The Thrive Diet grew out of necessity. At the age of 15, I decided that I wanted to become a professional athlete. My goal was to ultimately be a professional Ironman triathlete. As you can imagine, I needed to dedicate a huge amount of time and effort to training for this event. I turned to other professionals in the field to see how they trained. I learned that there are two prime components that make up an athlete’s routine: training and recovery. Often referred to as stress and rest, both elements are of equal importance, yet usually only one gets attention: the training. Recovery occurs when the body is at rest—removing stress during times of rest will speed the rate of recovery, and so I realized that it’s the recovery that needed to be my prime focus, not the training. This led me to look at the importance of diet. The research I found went into The Thrive Diet.

Reducing stress through better nutrition. Stress is the root cause of just about all ailments, from minor irritants to major diseases.

Sleep deprivation, fatigue, mental fog, irritability, weight gain, sugar, starch, and caffeine cravings are commonly the first signs of stress. They’re the red flags we must recognize; indicating that stress levels are higher than what’s healthy. These symptoms of stress play an important role. They alert us that something is out of balance and will worsen if not fixed. Unfortunately, the common approach is to treat each individual symptom while ignoring the cause. Coffee and sugary foods to ward of fatigue, sleeping pills to help us sleep, and restrictive diets to help us lose weight; they are all a symptom-treating approach that is not healthy or sustainable. If we continue to ignore the root cause by treating each individual symptom, we mask the problem. Over time, if allowed to become chronic, these problems can become serious diseases. The Thrive Diet is about recognizing the first symptoms of stress and addressing what is causing them through better diet, so we never actually develop a major problem.

The Thrive Diet is more of a lifestyle than simply a diet. While technically what we eat is our diet, many people associate the word “diet” with a restrictive way of eating. It doesn’t have to be. The Thrive Diet is one of inclusion, not exclusion. By simply adding more of the foods suggested, eventually there will be no room left for the less-healthy ones. Additionally, the body will begin to develop a taste for simple, more natural foods and over time will no longer desire processed foods. Many foods will begin to taste over-flavoured. This is the best situation to be in, when the best food for you develops into the ones you desire. From that point, everything is easy. This does take time, however; it won’t be an overnight occurrence. But that’s fine. Your current diet will determine your starting point and how long it will take to develop a taste and appreciation of simple, whole, clean, natural foods. If, for example, you eat a standard North American diet, it may take your body six months to transition to the new way of eating. That’s okay. Considering what you are gaining, taking the time to transition is a positive investment. The payback is higher-quality living.

Healthy people are closer to their ideal weight. Therefore the best long-term solution for a lean body is to ensure health is priority one. Those who treat excess body fat with a restrictive or fad diet are simply treating a symptom. Being overweight is merely a sign that something’s out of balance and therefore optimal health has not been achieved.

Can The Thrive Diet help me gain lean muscle?

Yes. If you follow a muscle-building weight-training routine, The Thrive Diet can help reduce inflammation after each workout to enable the next workout to be scheduled sooner. Therefore, more training can be performed and recovered from in less time. This is how to maximize true gains in fitness and muscle tissue regeneration. Higher-quality building blocks (food) facilitate higher-quality body tissue to be generated.

I’ve been told that I have low bone density and may develop osteoporosis. Can The Thrive Diet help?

Yes. The Thrive Diet is alkaline forming. This means that bone mass will not be broken down in an effort to maintain blood’s neutral pH of 7.35. When refined, denatured foods are eaten; upon digestion, they create an acidic environment within the body. As a survival mechanism, blood draws highly alkaline calcium from the bones to maintain a neutral pH. Over time this leads to weaker bones and possibly to stress fractures in athletes. If not resolved, osteoporosis later in life is likely to transpire. As a society, we are developing osteoporosis in an earlier stage of life than ever before. This is not due to a lack of dietary calcium as originally thought. But rather to the over-consumption of processed, refined foods that cause calcium to be leached from the bones. The Thrive Diet includes a chart showing which foods are acid forming and which are alkaline forming. By following The Thrive Diet principals and the meal plan, the body will retain an alkaline state.

