Cycling Weekly thanks for doing this so we don't have to. It just takes us each to cut down meat and diary by half to be equivalent to half the world going vegan, right?
Vegan now for two years, better weight, better fitness and better feeling than ever. My biking and running have improved immensely.......the first few months are the hardest but it gets ever easier until it becomes easy as anything. Good vlog! Thanks.
When people think of vegan food, they too often think of imitation hamburger patties and tofu blobs. They forget simple things like oatmeal, PB&J's, rice and beans, stuff they eat without thinking about it not containing animal product. I think you've hit the nail on the head, though. The name of the game is to make a progression of small, meaningful steps; goals aren't often achieved in one giant undertaking. Anyways, I really enjoy your channel. Your enthusiasm, curiosity, and drive make your videos some of my favorite to watch. Keep up the great work!
I think being a vegetarian is a great thing to make the world a better place and yourself more healthy but I don't really see the added benefits of vegan. Although I haven't gonna fully vegetarian I have cut back my meat eating back about half and intend to make it even less. The hard part for me will be getting the rest of my family onboard.
Cycling Weekly It's a shame Olly didn't watch the video if the one day old chicks getting ground up alive. But we wouldn't want to put him off his eggs!!
I was vegan literally for 17 years but last week on a downhill accidentally swallowed a fly so I have to reset the vegan clock and start all over again!
My wife's a veggie and is trying to go vegan, so naturally my meat intake has cut back drastically. I wouldn't class myself as vegan, but 90% of my meals are. I don't miss meat as much as I thought and my cholesterol has gone down. However I do still eat cheese and tuna as I love them. My advice, don't go cold turkey. Cut back slowly and you'll soon find that it's not that difficult
What's more trendy than veganism is the obsession with protein. 100g of Beef vs. 100g of Beans, both contain 22g protein, beans more iron and none of the down sides as we ll as a fraction of the calories. What Chris said is spot on, eating whole-food plants, without supplementation you will reach your leanest, most powerful potential as a cyclist.
Jacob Tipper all plants have all essential amino acids. Protein deficiency is not a thing. Eat enough calories from whole plant foods with plenty of variety and you're set.
I'm aware plants have EAAs, and you can have a perfectly normal/fine diet with plants. But if you want to reach your full potential as a cyclist you don't just need protein, you need good quality sources that contain higher amounts of Lucine in particular. While yes soybeans are high in them, most beans have about 25% of what beef, chicken and other high-quality proteins have of Lucine. So that would be a lot of beans you would need to eat to get the same amounts, which is possible, but really quite impractical and unsustainable to eat that amount. As said before you could get the sources from soybeans, but there are plenty of studies showing how too much soy-based product isn't particularly good for you as a high-performance athlete, and as protein goes plenty of studies show you don't get the same benefit as consuming whey based products. You can be perfectly healthy as a vegan, but for high-performance all the data backs up non-vegan products are the way to go. * I now await people naming random athletes who are vegan but good... that is not proof, all those atheltes may well be better on a non vegan based diet.
The fact that you can be selective with your AA structure is a positive. If you're training you can focus more on BCAAs to get the repair benefits without having to eat more of creatine, fat, cholesterol etc... in order to do it. Beans are not the only plant-source of protein, legumes like peas for example have a much higher concentration of lucine, and you can safely each much more of them, also given the lower fat content, you can eat more of them for the same number of calories (fat=9 cals per gram, carbs and protein only 4 cals per gram)
I'm a triathlete who does lots of cycling, 300+ km's per week most weeks and train over 20 hours per week. I was vegetarian my whole life and then made the switch to veganism last year, aged 22. Admittedly, the shift wasn't as hard as for the meat eaters out there as I was already half-way there, but I have found any performance or physical losses at all. I still train the same and my performances have improved over the past year, I started cycling at the same time as my shift to veganism, was a marathon runner before that. I do supplement protein but other than that have no problems with meals and fuelling for long rides and events, doing an IronMan triathlon on a vegan fuelling plan and diet. I know it wont suit everyone but anyone who tries should stick at it as it gets easier after a few months, cant just give up after a few weeks.
