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

when the wind tells you to stop...

Dear Chicken Nugget,

A couple of months ago I wrote about how I changed my diet for you.  And, for the most part, it's true.

Unfortunately the holidays came.  It's hard to eat a low fat plant-based diet when there's a beautiful, juicy turkey inviting you to enjoy it.  Combine holiday eating with a lack of exercise and it turns out my cholesterol is high again.

Having a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, a high cholesterol worries me.  Since finding out a couple of days ago, I've recommitted to a low fat plant-based diet.

And, just as importantly, I've created a set of fitness goals to accompany the diet.  I've signed up for three small races for early 2011 to help get me back on track.

So, today I went out for a run.  Man, was it hard!

A couple of months ago I started coaching a Young Runners Club at my school.  I'm leading fifteen students in kindergarten through second grade through stretches, relay racing games, and some slow and steady running that amounts to no more than a mile a day.  I'm running about a mile a day! Just one!

This, from a guy who has run two marathons (26.2 miles)!

I decided that today was going to be the day that I ran two miles.  In the morning there was a strong hard rain that immediately made my decision easy.  Can't run.  But then, as if daring me to go out, the rain stopped mid-afternoon.  I looked out the window and not a drop was falling.  I looked for signs of wind, perhaps looking for another excuse, and there were none.

So, I told your mom that I was going for a run.  She, always super supportive of my health, told me to go ahead.  Then, it took me thirty minutes to get out of the house.  Not that there was anything pressing keeping me, I just kept finding something else to do.

When I finally stepped outside, I felt great.  My legs were moving, my breathing was good, and the weather seemed to cooperate.

As I ran towards Astoria Park I thought about how easy it felt.  Then I came upon a downed tree.  It looked like it had been chopped down and there were massive pieces of trunk laying on the side walk.  I slowed to a walk trying to figure out a way around it.  Not a hard obstacle to overcome but it was the beginning of the doubts.

After walking around the tree and starting back up I started feeling the wind kick up again.  Not only was the wind picking up, it was blowing right at me.  I wanted to stop.  The wind was strong.  Just then an older gentleman, probably in his 60s, ran by me. I kept running.

As I approached the one mile mark I thought about walking back home.  But, no.  Couldn't.  That wouldn't be enough.  So, I turned back at the one mile point, still running.

Making my way back home it suddenly started raining again.  There was the doubt again.  Maybe I should hop on a bus.  Then a strong gust of wind blew in my direction.  I swear the wind was telling me to stop.  For a second, I did.  I stopped.

I was about half a mile away from home and I thought, well, a mile and a half is still more than you've done in a while.  I looked at the time and realized that we had guests coming over in about thirty minutes.  I had to run home if I stood any chance at showering before the guests arrived.

I started running again.  The rain gave up but the wind didn't.  The wind was adamant about me stopping.  I almost listened to it.  But, I didn't.  I kept thinking about you, your mom, and my health, and I kept running.  By the time I rounded the corner to our block I was running pretty fast.  And I was tired.  It's hard to run against the wind.  The run was hard.

As if mocking me one last time, a breeze blew the outside door into my ankles as I stepped into the house.  &*^%!!  The wind is now my nemesis.  I'm sure it'll try to get to me again.  And, maybe it'll bring its friends freezing rain and blizzard along.  I've met those two before and I've still run through them. I can do it.

I ran two miles today, Nugget.  Two.  That's all.  I had every excuse in my head to stop.  But, that's all it was: in my head.  There are always days that are going to be too cold, too hot, too windy, too busy, and too tired.  All these excuses are going to be whispering in my ear to not go out for a run or just to stop.

But for every excuse, there's good reason to keep going: my health.

On the last line of my RoadID it says, "I run to add another day."  Really, I run to run to add another day to my life AND to add life to my days. 


Step one: Run!

Step two: Ignore the &*^%!! wind.


Eternally yours,

Tu papa

I changed my diet for you

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Heart disease runs in our family, at least my side.  I've been diagnosed with a high cholesterol since childhood and it reached its peak in adulthood.  The problem, besides my own body's inability to control its cholesterol production, is diet.

Your Grandma Betty is an awesome cook as you will someday discover.  But, the Ecuadorian diet typically consists of white rice, a meat, and some sort of delicious sauce (made of corn, plantain, or oils and spices.)  It's delicious stuff and will always taste like home to me.  But it lacks a variety of vegetables and includes too much white starch and animal fat.  Tasty, but not great for a family that is prone to diabetes and heart disease.

I've been battling with high cholesterol for at least eight years.  As a young bachelor, straight out of college, and starting to teach, I was told by the doctor that I had a high cholesterol.  High enough that I had to go on medication or do something about it - like diet and exercise.  First I tried diet, which worked somewhat.  Then I tried exercise, which started my life as a runner, and that helped some.  But, failing to combine the diet and exercise together made the cholesterol stay high.

It all reached its epic peak in January 2010 when I went in for a routine checkup at the doctor's office.  He was a new doctor and hearing about my family's history of heart disease he ran the usual tests.  The results were disastrous.

My cholesterol was high and, even worse, there were several other indicators in the blood work that showed that I was at high risk for a heart attack.  There I was, 29 years old, having just found out that your mom was pregnant with you and being told that if I was 55 years old I'd be in serious, even deadly, trouble.

