Overview
The thrive diet is a raw, vegan lifestyle plan designed by
former professional athlete Brendan Brazier. It’s outlined in his book of the
same name, which provides readers with breakfast, lunch, dinner, smoothie, and
snack recipes in addition to a 12-week meal plan to follow as they get started
on the diet.
People who follow the thrive diet don’t count calories or limit
portions. Instead, they’re encouraged to eat several small meals daily to keep
their blood sugar and energy levels consistent throughout the day.
The plan claims to aid in weight loss, energy levels, stress
reduction, blood sugar stabilization, and cardiovascular health. It also claims
to offer overall health benefits.
What foods are eaten?
People on the thrive diet need to consume plant-based, whole
foods that are raw or minimally cooked at low temperatures—in other words,
foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.
On this plan, you’ll stick to nutrient-rich foods like:
·
beans
·
seeds
·
leafy greens
·
vegetables
·
fruits
·
hemp
·
cold-pressed oils
·
apple cider vinegar
·
sea vegetables
·
brown rice
Each meal should contain high protein, plenty of fiber, and
healthy fats without any animal products.
The goal of this diet is to consume raw, vegan superfoods that deliver all the nutrients your
body needs without the need for additional supplementation of vitamins,
minerals, or nutrients.
If you’re planning to follow the thrive diet, you’ll find that
there’s a long list of plant-based foods to keep you satisfied over the course
of the day.
What foods are avoided?
If you choose to follow the thrive diet, you’ll need to
eliminate all animal products, including:
·
meats (beef, pork, lamb,
bison, etc.)
·
fish (white fish, salmon,
tuna, etc.)
·
seafood and shellfish (shrimp,
oysters, calamari, scallops, crab, etc.)
·
eggs, poultry (chicken,
turkey, etc.)
·
dairy products (cheese,
yogurt, milk, cream, kefir, etc.)
In addition, you’ll avoid refined carbohydrates and
foods high in starch and sugar. You’ll also need to limit the foods that are
cooked at low temperatures. While they’re allowed in small amounts on the
thrive diet, frequent consumption is discouraged.
Finally, you’ll be encouraged to cut out or reduce processed foods as much as possible since many contain
additives and are high in sugar, salts, and fats.
What are the potential health benefits?
People who eat plant-based diets are typically able to maintain healthier weights and have lower blood pressure and
cholesterol than those who don’t. Vegan diets have been shown in some studies to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and death by cardiovascular disease,
though larger trials need to be conducted to study the potential long-term
health benefits in more depth.
A recent, small trial showed
the vegan lifestyle to be effective at regulating blood
sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, but more research is needed
in that specific area.
Those who adopt plant-based diets may
also reap the added benefits of reducing the number of prescription medications
they have to take, alleviating chronic health conditions, and lowering their
risk of cancer.
Eliminating processed foods from
your diet can reduce your intake of salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats plus strip
away the artificial, processed ingredients that aren’t present in naturally
occurring whole foods.
Brendan Brazier, creator of the thrive diet, asserts that
following the plan helps reduce stress and anxiety levels. However, these are
anecdotal benefits that haven’t been supported by research.
What are the risks and potential side effects?
People who switch to a vegan diet may find themselves at risk
for nutrient deficiencies. This is particularly true for nutrients found in
animal products, like iron, vitamin D, calcium, DHA, and vitamin B-12.
Although the thrive diet discourages supplementation, you may
find that you need to supplement some of these nutrients in order to meet the
recommended daily requirements.
As with any dietary change, integrate the thrive diet gradually
into your lifestyle rather than make an extreme change all at once. Start by
adding one or two thrive-approved snacks or meals at a time and then slowly
work your way up to the full diet.
You may experience gastrointestinal distress (bloating, changes
in bowel habits, etc.), irritability, and headaches as you make the changes,
especially if you change too much in too short a period of time.
Who should try the thrive diet?
Individuals with high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, chronic conditions,
or who are obese may benefit from the thrive diet.
Otherwise healthy people who want to clean up their diets and
derive more nutrients from the foods they consume may also benefit from
adopting a vegan lifestyle like the thrive diet.
People with thyroid disease should
be cautious when adopting a vegan lifestyle, as certain plants like corn, sweet
potatoes, soy, and raw cruciferous vegetables are goitrogens and
may exacerbate your symptoms.
Cooking these vegetables makes them safe for people with thyroid
disease to eat, but since cooked vegetables are restricted on the thrive diet,
those foods may need to be completely eliminated.
Additionally, people with kidney disease who
follow the thrive diet should restrict foods with high amounts of phosphorus and potassium.
The takeaway
Plant-based, whole-food, vegan diets like the thrive diet may
provide weight loss and health benefits to those who follow the lifestyle,
including people with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood
pressure, and high cholesterol.
As with any lifestyle change, the thrive diet should be
integrated gradually, approached with caution, and tailored to your individual
nutritional needs.
