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A review by studiomikarts
The Plant-Based Athlete: The Game-Changing Secret Revolutionizing How the World's Top Competitors Perform by Robert Cheeke, Matt Frazier
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.75
First off, I think this book is worth it just for the amazing vegan recipes in the back. I must have used at least a dozen sticky tabs, marking all the ones I definitely want to try! It's really helpful, too, that each recipe includes the nutrition information. That makes it easier for me decide what to make and how many portions to divide it into, based on my current kilocalorie needs. If you're an athlete of any level (me, I'm just an amateur with the ultimate goal of staying healthy throughout my life) this book will not only provide plenty of vegan recipes on its own--most of which are highly customizable and therefore could be all you ever need--it also names other vegan athlete cookbooks you can turn to for more!
The rest of the book's content is really solid, though I knocked a star off my rating because I would have preferred more science (and more in-depth explanations of that science) to accompany the inspiring anecdotal evidence provided. At least the science that was there was properly cited, plus I had already encountered many of the studies mentioned (and others not mentioned) thanks to my deep interest in nutritional science and its practical application. I was able to believe some of the weaker claims (except the cherry juice thing, that one just did not have strong enough evidence for me) because I already knew other claims definitely had a strong scientific backbone. Another reason for my less-than-perfect rating is that, while the stories of world-class athletes triumphing time and again on their vegan diets were inspiring and confirmed the fact that no one actually needs animal products to be healthy, fit, and the GOAT in their discipline, there wasn't much there in terms of guidance for everyday athletes like me, who have their deepest passions elsewhere (in my case, storytelling) and use health and fitness as a support to those ends.
Despite my qualms, overall I recommend this book to anyone needing that final push to go vegan, especially because it makes a very strong case for veganism actually outperforming other diets on the athletic stage, and it shows that even if we're in the minority, veganism is a HUGE movement. You'll be in very good company! If you're already on board with reducing animal suffering and/or negative environmental impact but you're worried about the classic, and untrue, claims that one simply can't get complete nutrition from a vegan diet, let this book prove that you can be an ethical, ecological, AND a kickass athletic vegan all at the same time!
The rest of the book's content is really solid, though I knocked a star off my rating because I would have preferred more science (and more in-depth explanations of that science) to accompany the inspiring anecdotal evidence provided. At least the science that was there was properly cited, plus I had already encountered many of the studies mentioned (and others not mentioned) thanks to my deep interest in nutritional science and its practical application. I was able to believe some of the weaker claims (except the cherry juice thing, that one just did not have strong enough evidence for me) because I already knew other claims definitely had a strong scientific backbone. Another reason for my less-than-perfect rating is that, while the stories of world-class athletes triumphing time and again on their vegan diets were inspiring and confirmed the fact that no one actually needs animal products to be healthy, fit, and the GOAT in their discipline, there wasn't much there in terms of guidance for everyday athletes like me, who have their deepest passions elsewhere (in my case, storytelling) and use health and fitness as a support to those ends.
Despite my qualms, overall I recommend this book to anyone needing that final push to go vegan, especially because it makes a very strong case for veganism actually outperforming other diets on the athletic stage, and it shows that even if we're in the minority, veganism is a HUGE movement. You'll be in very good company! If you're already on board with reducing animal suffering and/or negative environmental impact but you're worried about the classic, and untrue, claims that one simply can't get complete nutrition from a vegan diet, let this book prove that you can be an ethical, ecological, AND a kickass athletic vegan all at the same time!