Swapping Steak for Spinach: My 12-Year Adventure in Plant-Based Endurance Training

12-ish years ago, I decided to change my diet. It was only about 30 days prior to making this decision that I had quit drinking alcohol. I stopped drinking cold turkey and figured I could do the same with going plant-based. Notice that I did not use the word vegan. At the time, I knew that I was going to continue to eat eggs because I was concerned about protein. The scenario I was facing was how I would I react to swapping steak for spinach and other vegetables.

The Pizza Clause: Navigating My New York Roots

I was also not going to give up eating pizza, I am a New Yorker after all. That meant that cheese would be a part of my diet but I would limit it. I would not put cheese on my tacos or burritos nor would I add it to a plant-based burger. Pizza was going to be the place that I would have cheese.

Eliminating alcohol because of a problem with drinking was not as hard to do as I expected it to be. This led me to believe that eliminating meat (beef, chicken, fish) would also not be that difficult.

What I did not know was how my body would react to this new lifestyle. I also wasn’t sure how hard it would be to create dishes that I would enjoy eating. Back then, the landscape of vegetarian and vegan options was not what you see today. Despite what was in front of me, I wanted to find out. After all, taking risks is in my blood.

A few weeks ago, James Riddlesperger, asked me about going plant-based. That question inspired me to write about my journey through endurance sports and a plant-based lifestyle.

Transitioning to Plant-Based While Training

Late in 2012, I had already completed my first 70.3 and Ironman events. I was thinking about how I could improve and what changes I could make to get stronger and faster. The first was to stop drinking. This wasn’t just to avoid training with a hangover. I had a problem with alcohol and had I not quit drinking I am unsure if I’d be writing this story today.

Training with a hangover was no longer an issue, but I was still looking for ways to get faster. At the time there were conversations about plant-based lifestyles. As a risk taker and one who likes to prove people wrong, I decided to give it a shot. If it didn’t work, I could go back to eating meat…..it wasn’t as if they would stop selling beef, poultry or fish.

When I started, the process wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. There were vegetables everywhere and I enjoyed cooking. Making dishes with rice, couscous and vegetables was easy. The hardest part was that fake meat at the time wasn’t any good. I kept eggs in my diet and also got protein from powders in smoothies.

I figured that I would be in good shape based on keeping eggs and protein powders in my diet but the real test would come when training started. 

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Key Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet in Endurance Sports

As training started, and eventually ramped up, the benefit that I noticed the most was my recovery felt faster. At the beginning it was a combination of quitting drinking and going plant-based but as time went on the recovery time didn’t change. This leads me to believe that going plant-based was also a key to faster recovery.

As I entered the world of trail running the plant-based lifestyle would really be put to the test. My race schedule would have a 100-mile race in late February and then an Ironman in September or early October. Training for these events would be 16 weeks each and the off-season would still be filled with lots of swimming, cycling and running.

During those years (2015-2018) the recovery needed from training was imperative. Eating a plant-based diet truly helped but beyond that it was also fast. Not having to cook meat made preparation fast and easy. For example, cooking tempeh may take 5-10 minutes and I could toss it in a salad with other vegetables and have a meal within that same 10 minutes.

When you get back from a 4 hour run or a 6 hour bike ride, cooking is one of the last things that you want to do. Having the ease of eating raw vegetables or 90 second rice added to a can of beans allowed me to get food in me fast without much effort.

Meeting Nutritional Needs as a Plant-Based Athlete

I’m sure there are some who will read that and wonder: are you getting enough protein. One of the questions I faced constantly when I first started eating a plant-based diet was ‘How are you going to get enough protein when you are swapping steak for spinach?’ I got so tired of the question that I would tell people that I chewed air and it got me everything I needed.

I understand that we get marketed to about protein and how everything these days has to have protein. Funny enough, most things do have protein. There is protein in nearly everything you eat and when you have that combination of ingredients working together you get enough protein in your diet.

My biggest fear was about getting enough Vitamin D, Iron and Vitamin B12. I did my research and found out that there are a lot of ways to get these nutrients into your diet. Mushrooms, fortified non-dairy milk, cereals and oatmeal would be helpful in getting Vitamin D. Beans and spinach would provide me with Iron while those cereals and non-dairy milk options would also help with getting vitamin B12.

During the past 12 years, I have not felt ill or had any issues with training or racing, even at the highest of volumes. As a matter of fact, there has only been one time where I’ve stopped training due to the opportunity for injury. I was sidelined for a few days because I decided to run hard the day after a race. That caused a calf strain that lasted only a few days but it wasn’t because of eating a plant-based diet.

Favorite Plant-Based Meals for Training and Recovery

I will get asked about foods that I recommend for fueling and recovery during intense training and after races. Each person is going to be different but here are a few things that I love eating during training and racing:

• Banza Pasta with vegan sausage and vegan pesto
• Tempeh and Avocado sandwiches
• Beyond Meat burgers with sweet potato fries or tater tots
• Vega Protein Smoothies (great for after a hard workout in the summer)

Beyond that, I enjoy making rice bowls that include beans and a variety of vegetables. I will add crispy tempeh or air-fried tofu to the bowl as well if I’m looking for a variety of items.

Of course, pizza is also a go-to for me. I love pizza and that is one thing that will always remain on my personal menu.

Adapting and Thriving on a Plant-Based Diet After Swapping Steak for Spinach

There are a lot of options available to people who are considering swapping steak for spinach. Take a few moments to think about your favorite dishes and then convert them to plant-based. It may take a moment or two to make the conversion but remember that there are no vegan police who will arrest you if you decide to include meat in your dishes if it isn’t working for you.

Today, I no longer eat eggs but I have not felt any issues from a lack of protein. I focus on getting in a variety of foods (and colors) into my meals so that I have a well-balanced diet. The go-to recently has been taco bowls that consist of romaine lettuce, rice, beans, Beyond Meat steak and crushed up chips. If I am feel extra, I’ll toss in shredded carrots, peppers and slaw but that isn’t always the case.

Whether you eat a plant-based diet or are eating meat, I believe the key is to have a variety on your plate(s). By doing this you can ensure that you are getting the macro and micro nutrients needed for your training and racing. I’m not a Nutritionist or an RD, so make sure you reach out to somebody who has studied this subject and they can provide you with insights that my story cannot.

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