Finding Ultra (32 page)

Provided your diet is made up of different combinations of these grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and green vegetables throughout the day, you can't help but get all the essential amino acids you need. This type of regimen has fueled me for years without any issues with respect to building lean muscle mass and properly recovering between workouts.

That being said, during periods of heavy training, when I'm feeling unduly fatigued, or on days I know I haven't ingested enough high-protein plant-based foods, I'll include a modest amount of plant-based protein powder in my daily post-workout smoothie as a supplemental safeguard. When I do, I prefer hemp protein, as this is one of the few plant-based foods that contains a complete amino acid profile. However, hemp isn't the most bioavailable plant-based protein, meaning the body cannot fully assimilate all its nutrients. I have found that it is best used when combined with a variety of other more bioavailable plant-based proteins. To meet this need, and in cooperation with Compton Rom of Ascended Health, I formulated my own plant-based protein formula called Jai Repair, comprised of the purest and most bioavailable pea, sprouted brown rice, and hemp proteins, as well as a robust blend of endurance-promoting Cordyceps mushroom extracts, L-glutamine, vitamin B
₁₂
, and an array of powerful antioxidants such as resveratrol and more. Jai Repair is a proprietary PlantPower blend scientifically devised to expedite maximum recovery induced by exercise stress and has been instrumental in furthering my continual improvement as an athlete (for more information on this product and more, see
Appendix III
, Resources, or visit
jailifestyle.com
). And I always include spirulina in my Vitamix blends. With a protein content of 60–65 percent by weight (higher than any other natural food source), this fresh-water algae phytonutrient superfood is an optimal and complete protein source.

Contrary to popular belief, more protein isn't better. Satisfy your requirement and leave it at that. With respect to athletes, to my knowledge no scientific study has ever shown that consumption of protein beyond the advised 10 percent of daily calories has any beneficial effect on muscle growth or repair. In fact, excess protein is physiologically converted to an inefficient energy source or alternatively stored as fat. And concerning everyone, copious studies have established beyond doubt that over the long term, excess protein intake from animal-based sources can be harmful, significantly contributing to the onset of a variety of congenital diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, impaired kidney function, and heart disease.

Let's wrap up the protein question with one thought to ponder. Some of the strongest and most fierce animals in the world are PlantPowered. The elephant, rhino, hippo, and gorilla have one thing in common—they all get 100 percent of their protein from plants.

PLANTPOWER DIET

ALKALINITY: BUILDING YOUR PLANTPOWER BASE

Many of the health benefits of the PlantPower Diet are premised on one powerful concept: alkalinity.

The body is constantly striving to strike a systemic balance of acidity and alkalinity, measured as pH, ranging from 1 (the most acidic) to 14 (the most alkaline, or “base”), with neutral being 7.0. Optimum wellness is achieved when the body is in a slightly alkaline state (7.35–7.45).

The foods we eat, the air we breathe, the toxins we absorb through our skin, and the stress we manage all factor into our body's pH. And although there's a consensus among nutritionists and medical experts well versed in these matters that somewhere in the range of 80 percent of the foods we ingest should be alkaline-forming and 20 percent acidic, the typical American diet—combined with our fast-paced, stress-inducing urban lifestyle—is overwhelmingly acid-forming. Processed foods, sodas, meat and dairy proteins,
polluted air, and simple life pressures all contribute to what is called “metabolic acidosis,” or a chronic state of body acidity.

Why is this important? When the body is in a protracted or chronic state of even low-grade acidosis, which most people's bodies these days are, it must marshal copious resources to maintain blood pH somewhere in the optimal 7.35 orbit. Over time, the body pays a significant tax that manifests in a susceptibility to any array of infirmities: fatigue; impaired sleep and immune system functionality; a decrease in cellular energy output, nutrient absorption, bone density, and growth hormone levels, which over time lead to a reduction in muscle mass; an increase in inflammation and weight gain, leading to obesity; the promotion of kidney disorders, tumor cell growth, mood swings, and osteoporosis. And I haven't included in that list a variety of bacterial and viral maladies that flourish in the acidic environment.

By way of example, we've been taught since birth that “Milk Does a Body Good,” primarily because it's high in calcium. And without it, you risk brittle bones and osteoporosis. But the truth begs to differ. Setting aside the fact that milk contains saturated fat, cholesterol, and, typically, certain hormones, the acidic nature of dairy products can actually
promote
calcium deficiency, which over time can lead to osteoporosis. Unless one ingests a substantial amount of counterbalancing alkaline-forming foods, the body must stabilize blood pH caused by acidic dairy protein intake by leeching precious calcium and other mineral stores from the bones and releasing them into the bloodstream in an effort to achieve pH neutrality. Over time, a person can actually become calcium deficient and his or her bones turn brittle. Funny how that works.