I'm a big fan of veganism. I've been vegan since January 1st and through hard training and a plant based diet my weight has gone down and my power has gone up! Fair play to you Ollie for trying it!!
It was fascinating seeing your experience with veganism, Oliver. I am 16 years old and have been vegetarian for 10 years, and haven’t eaten meat beyond fish. The past few months, I’ve tried eating less dairy and eggs, both for moral and environmental reasons, and haven’t felt a big difference. Somedays, I’m vegan, and others simply vegetarian. Seeing your experience with veganism has inspired me to maybe try going vegan for month, or longer, as well. Thanks for the entertaining vlog and keep it up!
I'm glad you gave it a fair crack Ollie! I find the ethical side keeps me vegan, I think you worried needlessly about protein mind. Maybe check out some of the rich roll podcasts he's achieved some epic results vegan
I've been vegan for about 5 years and feel good and have decent ftp. In the start it was a bit difficult figuring out how much calories to eat. I don't use protein supplements, just eat alot of vegetables everyday with rice, beans or potatoes. Nowadays I'm on a sweet potato curry burritos binge
I agree with you here Ollie. I’m a competitive (cat1/2) cyclist and have tried going vegan...I want to be vegan...but, I find my performance is better when I up my protein intake a bit but find digesting soooo much plans based food to get adequate protein can be a bit uncomfortable. Especially when we’re talking 4-5000 calories a day of food. So now I eat some fish. Also, I didn’t get any leaner or lighter when I went vegan. I actually found it easier to drop weight when I was still eating eggs (and fish). That might not have been simply due to what I was eating though. But the point is going vegan won’t automatically make everyone leaner. Especially if they are already not overweight. Also also, since changing to an almost plant based diet (part time vegan as you call it the video) two years ago I’ve only been sick once...and I treat sick peoples every day!!
Great to highlight the environmental impact of meat farming. I couldn't help but find it funny the number of times you've shown poached eggs in the first two minutes... I'm a vegetarian but not full vegan - have read conflicting evidence about the impact of a vegan diet and I'm concerned about mono-culture farming: huge swathes of land devoted to almond farming for instance in California that may be affecting local water supplies. I've seen arguments for limited livestock farming especially in areas of the UK that are completely unsuitable for arable farming - up on moors for instance! I'm also not convinced that avoiding eggs for example, especially if you're careful about where you get your eggs from, is necessarily going to have much impact on the environment. Of course, how those hens are fed is going to have it's own impact so it's pretty complicated. Ultimately, I think getting people to think about what they eat and how their diet is having an impact on the world is the best thing - regardless of what people ultimately decide. Cutting food waste, food mileage, unnecessary plastics and packaging - all these are also going to have an effect and something else to consider.
So, in California with Almonds (speaking as a Californian), yes. They do use a lot of water. However, there's also a lot of beef and cattle-feed crops being raised in the state that use a lot more water. A glass of almond milk has a much bigger water footprint than a simple glass of water, but has a much smaller water footprint than a glass of cow's milk.
The majority of grains, soy and corn is used for animal agriculture, so reducing animal agriculture will benefit in that aspect. Regarding the "local" eggs, that still involves exploiting animals. To produce egg laying (female) chickens, you also get male chickens, meaning, those will get get killed on their first day of hatching. Besides that, in the USA, according the USDA, eggs are not allowed to be promoted as healthy, nutritious or safe.
As a second year student of Food, Nutrition and Health at UBC, I can confirm that the beef and dairy industry is amongst the most polluting and inefficient activities that humans are practicing right now. However, your argument on almond farming and its impact on local water supply is rather weak as those farming regions have minimal surface water supply(mainly underground water, which is bad once you start exploiting it for whatever purpose) and obtain their water through the canal system that diverts water from hundreds of kms away(northern California). Monoculture farming has its efficiency and disadvantages. The intensive use of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides as well as the lack of crop rotation and periods to allow soil to regain nutrients are much more harmful than the intensive input of water. Other than that, you are right on getting people to regain food literacy and recognize the importance of food sovereignty.
