Intro

"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?" -Henry David Thoreau


 
It has been two weeks since I last consumed a piece of meat. It was at the House of Tibet in Salt Lake City and the meal was beef momos, which are steamed dumplings. They were delicious. Since then I haven't eaten any meat, have been asked countless times "So why no more meat?" and had one person actually shove a sausage in front of my face. So, with this initial entry, I thought I'd answer this question and offer some background.

So Why No Meat?

First and foremost, because I've never tried to be a vegetarian and I'm a curious person. On the surface, it makes no sense for a strength athlete; conventional wisdom says that weightlifters and athletes NEED large amounts of protein. I see things like The China Study and believe that there has to be a more optimal way of eating; specifically using produce as a base to build around rather than meats. There is precedent in the athletic world: Jason Ferruggia has a good basic article here on weightlifting with a vegan lifestyle. For something a little more detailed, UFC fighter Mac Danzig outlines his lifestyle and diet nicely here.

I'm even more concerned with this now as I'm unable to train with a lower-abdominal injury that I fear will require surgery. It has given me a chance to reassess my training journals and find some trends, the main one being that I've slept better, trained harder and progressed faster when I've been at a lighter body weight. I made great strides when I weighed 205-210 but topped out in the last year when I've been in the 220-230 range. My top lifts increased marginally with the extra 20lbs (10%) of weight gain; not much bang for the buck.


I also can't reconcile with the practices of the meat industry in the United States and I don't have to sustain it with my dollars. I believe it's highly hypocritical of me to advocate compassion and reduction of suffering while supporting factory/farm practices by purchasing the product. Essentially I'm voting with my dollars in favor of farm produce and against factory/farm meats.


More than anything, it's all about finding the difference between "maximal" and "optimal", building a strong foundation and finding purpose in everything. Too often, especially in sport, we gravitate towards the magic bullet supplement. Supplements SUPPLEMENT and build on the base that you build with your general nutrition. In my opinion, the majority of supplements are made from piss-poor ingredients, potentially harmful rather than helpful and are a waste of money.

I welcome all comments and suggestions to add value to this blog; this is YOUR blog as much as mine. My idea in writing is to share my conversion to vegetarian eating as it relates to an athletic lifestyle. My goal is to provide some interesting content and add some value to my readers while chronicling my own trials and tribulations. Not always right or wrong but always honest and genuine. 

Also follow me via Twitter (@kylef)