The Crux of the Thrive
Diet
Eating vegan means no meat,
fish, dairy, eggs or poultry. You get all your nutrients from plant foods such
as beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits. The Thrive diet focuses on the
"superfoods" available to vegans that contain ample antioxidants and
quality amounts of vitamins A, C, D and the B complex of vitamins. Omega-3
fatty acids, selenium and zinc are other important nutrients that the diet
emphasizes. An example of such a "superfood" is the sea vegetable,
chlorella, which you find in powder form and mix into smoothies or homemade
crackers. Leafy greens, hemp, pumpkin seeds and brown rice are other foods that
feature prominently in the diet.
Brazier maintains that his
holistic approach helps you gain long-term health and success; you can gain
physical and mental healthy by consuming whole, natural foods.
Starting the Thrive Diet
Brazier recommends you crowd
out "bad" foods in favor of good ones. When you flood your diet with
quality choices, you don't have the appetite or cravings for those of poor
nutritional quality. To start, you may just add one Thrive-inspired meal daily
-- perhaps a smoothie or a salad consisting of green vegetables and lemon juice
and olive oil dressing. A gradual approach allows your body to adapt to the new
way of eating.
Over time, more and more of
your meals take on the vegan, super-nutritious Thrive qualities. The diet is
not about perfectionism, but about making progress in improving your eating
habits. Brazier notes, however, that the more closely you follow his plans, the
faster you'll improve your overall health. The meal plan will eventually
recalibrate your system, so, he says, you will have no problem sticking just to
the foods included.
Go Shopping
Go shopping with a list of
high nutrition foods provided by Brazier in the book, so you can start to add
Thrive meals, or follow the whole meal plan, right away.
The recipes and meal
suggestions in the book act as guidelines, however; you can follow them
strictly or use them as a way to develop your own meals that incorporate the super foods.
The shopping list provided by
Brazier includes avocado, beets, carrots, celery, dinosaur kale, onion,
sun-dried tomatoes, sweet potatoes, nori sheets, chickpeas, black beans,
flaxseed, hemp, pumpkin seeds, amaranth, quinoa, wild rice, apples, bananas, dates, grapefruit,
coconut oil, hemp oil, walnuts, almonds, brown rice, spelt flour, agave nectar,
apple cider vinegar and fresh herbs.
The recipes and meal
suggestions in the book act as guidelines, however; you can follow them
strictly or use them as a way to develop your own meals that incorporate the super foods.
The shopping list provided by
Brazier includes avocado, beets, carrots, celery, dinosaur kale, onion,
sun-dried tomatoes, sweet potatoes, nori sheets, chickpeas, black beans,
flaxseed, hemp, pumpkin seeds, amaranth, quinoa, wild rice, apples, bananas, dates, grapefruit,
coconut oil, hemp oil, walnuts, almonds, brown rice, spelt flour, agave nectar,
apple cider vinegar and fresh herbs.
Guidelines
of the Thrive Diet
Brazier advocates that you eat
enough food to support your activity level and promote cellular health. You don't
supplement while on the diet; instead, eat foods that are rich in nutrients to
obtain all you need. Denatured, refined and processed foods should be avoided;
pasteurized protein powders, roasted nuts and packaged snacks, for example, are off the menu.
Instead, focus on foods that are efficiently digested while reducing your
intake of foods high in sugar and starch.
You'll eat several small meals throughout the day so you never feel too full or too hungry, which also promotes consistent energy levels. A
substantial afternoon snack that contains protein, high-quality fats and fiber
prevents your being so hungry at dinner that you overeat or make poor
nutritional choices. One of Brazier's smoothies, a homemade energy bar or Thrive-recipe vegetable crackers
with pineapple salsa, are examples of such snacks.
Guidelines of the Thrive Diet
Brazier advocates that you eat
enough food to support your activity level and promote cellular health. You don't
supplement while on the diet; instead, eat foods that are rich in nutrients to
obtain all you need. Denatured, refined and processed foods should be avoided;
pasteurized protein powders, roasted nuts and packaged snacks, for example, are off the menu.
Instead, focus on foods that are efficiently digested while reducing your
intake of foods high in sugar and starch.
Daily Specifics on the Thrive Diet
Brazier recommends you consume
a nutritious smoothie consisting of blended whole foods daily. His book has examples, such as a pomegranate smoothie containing banana, dates,
pomegranate seeds, flaxseed, hemp protein and cayenne; or a ginger pear
smoothie made with banana, pear, flaxseed, hemp protein and fresh ginger.
Meal Ideas on the Thrive Diet
The book, "Thrive: The
Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life," provides
the 12-week menu plan with recipes and suggestions for natural nutrition. You
won't find bacon, eggs, packaged cereal, burgers,
Exercise on the Thrive Plan
Brazier maintains that
exercise is critical to the development and maintenance of optimal health. As a competitive athlete, Brazier does
more than the 150 minutes recommended weekly by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, but doesn't expect everyone to exercise at his intensity.
Challenges on the Thrive Diet
The meal plans are
nutritionally complete and satisfying, but some of the foods may be new to you
and the new flavors may require some time to adjust to. Also, foods like dulse,
amaranth and rooibos may not be readily available incommercial grocery stores, so you may need to find a specialty store or
seek them out online. Many of the recipes require a high-quality blender, a
coffee grinder -- for grinding nuts and seeds -- and a food processor.
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