Farming of more crops and fruits etc needs a very concentrated approah but when you consider that higher arable land is devoted to canola and Wheat which cn easily be higher yielding to more varied foods then you would see that we have plenty of fertile cropping land. The wine industry uses copious amount of good land and water for a smalll yields whereas Beer production produces more product with less land and water. Lets not forget human population which if we reduced by 1-2 billion would have less impact on food scarcity. Birth control over two generations will see a drop to sustainable comfortable levels globally eliminating pollution and crowding. The population of the world is the elephant in the room and very few are willing to discuss it for either Religious or reasons that defy logic. Countries like Japan and Italy and many others are seeing reduction in birth because they want their kids to live in small society with more housing space etc.
First of all props for trying it out and specially for putting in the vlog. Second I suggest you up your carb intake and reduce your fat intake for maximum weight loss or management. As I beginner cyclist and vegan my power numbers aren't the best but my vo2 max are really good, my weight is on point (69kg 185 cm) and I don't count calories. I eat as much as I can every day, high carb low fat medium protein. Big thumbs up for trying and for sure small steps are better then no steps! Keep up the good work and thanks for spreading the message
I did a vegan diet for 18 months, along with some friends. while they seemed to thrive on it , I did not. I never got that "high energy" or " super clear skin and eyes" thing that people talk about . I seemed more susceptible to allergies and respiratory problems. Ethically , it's a superior way, but It doesn't work for me . Since going back to a diet that includes a wide variety of vegetables , carbs and meat , I function better and get ill less.
The Bike Gnome Have you tried a whole food plant based diet, based around high fruit intake? Not all Vegan diets are Equal!! Same as not all non Vegan diets are Equal. I think if you want to live conciously you can easily do so, you just need to adapt to different foods and focus on nutrients not fads or protein.
The vegan46 How predictable. You do realise that humans have evolved to live in different environments? Some people due to their ancestors don't have the genes to live on a wholly plant based diet while others cannot live on a high meat diet.
MsPeabody1231 what a load of Bullshit name one country or certain human as you call them that can't live on a plant based diet .anyone that says they cant are clearly not doing it right.humans don't need meat to live fact .
It would have been a good idea to have done blood work, then compare you power and blood numbers before and after to be more objective. I would love to do a month training and eating with you Ollie.
Eat Plants Keep in mind though hes training with... holy fuark.... that schnoz looks like it could swallow a banana by itself @20:35. Pause and just have a look at that thing! Ask him if doc rivers is his kin if you ever meet him in real life. Ask him if he can smell what you're thinking about veganism. Fuck sake man better drop him or he will breathe up all the air. In all seriousness though thats got to be a genetic advantage.
So to be the Vegan telling everybody: Many people try it, I can only revomend it! I've went vegan years ago and, as many others report, my body felt tremendously better. The whole ethical part of the debate is not really worth debating, scince the numbers are clear als Ollie pointed out. But the health aspect is interesting as well: there are plenty of studys showing long term health benefits (yeah yeah no randomised-control trial studys but you aint got them on other diets either). Especially for athlets: you're likely to get less inflamatory responses in your body on a vegan diet, which helps to recover faster. And concerning the cost aspect: I'm a low-budget student, you'll get along if you put some time in it. So what keeps you off giving it a try?
I've been vegetarian for about 2 months now and can see myself becoming vegan in the future. Having eaten meat all my life I don't see *much* difference in how I feel or how I ride. Doing something good for the environment is a massive plus, that is what is pushing me to go completely vegan.
