How to fuel a plant-based triathlete

Dear Chicken Nugget,

I shared the following with some friends who were asking how it was possible that your mom and I could train for a triathlon eating a plant-based diet.  There's a common misconception that plant-based diets lack protein.  But the reality is plants have lots of protein with the added benefit of lacking cholesterol.

Here's what I wrote:

I was sent a message last night asking how I could possibly do what I was doing on a plant-based diet, specifically how do I get enough protein.  My answer is pretty simple: eat lots and make most of what you eat whole grains, veggies, and fruit.  You will get more than enough of what you need if you eat a variety of plant foods.
Of course, I'm lucky, I have a wife who agrees with me nutritionally and together we make some incredible healthy dishes so there's never the temptation of watching her eat fried chicken with a side of fries.

Today in Week 2 of Triathlon training I woke up to swim for 30 minutes, after lunch I did five sets of pushups totaling 68, and tonight I ran for 40 minutes.  Plus somewhere in between all that I did some work, read the newspaper, took Santiago (that's you Nugget) on an hour and a half walk, and went to the dentist. Granted this is during my summer vacation, but during the school year I would pretty much be doing the same thing, minus the swimming.

So, pretty busy day, how to fuel it was the question:

Breakfast:
1 slice Whole Wheat Organic Bread with crunchy almond butter and a drizzle of honey
2 glasses of water

Went swimming (30 minutes)
Walked with Santiago in the stroller for an hour and a half

Breakfast 2:
Brooklyn Bagel Plain with a schmear of soy cream cheese
3 glasses of water

Work, Read the Paper

Lunch:
Big Bowl of Latin Corn Soup (sweet potato, tomatoes, corn, hominy, red pepper, chili pepper, onion, garlic)
Handful of Organic Corn tortillas
1 glass of water

Work, Pushups (68)

Snack:
1 glass of iskiate (water, lime juice, agave nectar, chia seeds)

Dentist

Dinner:
Cous Cous with Lentil Salad (lentils, onions, pepper)
Bibb lettuce, tomato, cucumber salad
1 glass of water

Santi's bath, bedtime books
40 min Run

Snack:
1 cup of Millet with Raisins
1 Banana
Handful of Walnuts
2 glasses of water

Total calories: about 2600
Total protein: about 75g of protein
Total cholesterol: 0
Plenty of fiber

Is my diet perfect?  No.  But, it's plant-based deliciousness, fuels my triathlon training, I'm never hungry, it keeps me healthy, and helps me lower my cholesterol.


I wanted to share this with you Nugget because you're the primary reason we're eating this way.  My body makes too much cholesterol and my family has a history of heart-disease, diabetes, and cancer.  I refuse to be a statistic.

I am plant-strong so that I can stay healthy enough to watch you grow up, God willing.


Loving you with a healthy heart,

Tu papa

Happy Birthday, Abuela!

Dear Chicken Nugget,

On July 13th we celebrated your Abuela's 71st Birthday.  She would kill me if she knew I was putting her age in a letter - she likes to tell people that she only celebrates the day of her birth not the number of years she has lived.

We went to a Spanish Tapas restaurant in Manhattan:

Abuela Betty and Santi

We followed that by heading to the Children's Museum of Manhattan:

And then, we surprised your Abuela by getting you a professional haircut, you very first!

Before

 

 

After

Your Abuela thought it was the best birthday she's had in a long time - all because you were a big part of it.


Thank you for making my mom's birthday the best,

Tu papa

What to do when you lose someone

Dear Nugget,

On Mother's Day this year I called my mom, your Abuela, to wish her a Happy Mother's Day.  She told me, with a cracking voice, that it wasn't a happy one - her sister had passed away.

My tia Chabela (Aunt Isabel in English) was my mom's oldest sister, mother of four, grandmother of four, incredibly wise, and really funny.  She had been fighting cancer, multiple myeloma, for over a year.

My first memory of her was on my first trip to Ecuador that I can remember (my very first trip was when I was one).  I was traveling alone and had been told to look for a lady that looked like my mom and my Aunt Bella combined.  I spotted her in the crowd at the airport and she gave me the big motherly hug I needed.

She was my Aunt, but like any of my aunts, she was a mom to me.  I spent many summers in Ecuador, living at her house, and have nothing but the fondest memories of her.

She never got to meet you but she saw you in pictures and I told her all about you on the phone.

Writing about a loved one you lose is hard and that's why it's been three months since I last wrote a letter.  It's hard to process a loss like that.  But, we've all been working through it.

Here are my recommendations to you for what to do when you lose someone you love:
- Pray.
- Look around you for support.  Friends and family will be there when you need them most.
- Whatever you feel is OK.  Let the feelings flow.  Feel them.
- Take as much time as you need to grieve.
- Live your life.  My grandmother Maria was known to have people rolling in laughter at funerals, telling funny stories of the deceased.  She knew that life went on.  Keep moving.
- Pray some more.

You will lose people, Nugget, and it will be the hardest thing you'll ever deal with in your life.  No matter what happens know that you are always loved and we are always with you (here and in the next world).

"And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." - Jesus

Loving you, always,

Tu papa