. But the chances of them going raw or | | | | you just jump into it and create all kinds of muscle |
| even vegan or even partially raw or vegan overnight is | | | | soreness and can actually really injure yourself as well. |
| very, very slim for them to experience success on | | | | Kevin: Let’s go over some of the symptoms of |
| that. | | | | too much stress again. Lack of sleep is one of them, |
| When I talk with people about this, I usually try and just | | | | what are some of the other ones? |
| let them know that transitioning is fine and it may take | | | | Brendan: Yes. The first symptoms of stress are ones |
| a year and that’s fine because if it sticks, then | | | | that most of us experience - trouble sleeping, sugar |
| it’s great, when you actually start wanting to | | | | craving, starch craving, a bit of weight gain, trouble |
| eat the foods that are healthy for you and you lose | | | | losing body fats, irritability, mental fog, just general |
| the taste for the ones that aren’t, that’s | | | | fatigue, even headache, even bloating, mouth-flu like |
| the greatest place to be. And I think that some of the | | | | symptoms, all those things. It’s different for |
| soy products are okay for transition, but just the | | | | everyone but even in some cases, rashes, people will |
| caution is to know that they are for transition and get | | | | have skin irritation. I like to actually be sensitive to those |
| off them once you’re beyond that. | | | | things. I’m not trying to suppress them because |
| Kevin: I don’t imagine there are many people in | | | | I know that they’ll just manifest themselves and |
| this call who train as much as you do or did, but I | | | | quite possibly crop up as a serious disease later. If you |
| imagine there are people on the call who would find | | | | pay attention to the warning signs of stress then |
| value in what you do on a regular basis, how you train | | | | you’re much better off and instead of drinking |
| and what you eat on a regular basis throughout the | | | | coffee if you’re tired, clean up your diet and |
| day, so can you take us through a day and just kind of | | | | maybe get a little better quality sleep which will just |
| tell us you know what you doing and what kind of | | | | happen when your diet is better. |