Is The Thrive Diet good for children?

Yes. Information from several organizations devoted to children’s health and welfare have reported that there is an undeniable coloration between children’s ability to learn and their diet. They have reported that processed sugary foods such as cereal can cause children to have an energy spike that commonly makes them hyper and unable to concentrate. Following a sugar spike, a crash always occurs. During an energy crash, it is incredibly hard for children to focus and retain information presented to them.

A diet rich in whole, unrefined, plant-based foods is the simplest solution. Eating this way will also help children stay leaner and be less susceptible to diabetes and other diseases later in life.

The greatest challenge for most parents is getting healthy food into their children. In The Thrive Diet, there are many recipes that will appeal to kids including Banana Chocolate Pancakes (pp. 213-214), Apple Cinnamon Energy Bars (pp. 228), and Tropical Pineapple Mango Smoothies (pp. 223). Vega Whole Food Smoothie Infusion is also popular with kids.

Is The Thrive Diet good for athletes?

I developed The Thrive Diet to help speed cellular regeneration after training to improve the rate at which I improved as an athlete. So, yes, it’s tremendously effective for helping to reduce inflammation, which in turn will allow for workouts to be scheduled closely together and improvement to be expedited.

There is also a sports-specific section that details what the best food (all with recipes) are to eat before, during, and after exercise. There are recipes for sport drinks, energy gels, and recovery, post-workout smoothies.

Is The Thrive Diet good for diabetics?

Yes, most recipes in the book are good for diabetics. The sport-specific recipes, however, are not suitable for diabetics as they contain sugary fruits, which are exactly what an active person needs during physical activity, yet the opposite type of fuel diabetics need to function well.

Can I incorporate only small amounts of the diet and expect to see results?

Yes. Even one meal or snack a day from the diet can make a noticeable difference over the course of six to eight weeks. Having a fruit smoothie with plant-based protein, essential fatty acids, and fibre for breakfast instead of sugary, starchy cereal is a sensible and easy way to begin.

Do I have to make the recipes to experience results?

No. Making up your own recipes while following the guidelines of the book will allow you to exercise your own creativity when it comes to plant-based whole foods. The recipes are there for those who need some guidance.

Do I have to follow the meal plan exactly to experience results?

No. The reason I included a meal plan was to give people an idea of how much variety the diet offers. Also, to give people a snapshot of what my personal diet often looks like, since I get asked about it frequently. As long as the principles of the book are followed, the mean plan can be mixed and matched with the recipes as well as your own creations.

Some people like having a “plan” to follow, others don’t. It really just comes down to what works within your lifestyle.

Is The Thrive Diet expensive?

Higher-quality ingredients cost more than lower-quality ones. I view food cost in terms of preventative medicine. I don’t like the word “medicine” since it’s for sick people, but the fact that healthy, whole food can prevent sickness from ever occurring is reassuring to me.

If the bulk of your diet is healthy, the odds of developing disease later in life are greatly reduced. As we are well aware, a major problem now facing senior citizens is the cost of symptom-treating drugs. Many simply can’t afford them. Of course the need for drugs could be eliminated in nearly all instances if a person’s diet had been healthy years prior. So, simply put—pay now for higher-quality food or pay later for drugs to treat symptoms caused by poor diet.

In addition, those who are healthier don’t require as much sleep, have greater energy, better mental clarity, and are physically stronger. Furthermore, they aren’t as prone to develop starch, sugar, or caffeine cravings. This leads to a significant gain in productivity, which some may choose to put a dollar value on.

Will I need to buy branded products to make recipes from The Thrive Diet?

No. The recipes have been developed to avoid specific name-brand products. However, to make finding top-quality ingredients easier, I’ve mentioned industry leaders and the ones that I personally use and trust. These are listed and described on the downloadable shopping list (link to come).