I'm currently doing an extended Lent as a vegetarian. I admire vegans quite a lot for being as strong as they are, with regards to not eating any dairy or anything. I don't think I could be vegan myself as I enjoy cheese and eggs and milk just a bit too much. I do think I could continue with vegetarianism for quite a while though
Well done Ollie. This was a great episode. You presented the Environmental issue, and your perspective of being a healthy person before the change, well. How much research did you put in to your diet prior to January 1st? Knowing the you'll be missing the eggs. Formulating your egg-contingency plan, if you will.
Considerable. I'm passionate about food and I enjoyed the vegan food i ate. I can cook, so that helps and Having mates who are great chefs is very useful. I read research papers and watched the severall documentaries.
My wife and i started to go vegan 6 month ago and boy it changed our lives totaly. In a good way. Bud the best thing about vegan..... i got fitter and destroyed my Friends pr's on Strava. :D
I think it's great that you've done this and highlighted the environmental issues and I commend you for giving it a go. I think it would have been better if you had focused less time on protein (which really is not an issue, you can trip over enough protein on a vegan diet) and more time on the nutrients that really are an issue for vegans such as calcium, iron, vitamins D & b12 and omega 3 & 6. There are lots of cyclist (and people generally) going vegan and focusing needlessly on protein without paying any attention to these vital nutrients. No person in history has ever died (or become seriously ill) from protein deficiency but brain function issues later in life related to b12/omega deficiency as well the many many issues related to Vit D and Iron deficiencies are rife. If people are going to go vegan (which I think they should!) they should be aware of these real issues so they can focus on eating the right things, a proper vegan diet can provide all of these, but these are areas that people often fall short and then blame veganism for getting sick (which is crazy, if you neglect nutrients on any diet you would get sick).
Thanks for the vlog Ollie, helps to disperse the myths that veganism and athleticism can go hand in hand. I'm no vegan but I can plainly see the benefits, especially from an environmental perspective. Chapeau.
I support the reasons to adopt a vegan lifestyle. However ,as you highlighted in the video, getting in the right amount of protein when you're training hard is difficult without the use of supplements. Unfortunately, I'm a student and i don't have deep pockets to spend on protein powder etc. Any tips on being a vegan athlete on a budget?
Have known quite a few vegans for years and it doesn't hold them back at all. Contrary to the stereotypes, they never made a big deal of it or hammered me when I was eating meat/eggs three times a day. Came around to vegetarian eating myself a few years ago when I found out about the environmental impact of meat/dairy industry. Started choosing chicken/fish over red meat, now 99% of my meals are vegetarian and have cut right back on cheese/eggs/butter. For me evolving over time works and I prefer to think 'I choose to eat mostly vegetarian'... that means I am aware that it is a choice when I make an exception (e.g. touring Japan) and I haven't 'failed' / broken the rules / fallen off the wagon irreparably. Used to be obsessed with protein but now don't think about it and haven't had any issue. Keeping fat low and carbs up is noticeably good for me. Mental focus better and ...er... tongue cleaner?! Enjoying it.
I was a vegetarian and healthy eater for many years but when I’ve gone vegan OMG cycling performance improved so drastically, everything improved FTP, recovery times, so much more energy to do things! However for me personally cheese was the “poison” in my diet, I’ve had blood tests while still on vegetarian diet (eating cheese) and my C-reactive protein (shows inflammation in the body) was quite increased, since going vegan blood tests are perfect. Need to mention though my motivation to go vegan and stay vegan is animal welfare therefore never craved an egg or cheese. General health and cycling performance improvements are all welcome benefits. You did great Oli and cutting on meat and diary will have a great positive impact on reducing animal abuse and greenhouse emissions ❤️🌱
I had the exact same realisation at the end of going vegan too. My diet before being vegan for a month was probably quite poor so being vegan made me feel more healthy, the only difficulty I found was going out for food or even worse going round to other people's houses for dinner, they were the main reasons I stopped being totally vegan. What I took out of it was I don't need meat as much or as often as I did for it to be "a meal" and I'm now just as happy and content with a vegetarian/vegan meal.
i'm a plantstrong veganator :D i've been vegan for about 4 years, and i feel fantastic, high energi levels, boosted performens and no supliments! Just b12, and everyone should be taking b12
John VeganCyclistDK the only people who need b12 are vegans. If becoming vegan increased your energy level, then you must have been unhealthy before. The only reason to go vegan are for the environment and for food shortages, which are good enough reasons.
