Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier

I woke up this morning and went out and bought a whole bunch of ingredients for The Thrive Diet book recipes by Brendan Brazier.

So I am sitting here now looking at a bag of Organic Hulled Hemp Seed, Stone-ground light buckwheat flour, Raw Pumpkin seed, Hulled Sunflower Seed and Organic Amaranth Grain.












Tomorrow I am going to make my first Almond Flaxseed Burger, the recipe looks intriguing and fairly simple. It consists of:
-2 cloves garlic
-1 cup almonds
-1/2 cup Ground Flaxseed (I have flaxseed and with grind it myself)
-2 tlbsp coconut oil, hemp oil, or EFA Oil Blend. (I could not find hemp oil. So I got some UDO’s Choice Oil it has Flaxseed, sunflower, sesame seed, coconut, evening primrose seed, rice germ, soy, oat germ and bran oil.



So I take all of this and I put it into my handy dandy food processor. I have the option of eating it raw or frying it in some coconut oil. I am going to fry it I think. I don’t think I am ready for it to be uncooked. Just me though. I will pick some of the healthiest buns I can find, probably flax seed. I'll use some homemade tomato sauce, lettuce and I think some salad to go with it.

On my way home, today, I forgot the buns. I will wait until tomorrow to make it. Mandy and I are going to look at a few old churches in Vancouver on our date day tomorrow, then we will stop off at Capers or Whole Foods and get the rest of the ingredients. When we get home we will make the burgers and the Garlic Oregano Yam Oven Fries. Recipes that are also from the Thrive Diet book.

It was interesting going into the health food store and picking all this stuff up. I went to the Real Canadian Super Store but couldn't find a few things like the Arame, or Hemp Flour.

Some of the energy bars in the book look good and fairly simple to make. I have tried a few of the Vega Whole Food Energy Bars. Let me tell you they are really good. When I worked at the Running Room I had a chance to try the different brands of energy bars with Cliff Bars and Power Bar being the most popular. Trying the Vega Whole Food Energy Bars was a bit of a surprise. They are not nearly as thick and hard to bite. It had a light feeling, but yet I felt full after eating it. The taste was not that typical “chemical” taste that most bars try to hide with the intense addition of “friendly” flavours. It tasted more like well, fruit and nuts.

Kind of like that fruit and nut basket you got on your trip to a tropical country. You get all those great nuts and fruits that are imported here. You know what I mean? That bag of nuts you find that you buy and smuggle through customs because you are not going to pay $14.00 a pound for them. Even if you find them they sure are not going to be fresh.

Anyway that is what the bars taste like. I have tried the chocolate flavoured one and really enjoyed its non overwhelming taste.

So for now I am really impressed with the Vega bars. Not only does the food just taste less processed, it doesn’t stick inside you. I don’t know how else to say it. I am wondering if the ones I make from the recipe's will taste as well. I will keep you updated.

I am finding this whole Ironman journey a fun one. The training, the eating, trying to find the food can be a little frustrating and it sure isn't inexpensive. However there is a sense that you are doing good. You are being “proper”. I have no intention in turning into that all hemp wearing, save the animals, crusader of the plants vegan. I just have a sense that I am adding to my health, that I making a contribution. It may be small, but it’s my contribution.

The more I do this the more I will expect myself to not only feel better, but I will be able to train a little harder, get sick a little less, look a little healthier. After all, isn’t that what it is all about? We start by making small choices that lead to larger goals, that lead to bigger changes, that lead to a more enriched existence. Oh my god what is happening to me!!!

I also picked up the new Vega Sports Natural Plant-Based Performance Optimizer (that is what they call it) I tried a couple of the smaller one cup options. I needed to replace my regular sports drink and I thought I would try them out.



They are similar in there lightness to the other Vega products. Not overwhelming in flavour. I often found myself watering down my Gatorade, E-load, Ultima, or Gu. I mean when you are out on your bike for hours and hours, or running for what sometimes seems like forever. I don't want to be overwhelmed by chemicals. I need the nutrients, I need to replenish the fluids. I get it. I just want something to taste good. The best I found before the Vega was the Ultima. Gatorade was too overpowering, E-load to chemically, and Gu was exactly that, Gu.

Once again I am extremely impressed with Vega. I don't know if it's the ingredients (well I guess it must be the ingredients) or the lack of noticeable artificial ingredients. When you read the ingredients there are things like spouted whole grain brown rice, organic palm nectar,organic spinach, etc. You wind up with a drink that tastes well, good. Never overwhelming, never chemically, never thick, or Gu-ey.

I think I have found my new sports drink! Try it. http://sequelnaturals.com/vega I have yet to try the Antioxidant EFA I think that's next.