Are the ingredients hard to find?

The basic core ingredients can be found in most supermarkets. Next Level Foods can be found in most health food stores. I’m pleased to say that an increasing number of major supermarkets now include natural food sections and consequently are an excellent place to find Thrive Diet ingredients.

Are the Next Level Foods an essential part of The Thrive Diet? Are they expensive?

Next Level Foods featured in the book include:

Chlorella
Coconut
Green tea
Green tea seed oil
Maca
Rooibos
Salba
Yerba Mate

They are whole food sources of concentrated nutrients that can be greatly beneficial to overall health. However, none of them need to be eaten to experience results on The Thrive Diet. I view them as a substitute for vitamin and mineral supplements. That being considered, it very well may be cheaper to eat Next Level Foods that a myriad of laboratory-created supplements. And the results will certainly be better.

Do the recipes take a long time to prepare?

With some planning, they come together quickly. Once you get into the routine of eating this way, they actually take considerably less time than some standard recipes.

 

Recipe Tips:

Eating Raw

If you choose to make any of the recipes raw (there is an icon next to most recipes that indicates if the recipe has a raw option), soak a bunch of pseudo grains and legumes. Store them in an open container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Whole Food Energy Bars:

As you will notice in the meal plan, a whole food energy bar is suggested daily. They are a convenient way to get nutrition while on the go. The book contains several recipes for whole food raw bars including Apple Cinnamon (pp. 228), Blueberry Chocolate (pp. 227), and Ginger Pear (pp. 228). All the ingredients go into a food processor (the only equipment needed because they’re raw). I’ve been making these bars for myself since the mid-90s; at that time there were none on the market that would deliver unrefined goodness and digestibility anywhere close to what these do.

Once every three to four months I’ll spend 60 to 90 minutes making a big batch. I wrap each bar individually and store it in the freezer. On my way out, I’ll grab a bar or two for the day. I don’t feel that doing this three or four times a year is too big a time commitment. Another option is to simply substitute any one of these bars with a Vega Whole Food Energy bar. They’re based on my recipes in the book. Available in most health food stores in Canada (and many in the U.S. and the U.K.) and some grocery stores, Vega bars are a convenient way to get whole food nutrition on the go.

Snacks and Cereal

As with the bars, I’ll make a large batch of plantain chips every few months, so I always have a health snack on hand. They travel well too, just like standard potato chips. You’ll find a recipe for Crunchy Cinnamon Plantain strips on pages 241-242. The Sunflower Seed Pâté on page 265 is a perfect match. I’ll also make several weeks’ worth of the Toasted Apple Cinnamon Cereal (p. 215). It can be stored in an open container in the fridge for up to four weeks. When I’ve got more time, I’ll whip up the Banana Ginger Pear Cereal (also on p. 215). To make this cereal even more nutritious, top with an energy bar cut into small pieces.

Smoothies

A whole food, nutrient-rich smoothie is an integral part of the daily meal plan. While they’re easy to make by simply adding hemp protein powder and ground flax sees as the base to a variety of fruit, their nutrient density and convenience factor can be improved by using Vega. Vega Whole Food Smoothie Infusion adds a boost of complete protein from multiple sources (hemp protein, yellow pea protein, brown rice protein), essential fatty acids (hemp, sprouted flax), fibre, and greens.

Vega Whole Food Smoothie Infusion can be added to any of the smoothie recipes as a substitute for the hemp protein and ground flax on a one-to-one ration. In doing so, you simplify the process and improve the protein quality (amino acid profile) by including pea and rice protein, which complements hemp. Additionally, you get the benefits of extra fibre and greens. For complete information about Vega Whole Food Smoothie Infusion, you may visit 

Another smoothie option is to simply use Vega Whole Food Meal Replacement powder mixed with water in place of making a fruit smoothie. This is ideal for traveling and when you want to pack in extra nutrition. Complete information about Vega Whole Food Meal Replacement can be found at.