No not only vegans need B12, modern day humans living in modern societies need to take B12www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2000/b12-deficiency-may-be-more-widespread-than-thought/38% of americans have low B12
I have been a solid Vegetarian for 35 yrs (now 48yrs old) and choice has always been a problem - there’s always something, but not always what you want! Health wise I’m a fit cyclist, mountaineer, rock-climber and have never suffered from a lack of energy (unless driven to the wall). Cannot live without eggs - you’re not alone - so Veganism, not an option! Keep healthy, make your choices, and make your choices work for you.
good video... There's waaaay more vegans in the UK than the States man... Brits just seem more willing to look at and heed statistics and studies regarding meats...
In terms of short term health impacts, a whole food plant based vegan diet definitely seems to have a more noticeable impact the unhealthier a person was beforehand. I'm glad you gave veganism a fair chance in this video and helped show a serious athlete can be vegan with no problems. The main problem was obviously missing out on the certain foods you like which is a fair claim. But it should be stated that one egg contains more cholesterol than your RDA. So that should be kept in mind. And I do applaud people who genuinely cut back on animal products for their health and believe a little is ok. It's just that is where the ethical side of veganism comes into play. If you don't need an animal product for anything other than taste, then is that a justifiable reason for exploiting the body's of sentient beings? Just a thought for anyone interested
First off, congrats on taking the time and effort to educate yourself on the topic of veganism, give it an honest go, and then put yourself out in the public eye! Second, as a vegan of almost six months, I am very happy with my decision for both my health and environmental impact. It can be inconvenient and even awkward at times (especially when I visit family in the meat-loving southern USA,) but I firmly believe it is worth it. Diet is a spectrum, and while veganism probably isn't the best choice for everyone, if we all make little choices to incorporate more natural, responsibly-sourced foods into our everyday diets, we will do a world of good for ourselves and future generations. (And I would be more than happy to help relieve you of any leftover vegan protein...)
I really enjoyed your vlog Oliver. As a professional producer, I can say you have a very nice witty comfortableness on camera. I was perplexed to see your delightful poached eggs so early on in your edit when you were explaining your vegan foods. But they appeared again later after Vegajanuary was finished. Thought you might enjoy trying Adobe Premiere. You can get it for 29.00 US a month and learn all kinds of nifty tricks. Keep it up mate. Really enjoy your work.
I'm 16 and have been Vegan for 6 months. Love it. I understand that many people find it hard to go vegan, but that is because either they are uninformed or misinformed. Since I turned vegan, I have gotten much leaner, and have actually increased my power to weight ratio incredibly. There are many ways to go vegan, they are all good, but some suit different sports better than others. I have chosen to go the high carb route and find I have much more energy than in the past.
All the sacrifices of being vegan are nothing compared to the suffering of the animals, the impact on the enviroment and also your health. I'm a vegan athlete for almost a year and i feel great, yes it's difficult to not eat at home and all that stuff but it's worth it and my consciense is clear..
I’m not keen on the word vegan. It has a lot of political connotations. I am one and I maintain 79-80kg with a decent bf % though. I rarely have a protein shake unless I feel totally wiped out from riding as well. I find Dr Esselstyn’s videos very compelling and educational if you are interested in being plant based!
I’m writing this as I make vegan pancakes. My fiancé trained for and completed a marathon on a vegan diet last year so clearly it does not effect athletic ability. Whilst I am not Vegan. I agree that meat consumption should be reduced, in particular beef. I eat vegan the majority of the week except for weekends mainly when I eat out or have eggs with breakfast. It totally doable as long as you plan meals which are very tasty.
