Book Review 3

It has been 8 months now ever since I have turned vegan, and I have never felt better! To be honest I had a hard time trying to find balance in my meals because I had the image that eating vegan costs a lot of money so I had a very unbalanced diet from eating mainly soy based foods such as "Tofu" " Natto" (fermented beans) and so on.
In my head i had the image that I would be okay just by taking meat and dairy out of my diet, but I was wrong.
I did feel physically lighter when I stopped taking meat and dairy, but I would sometimes loose energy by the end of the day. At first I was very upset by the fact that I could not live a "vegan lifestyle" so i would ignore this feeling. After awhile I came to realize that just taking the meat out of my diet was a bad idea.
After reading the "THRIVE The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life." book, I have learned so much.

Around the beginning of the book (On page 40 in chapter two) It shows a pyramid suggesting the ratio of each food group in a daily diet. The diet consists of 45 percent fibrous vegetables, 20 percent fruit, 20 percent legumes, seeds and pseudograins, 10 percent cold-pressed oils, nuts and avocados, and 5 percent starchy vegetables and whole grains.

Of course the pyramid is only a guide and an example of a healthy balance diet. But to me it was the best information I could hear!
In this chapter it also has a list of certain phytonutrients. Some of the foods, I have never even heard before which makes it all the more fun to go on a search for certain vegetables and fruits.

Thanks to this pyramid, I have never been better!!

Vege Festa!

The other week on the 18th I went to the Vege Festival that was held in Yoyogi Park.
Last year I went with my older sisters so I had a slight idea as to how the Vege Festival was like and what was sold. I told myself that this year I was not going to buy anything because for 1. I now know how to make vegan dishes and 2. alot of the food is quite expenive.
But, I made a mistake and left the houes perfectly around lunch time so I naturally, I was starving when I arrived.
I ended up getting a vege burger and vege tacos which both tasted mighty fine! The one thing I love about vegan food, is that it is not only made out of natural products but because of how it is not overly flavored most of the time.


One of the things that I regret was not trying out the vegan paella!
This week I have a presentation that I need to do on paella but I have never eaten it before in my life. If there is another vege fesitval next year and there just so happens to be vegan paella, I will definitely try it out.


(I took pictures of both of the things that I tried out but I cant seem to get them on here. Ill try again when my computer isnt being wack.)

Book review 2

The book that I chose was so intriguing that I actually fineshed the book in less than a week!
So, I will be posting about the interesting facts and things that I learned along the way.


Around the end of the book the auther explains about the staple foods that he recommends for the 'Thrive Diet'
One that caught my eye was agave nectar.
I remember my father talking about it, telling me that it saying that it is predominantly grown in Mexico,which is a slow-release carbohydate and trace minerals from a blue cactus.
At the time, I was not so interested in health so i lightly brushed it off.
Reading more into the amazing healthy sweatener, I am tempted to get my own bottle of agave nectar. It is said to have about 90 percentt fructose so it goes well with dates which are high in glucose levels which make a good pre-workout snack.


Reading this book has inspired me to make more of my own 'homemade energy bars'. When I get the chance to make them again Ill definitely to to incorporate some agave nectar and dates, then take a few photos to post on here!

Superfood

"THRIVE" has got to be my all time favorite book at the moment. As I have mentioned in my last post about how I am borrowing this book from my sister, I am seriously considering buying my own copy!
I have read through more than half the book and am catching up on all the juicy details that I have missed out on on how to cook vegetables at a certain temperature so as not to "kill" the vitamins or about what foods that are perfect for a certain type of workout.

What I found most interesting was where Brendan talks about chlorella, a single-celled freshwater microscopic green algae. Chlorella is the worlds fastest growing plant which is capable of reproducing itself four times every 24 hours! Whats more, it is 65 percent protein as well as it containing 19 amino acids.
Furthermore, chlorella possesses B12 which is extremely difficult for vegetarians to find though other sources of vegetables.

After reading and looking more into this super food, I immediately searched online through http://jp.iherb.com/ to get my own chlorella supplements.

Book review 1.

I have always been into moving my body, whether it be dancing, sports,sticking to a workout routine, running or even randomly getting up to clean my room. ( ADD much? Haha!)

A few months ago I went to the gym with a few friends. At first I did not like the idea of going to the gym  because I did not know how to use any of the workout machines which was quite intimidating to me but, as my friends taught me the proper form and how to hold the weights I decided to give it a shot. 

 That amazing moment I first wrapped my bare hands around the barbell and lifted those dumbell's, I fell in love! Ever since then I have been doing more research on weight lifting which inspired me to want to compete in IFBB contests http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2015-ifbb-npc-legends-pro-bikini.html

 or better yet, become a professional olympian athlete someday in the far future. 

To get the best out of my workouts I wanted to study up on some quality vegan supplements that would aid me through my workouts. I looked all over the Aoyama Library but, could not find a single book that really stood out to me so I decided to borrow a book from my sister(who is also vegan ), a runner and yoga instructor who I assumed owned a book that is somewhat similar to what I was looking for. She recommended this book called "THRIVE The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life"written by a professional Ironman Triathlete called Brendan Brazier.

The title alone told me that this was exactly what I was looking for. 

I have read up to chapter two and so far I found that the writer Brendan, came up with a plant based diet including post and pre workout snacks, gels and drinks called the Thrive Diet which is supposed to help you develop a lean body as well as a sharp mind that boost and enhances your performance as an "elite endurance athlete"

The first chapter is a detailed explanation on how the main reason for stress in life is from the food that we put into our bodies, and that by changing to a (mainly raw) plant based diet, our bodies do not take so my energy on digesting foods that are cooked at high temperature, or meat. 

In chapter two, Brendan talks about pH effects on the body and how to properly eat certain foods at certain times of the day to get the most out of your workout. 

The book is very clearly described and easy to read. 

At the end of the book Brendan shows a 12-week whole foods mean plan which includes gluten and soy-free recipes which I am very much looking forward to reading!