Weight / Digestion

There is a growing number of vegetarian, vegan and raw food athletes, from sprinters, marathon runners and Ironman contenders to body builders, hockey players, and the like. Regardless of the sport, we can find at least one vegan athlete among the bunch. What's more, coaches are realizing the benefits of adding more raw foods to their athletes nutritional regime. Gone are the days when vegan athletes were seen as weaker than their meat eating competitors.

Never-the-less, we are still faced with skepticism in the minds of some of our athletes and coaches. For the past two years I have been on a quest to put the raw food diet to the test by entering fitness competitions while being on a mostly raw food program.

In my younger years I bought into the belief that you really needed meat to help grow muscle. All the sport nutrition books that I read and all the nutritionists I counseled with said, "your plate should consist of carbohydrates, vegetables, cooked grains, salads and fruits, healthy fats and oils, nuts and seeds, and a protein source of lean meats such as chicken, turkey, fish and lean red meat on occasion."

I continued through most of my competitive life thinking I was eating enough nutrient rich foods until, at one point, I faced more injuries than I could handle. I had to stop any intense exercising altogether and ended up in rehabilitation. I went from therapist to therapist for a better part of four years. Imagine an athlete being restricted to rehab exercises! It wasn't fun. The lightest cardio motions aggravated my system and running was surely out of the question. After a while, these challenges all started to take a toll not only on my time but my bank account as well.

One weekend, after listening to a speaker at a health show, I learned about the raw food lifestyle. I heard more and more about eating raw and began to research the healing wonders of raw food. I couldn't soak enough in and attended food demonstrations, workshops, and lectures from experts in the field who spoke in Toronto.

Next came the creme-de-la-creme of raw food pursuits-Hippocrates Wellness. In July 2004 I went to Hippocrates and participated in their three week Life Change Program. Lo and behold, I started to feel better. When I came home I continued as best as I could with the lifestyle I had adopted. I also decided to experiment to determine if my body was still okay with adding the odd not so healthy favorite food. My body quickly alerted me that this "moderation" tactic just would not work. I gradually began exercising regularly while continuing to eat raw foods. With proper nutrition and the help of a Pilates teacher, and later a personal trainer, I finally returned to an intense exercise program.

Shortly thereafter, I decided to return to competitive sports. Instead of endurance sports, such as running, biking, adventure racing, and sprinting, I wanted to try something different. Since I was a teenager, I had always wanted to participate in a fitness show because I always admired the beautiful, tanned, muscular men and women who competed.

Although weight training had always been a part of my fitness programs, I had to raise the intensity to a new level. My new eating regimen was a running joke between my trainer and I - while I persuaded him to drink my wheatgrass he tried to convince me to add a little bit of meat back into my diet. But I was committed to proving that I could do this.

I am proud to say that on November 7th, 2009 I placed second at the IDFA's (International Drug Free Association) show, in the Novice Figure, short division, one up from my last year's finish, and as a raw vegan athlete to boot!

This year I entered my third competition with the Ontario Physique Association (OPA) and placed 4th in the Women's Open Division and 3rd in the Women's Master Division allowing me to compete at the Provincial level. At the Provincials I placed 5th in the Women's Master Division and am now training for the Nationals.

My diet is anywhere from 80 to 100% raw with the exception of some steamed vegetables and whole grains. Wheatgrass, E3Live, Sunwarrior and Hemp Protein are my proteins of choice to help with muscle building along with lots of leafy greens and tons of sprouts.

This year I will be turning 40 and maybe I'll set my intention for a 1st place win. For now I dedicate this trophy to everyone on this journey ofliving foods because it is purely the best.

So if anyone ever challenges you and says that it can't be done; prove them wrong. Anything you set your mind on you can achieve.

Best wishes to everyone!

Vol 30 Issue 3 page 42