What do you eat?

I have had a lot skepticism in all of my 'athletic' endeavors about my vegan diet. People seem to equate red meat with strength. People worry about my protein. They worry about my iron. They say things like 'how are you working out that much and not eating meat'. Just looking at me should dispel the stereotype of waif-ish, weak vegan. I am...big-boned let us say. But seriously, I am far from skinny and build muscle pretty easily. I lift 4o pound boxes of bananas and 50 pound bags of potatoes daily. And I do so without eating animals! Here is what a typical day looks like.

Pre-run VEGA Sport performance optimizer (Thanks to my friends in Whole Body at Whole Foods for thinking of me when they had to mark a bunch out)

Post-run Good old-fashioned banana with a shmear of almond butter or peanut butter

Breakfast breakfast is usually oatmeal (Maine Grandyoats rolled oats) with dried fruit and nuts or vegan pancakes if I have done an exhausting run and need something fun.

Morning Snack Spelt Right Everything Emma bagel or sprouted grain bagel with 1/2 avocado spread on it. Maybe a splash of hot sauce if I'm feeling wild

Lunch I usually try to get in some raw greens- a salad with beans of tofu or tempeh. My current obsession is Curried Mango Tempeh salad from cookbook 'Vegan with a Vengeance'

Dinner dinner is often quinoa and kale with beans or broccoli tofu stir-fry over brown basmati rice. Of course I never turn down Silly's, Green Elephant, Pepperclub, Flatbread, Portland Pie....I am so lucky to have so many veg-friendly spots.

Snacks Whole Foods Sesame tofu is going to be the death of me. I am seriously addicted, I think. I am also a night snacker...cashews, chocolate chips, left-over whatever. I have been trying to control that beast

Other For long runs I hydrate with coconut water or mix up an Ultima electrolyte powder with water. Ultima is the bomb- no sugar (unlike Gatorade and Vitamin Water), vegan friendly and very environmentally friendly since you can mix it in your resusable water bottle. I decided not to eliminate beer completely from my diet while training. Moderation is the key and Portland is full of so many great bars with so many great local brews that are also vegan friendly. Now that I head down home stretch though, I am going to abstain and eat my veggies.


When I punch a day's food into livestrong.com, it is never protein and definitely not fiber I am low on. Surprisingly, it is often carbs. Oh, and it is lovely to see the saturated fat and cholesterol columns reading zero! Take that, doubters!