Will I need special appliances?

A blender and food processor are important but nothing fancy such as a food dehydrator or juicer is needed. If you do have a food dehydrator, making the pizzas and other recipes 100% raw will be an option, but of course that is not essential since they can be lower-temperature baked in the oven as directed in the recipes.

Is it hard to travel while maintaining the principles of The Thrive Diet?

I spend about 250 days a year on the road. I’ve actually found it quite easy to maintain a healthy whole food, plant-based diet. If you plan ahead, you can take food with you—energy bars and plantain chips, as mentioned earlier, travel very well. When I arrive at my destination, I’ll find the nearest farmer’s market and stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Is it hard to eat The Thrive Diet way while eating out?

Since The Thrive Diet accommodates grazing, you will never get really hungry or really full. At dinner time you simply won’t be as hungry as you would following a traditional diet. This being the case, a large salad will usually do it. Most restaurants are quite accommodating if you ask for a plate of vegetables or extra things in your salad such as avocado. Brown rice and avocado are usually restaurant staples, therefore having rice with avocado slices with a bit of lemon juice squeezed on top is a nice, simple-tasting option. One of the reasons for digestion problems, fatigue, and weight gain is going to be with too much food in the stomach. When I’m travelling, and I return to the hotel room, I usually have a half serving of Vega Whole Food Meal Replacement with water. It digests easily and will not put digestive strain on my body while I sleep.

Will I still crave certain foods while on The Thrive Diet?

Food cravings are often linked to fatigue. It’s actually common for the brain to mistake hunger for tiredness. Since starchy and refined sugary foods are usually what are craved, being properly rested is the solution. Once stress levels come down from eating Thrive Diet foods, the s tress hormone will decline. This is key. Once cortisol is lower, the body is then capable of slipping into a deep sleep phase known as delta. It’s in this phase when the body regenerates and rejuvenates its cells. Basically, it’s efficient sleep that helps the body grow stronger. Upon waking from deep delta sleep, the body will be rested and ready to go. Of course if this phase isn’t reached due to higher levels of cortisol, the body and mind will wake up and still be fatigued. This is where the desire to eat sugary foods and coffee start to jump start the body comes from. So, yes, The Thrive Diet will reduce cravings at the source by reducing fatigue.

I love (insert favourite food), can I still eat that while on The Thrive Diet?

As stated before, you don’t need to actively try to avoid certain foods. As you include more of The Thrive Diet foods you will simply begin to desire them over time and in doing so, will grow less fond of processed, denatured ones. But just allow that to happen organically; there is no need to force yourself.

Is there anyone who would not benefit from The Thrive Diet?

The Thrive Diet is simply a healthy diet that is beneficial for anyone.

I notice that there’s a chapter called “The Thrive Diet for a Healthy Environment.” How is The Thrive Diet better than standard diets for the environment?

Food production and its transportation is the number-one draw on fossil fuel, more so than any other industry. Therefore, it is the greatest contributor to artificial global warming. “The Thrive Diet for a Healthy Environment” chapter explains how we can significantly reduce our personal appetite for fossil fuel by shifting to a plant-based diet. Simply put, it takes less energy to grown plants for food that it does to raise animals. Ten times more fossil fuel is needed to create a calorie of meat than a calorie of plant protein.

Energy cost and burning fossil fuel aside, a 2006 U.N. report found that cows and methane-producing manure piles from cattle contribute to 18 percent of all greenhouse gases. That’s the equivalent of 33 million cars. Additionally, 11 pounds of grain and 2,500 gallon of water are needed to produce one pound of beef. More calories are needed to produce meat than are returned to the consumer. This results in a net energy loss that is neither environmentally sound nor sustainable.

What do you hope readers will take away from The Thrive Diet?

Empowerment. Each of us has the ability to take our health into our own hands. The Thrive Diet will supply the information; from there anyone can apply it for meaningful change.