By contrast, plant-based whole foods, when combined with a reduction in environmental stressors, are alkaline-forming. For example, a regimen that contains daily doses of dark leafy greens rich in calcium obviates concerns about bone density and osteoporosis.
I'm talking about fruits and vegetables such as coconut, avocado, bell pepper, tomato, and lemon. Nuts and seeds, like pumpkin, sesame, and almonds, are also helpful, as are sprouted beans and grains, Celtic sea salt, coconut oil and milk, olive oil, and quinoa. They're all great alkalyzers.

Maintaining a diet rich in alkaline-forming foods helps regulate and optimize health on the cellular level, assists in promoting sustained vitamin and mineral levels, and maximizes the body's immune system functionality.

In addition, making the switch to a primarily alkaline-forming diet aids in weight loss. As previously described, metabolic acidosis catalyzes a protective response that results in excess acids being removed from the bloodstream. But where do these excess acids go? The body ends up storing them in fat cells. The more acid, the more fat cells required for storage space. In other words, an acidic diet and environment promotes an increase in body fat while working to erode muscle mass. But this process can be reversed by the ingestion of alkaline-forming foods, which serve to “cleanse” the body of excess acid, negating the need for extra fat cell storage space. The result? Weight loss.

As an athlete, I've discovered that, other than sleeping, maintaining a primarily alkaline diet is the best recovery tool available. Such a diet works to reduce exercise-induced inflammation that impedes the body's ability to promptly repair itself while at the same time promoting the repair, growth, and maintenance of lean muscle mass.

Still not sold? All I can tell you is that over the last five years, despite juggling my rigorous training schedule, full-time job, and hectic family life, I continue to improve athletically. And I've suffered little more than a sniffle. I've missed plenty of training sessions due to family or professional obligations, but never because I was sick. That's amazing in light of the fact that previous to my dietary shift I suffered from a myriad of allergies and could count on getting the flu, a head cold, or a sinus infection every couple months without fail.

I can state with full confidence that an alkaline, plant-based, whole-food diet is the most rapid recovery tool available to the athlete, and a crucial component in my success.

NUTRIENTS: GET DENSE AND BLEND

Another key component of the PlantPower Diet is nutrient density. At least twice a day I prepare a primarily green-based smoothie drink in my beloved Vitamix blender—the one kitchen item I simply can't do without. Neither the Vitamix nor its rival, the Blendtec, are your garden-variety blenders. With motors that could power a Jet Ski, these machines can literally make juice out of just about anything. How powerful? Using the top-of-the-line Vitamix, I once blended an avocado pit and drank it.

In the morning, I pack this turbocharged machine with a variety of plant-based foods to kick-start my metabolism and provide lasting energy for the day. The foundation is always a combination of dark leafy greens high in alkalizing chlorophyll to aid in
cell regeneration—foods like kale, spinach, spirulina, and marine phytoplankton. Plus, I add endurance boosters like beetroot, chia seeds, and maca powder, a rotation of avocado, coconut, and hemp seeds high in essential fatty acids, and blueberries and acai for antioxidants. Pepita (pumpkin) seeds provide extra iron, and bell pepper and citrus fruit provide vitamin C, which enhances the body's ability to absorb the iron. And if the blend is too bitter, I add a small amount of orange or apple juice for flavor. But I never overdo it on fruit juices; after pasteurization they're essentially zapped of much of their nutritional value, leaving mostly sugar.

Then I blend everything into hyperspace oblivion. I blend until all the ingredients blur into a foamy liquid. Drinking down the deliciousness, I instantly feel my mood improve and body come alive, alkalized, nourished, and energized for whatever the day may bring. It's a lasting, consistent, and stable energy that keeps me (as well as my wife and kids) fortified and evenly sustained for several hours without the heavy feeling of a carbohydrate-dense breakfast, the inevitable sugar crash of a donut, or the hunger pangs that follow on the heels of empty calories low in nutritional value.

In essence, the Vitamix not only allows me to eat an incredible amount of low-fat, high-fiber, nutrient-dense foods in one sitting (unlike juicing, which discards the majority of the produce), it does so by essentially “pre-digesting” the foods for me, sufficiently breaking them down
before
ingesting. That, in turn, promotes a high degree of easy absorption, rendering the nutrients readily available for my body to use.

When we eat, our bodies must expend significant resources to
digest the food in our gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Energy is required to break down what we've ingested before it can be assimilated and utilized by the body for nutrients and fuel. The more difficult the food is to break down, the more energy is required to digest it. For example, if you eat a steak, it requires an incredible amount of physiological oomph for your body to digest. Your system has to divert a copious amount of resources that could be otherwise used for clear thinking or exercising well or simply being attuned to a beautiful day. The more blood diverted, the more drained and unfocused you become. You experience that “food coma” that only passes when the job is done.