I immediately got to work doing research on cholesterol, diet, exercise, and magic potions; anything to ensure that I got my cholesterol down and lived a healthy life for you and your mom.  I ended up finding a book called Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.  In it he describes what the body does when you eat a diet high in fats and animal products.  Essentially, you get heart disease.  Although most doctors recommend that your cholesterol be kept under 200, Dr. Esselstyn recommends that you stay under 150.  And, the quickest way to do that is through a low-fat plant-based diet.

I started the diet almost as soon as I finished reading the book.  I also found out that a friend of ours from Nebraska, Bryan, had started a similar lifestyle change.  It went well and the numbers dropped dramatically.  I was training for the NJ Half-Marathon, raising money for the American Heart Association, and all was well.  I was put on medication as a precaution but the doctor said that if the numbers continued to drop we could try without the meds.

But, slowly, I became overly confidant in my numbers and I started introducing foods that I should have been avoiding.  Then, an old running injury prevented me from running the NJ Half-Marathon.  Then, summer happened.  As the excuses piled up, I lost control of my diet.  Then, you came.

For the last 27 days I've been staring at you in awe.  You are incredible.  I love you tremendously and would do anything for you; including changing my lifestyle so that I can enjoy many healthy years with you.

So, I'm back to my low-fat plant-based lifestyle.  I won't say that I'll follow the diet perfectly - there's always a mistake here and there.  But, I want those mistakes to be rare.  This isn't just about me and my cholesterol anymore.  It's also about you and your mom.

Recently, former President Bill Clinton told CNN that he has lost 24 lbs following the diet that Dr. Esselstyn writes about.  He's trying to reverse his heart disease and live long enough to see his grandkids grow up.

That's a wonderful goal.  It's mine too.


Eternally yours,

Tu papa

This is Sparta!

Your dad and his buddies hanging out.

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Your dad suffers from a serious disease called Wannabe-Warrior Syndrome.  I recall suffering from this disease as early as elementary school.  My earliest memory of it was when I was ten years old and coming out of the theatre after watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.  As I kicked imaginary enemies walking down the street, I thought that my calling in life was to be a hero or warrior. 

I grew older, wiser (well, wise enough to know that my hidden talent in life was not in the martial arts or any sort of fighting for that matter) but I still found a deep connection or longing to be strong and able to defend the defenseless.

Eventually this translated into stints in politics, thinking I was pre-Med, then pre-Law, then teaching.  But, the common thread through all this was a pull, or tug, to be able to stand up for what's right and kick ass while doing it.

Which leads me to where I am today: my seventh day of "Spartan Training."  I'll explain the 300 Spartan thing another time, but for now, just know that in the long history of human battle, there were once 300 Spartans who stood up to tens of thousands of Persians and inspired a nation to fight back an invasion and save democracy.  Great story.

In any case, there's a race being held on August 15th, 2010 called the Spartan Race where silly people like me are going to run a 5-kilometer race that involves jumping through fire, crawling through mud under barbed wire, climbing greased walls, and getting beaten with a stick.  And that's only four of the twelve obstacles I'll face.  The idea is to mimic, if even for just a little bit, some of the torturous fighting and training that the Spartans did back in their day. 

I'm training for the race because I think it sounds like an incredibly fun thing to do.  I'm also training for the race because it gives me a goal to help me get back into shape.  I am going to be in great shape when you arrive because I need to be.  Not just because of the race, but because you and your mom are going to need me to be healthy - and that's the ultimate reason to do what I'm doing.

Sure, you'll probably still catch me watching 300 and walking around the house pretending I'm slaying Persians left and right.  But, it's that crazy little Wannabe-Warrior Syndrome that keeps me getting back into shape when I fall out of it. 

I have you and your mom to motivate me to stay healthy and active.  And, I'll use those crazy hero stories to help inspire me off the couch.

So, if you ever see me standing in the middle of the living room and you hear me say, "Madness...?  This is Sparta!"  I suggest you either grab your shield and stand with me or run away 'cause it means daddy's having a relapse.

Eternally yours,

Tu papa

on sleep

Dear Chicken Nugget,

As I write this, your mom is already in bed.  I'm still up like I typically am. I usually stay up later than your mom.  Not because I'm working on something important, though in this case, I'm writing you a letter and that is very important - no, I usually stay up later because I'm trying to answer the questions floating around in my head.

I'm sure a therapist could help me resolve my need to answer questions late at night, but for now, Google.com has been a tremendous help.

But, this is not about your dad's obsessive need to know everything.  This is about sleep.  Your mom gets plenty.  I get less than desired amounts of sleep.

It's partly a habit that I developed in High School.  Back then, I would sleep five to six hours a night and manage pretty well.  On the weekend I would sleep in and get back on track.  The five to six hours of sleep habit continued through college and into my early teaching career.  Then, around my mid-twenties something happened.  I started getting older.

Though I could still function on six or fewer hours of sleep, I started realizing that seven to eight hours was even better.  All my aches and pains and fatigue went away when I slept more.  How about that?

Then, as I entered my late twenties and, now, my thirties I could no longer function on six hours of sleep.  Now, six hours is a bad thing.  I need eight hours.

Why do I tell you all this, chicky?  Because I hope you're smarter than your dad.  I hope you learn early on that sleep is a good thing and that getting lots of it is not only good for your health but good for your soul.

Be more like mom, Chicken Nugget - get your sleep!


Heading to bed,


Your papa