6:50 "Do you think you could race at [Continental Pro Tour] level and be vegan?" Well, Adam Hansen is vegan so you can even go beyond Continental level.
I've tried veganism before and I found that I had a hard time getting the calories I needed about 5000+ a day during my training. But I did find a great vegan protein powder that I've added in and feel better in the heavy training weeks
I went veggy a few years back, mostly for convenience as the mrs is. I don't weigh much but I dropped about a stone over the next year; there's just so much fat in meat, that for cyclists cutting down is a good idea. I too like me eggs, and continue to eat these for the protein, but I buy them from local farms where I know the chickens are happily roaming around a mucky field. There's a few ethical questions behind mass-production of eggs, so this makes me feel ok about eating them - plus they taste SO much better fresh from the farm than from the supermarket. Oh, interesting videos btw ;)
I have recently tried a couple vegan dishes recently, They were edible and full of protein. My biggest problem with a vegan diet is my budget, and the lack of stores that sell things like brown rice tortillas. I will be eating more low sodium black beans from now on, and less beef or pork. I am not a huge fan of cheese anyways. I need to get better and chopping vegetables faster. It seems to take me a lot longer then it should.
another vegan here, was racing c grade races then went vegan now i am winning a grade racers and never been better. I had crohns disease and it has solved that issue also eat enough calories and just forget about the protein bullshit.
TheTibikart What protein bullshit? Have you read the GCN book, The Vegan Cyclist? I suggest you look at the chapter on protein. We all need protein Vegan or not.
Being a vegan that cycles I have seen an increase in power decrease in weight both marginal but add up to a good power to weight I think you need to worry less about what your eating and just go with it don’t worry about calories as much just eat and train
a quick clarification...plants are organisms as well. No, this is not meant as an indictment against veganism, just clarifying the analysis that Marmite should be fine since it's yeast...yeast are fungi so if you eat mushrooms you shouldn't really have a problem with yeasts
Good video and nicely balanced arguments. I've been veggie for nearly 30 years and have recently gone vegan, although if I'm honest it's primarily to make me stop and think about my diet more and break some bad habits/lazy eating I've picked up. I'm only a few months in, but feeling good so far and can't see myself stopping.
As mentioned, there are massive environmental benefits, but from my perspective the best approach is more personal - eating less red meat to reduce my impact, ensuring the pork/chicken/fish I consume are raised and processed in a sustainable and ethical manner and trying to support local producers. That being said, I eat more vegetarian meals than I used to...as I just can't give up cheese!
Veganism is in many ways very interesting, but I have a few thoughts on it. I am a sports science student living in Oslo (where meat prices are ungodly) and the science seems to suggest that hitting all your nutritional requirements on a completely vegan diet is very difficult, although doable especially with supplements. I live a mostly vegetarian lifestyle. Partly out of financial necessity and partly because I was brought up with a lot of vegetarian meals.
I don’t think it’s the end of the world if you’re a vegan that has eggs twice a week and has a pizza a couple times a month. If everyone did that the impact would be huge!
Great video Ollie. What would you have classed your diet as before? seems we need a new category your 'Part Time Vegan' seems Vegan Vegetarian Pescatarian Clean Eating .... etc ways of eating have such strict rules (and as woes + lows when and if you break the rules). Can we not have a new category of eating 'diet' where you make the best choices you can, but the world will not fall apart if you have a pizza or poached egg.....
Great way at approaching the subject. I think you did everything very sensibly and didn't just follow the beliefs that the vegan vs non-vegan teams are spouting (poor nutritional science on both sides) Good job.
We’ve cut our meat intake by about 50% without really trying that hard, even going for veggie options when eating out. It,s a lot easier now than ever. I’ve never been bothered by animal death or the environmental impact of meat production cutting my meat intake down has just become a way of life.
