Powering high-intensity workout with vegan diet

About seven months ago, I decided to push my body into a more demanding exercise regimen. I  took up functional training to improve strength and fitness levels and cut body fat.  

Within a week, I was pleasantly surprised to attain great form and ease, and also demonstrated very high performance levels.

A high-performance vegan diet helped me maximize my potential and recover faster. You can do it, too.

Remove ‘nutritional stressors’: dairy, coffee, tea (Indian tea with caffeine and tannic acid), aerated beverages, alcohol, starchy foods (made from refined white flour and yeast), meats, dairy, wheat or gluten foods, sugars (high-fructose corn syrup, jaggery, other sweeteners), and all foods that are preserved or processed. I have been off all these energy depleters for the last eight years.  

Add nutrion-efficient foods, and a combination of alkaline/acid-forming foods.  

Focus on whole grains, vegetables (greens should form a huge part; for chlorophyll and oxygenation), quinoa, amaranth, sprouted seeds, fruits, beans, nuts, seaweed and spirulina. I get my fats from avocado, nuts, coconut and sesame oil (cold- pressed), coconut meat, and grass-fed cow’s ghee.  

Also ensure that food enzymes remain active by opting for lighter cooking styles. Overcooking destroys enzymes and nutrients. Eat good quality fermented foods (quick pressed salads, pickles made in brine, miso paste, kanji). The recovery post exercise depends a lot on the body’s enzyme levels.

Eat assimilated protein. I eat natural plant protein with a high pH in the form of sprouts, nuts, seeds and legumes (not over-cooked, as this makes it an acid-forming food), wheat grass, leafy greens.

EATING TIPS

• Pre-workout: Eat something that is quick to digest such as dates (simple carbohydrate heads to your liver for instant energy) or fruit sugars
   
• Post-workout: Go for a snack that contains good fat, protein and simple carbohydrate. I recommend a green smoothie with ½ an apple (fruit sugars), spirulina (protein) and nuts (fat). Also, the liquid helps the blood move freely to transport its nutrients, as post workout, blood works to clear out toxins and lactic acid build-up

(Shonali Sabherwal is a macrobiotic nutritionist, chef, and instructor)