Paul Fearon interested to know why you have done so if you’re not bothered about animal deaths or the environmental issues associated with meat? Also, how has your health and cycling benefitted, if at all?
I did a similar test and got pretty much the same conclusion. Hard for me to become a vegan person (specially whilst trying to reduce body fat), but definetely I can consume less meat than what I was used to. This statement comes from someone who the though of eating less meat never crossed my mind until few weeks ago. Cheers
Vegan for over 2 years now. Lighter, fitter and prettier than I was eating meat. Hitting PB’s for cycling, swimming and running recently. Eat more CARBS!
12:54 simple logic mate: if you obsess about protein especially those coming from HIGH FAT foods like nuts, you WILL put on weight............... chickpeas, and bean have very low fat content. They are virtually all carbs, which is what you need to not feel sluggish. Why not focusing on those or on starches???
Mitchell Steindler I am perfectly fine 👌🏾😉I was replying as the video was rolling. I am simply frustrated that this guys went completely unprepared for, according to himself, a “massive” change of lifestyle, and and end up with “it’s not for me”.... well in that case why bother going into the challenge in the first place? Will he go into a race of a completely different category with the same mindset? I don’t think so...
I think a lot of people give up a plant based diet due to social pressure and debunked science, but now its easier to be vegan than ever, there's less and less excuses, besides even the food industry is getting into plant base alternatives because long term is the better option for the planet.
A really good unbiased video. I agree with all the benefits of going vegan, but I feel that actually vegetarianism is a could half way point. Even pescatarian, the important thing I truly believe is to reduce or virtually cut out meat consumption.
I was worried about being able to get enough calories in. Turns out it is not a bother on a plant based diet. My fitness levels increased, recovery time increased and I can now ride much further and faster than before.
The coconut yogurt - the greenhouse gases that are produced transporting the coconuts to the uk is immense. Far more than any British meat impacts the environment...let me know your thoughts.
good news, you're wrong about that. Not that shipping it across the world is great, but the impact is still much less. At the moment a huge amount of soy, grain and corn is grown in remote places, than shipped to Europe.....to feed farm animals that eat a huge amount more than any human would. So eating the plants directly would be better.I recommend watching the documentary www.cowspiracy.com
I have always been a keen cyclist, but upped the ante the last 3 years, a year and half ago I decided to go vegetarian for health reasons and noticed a huge difference in my cardiovascular workouts, and feeling healthier and dropping body fat. About 7 months ago I decided to try going vegan for the same health reasons, and because after doing the same research you did I care about my impact on the planet, and want to look after it for my children and their children. I must admit before going vegan I ate a lot of processed food even when vegetarian, purely for ease, I lost a little weight going vegetarian a few pounds but when I went vegan I dropped half a stone. My resting heart rate has dropped from 85bpm when eating meat to 62bpm being vegan, surely a good thing, I find workouts easier in terms of cardio, but if I don’t look at what I’m eating when I can lose energy quickly, I don’t think it’s because I’m vegan it’s just I don’t really know much about sports nutrition and I’m learning as I go, however I am cycling from Lands end to John o’groats this June! So I will be putting the vegan diet to the test for sure. I have upped my training this month and will continue too until the start of June. So far no real issues I do feel I need some supplements for to aid recovery though so I agree with you there. Enjoyed the video glad you took something away from it, and can see some benefits from not eating as much meat and dairy :-)
Someone else mentioned Adam Hansen. I just found out he is vegan. That guy is a legend of unfailing form and endurance riding every grand tour since 1890 or something. So that's a good sign 😀
I've been Vegan most of my life, took up cycling last year! Its a good combo. Marmite is great, trouble is the company who owns it not so much so I don't really buy it as generally make quite ethical choices. The 2 biggest contributors to Climate Change are the Meat Industry & Transport so by being a Vegan Cyclist you remove yourself from both. I wonder if any of the views on here have changed since the release of the Game Changers x
Just read about your point regarding the company behind Marmite, AKA Unilever. I understand your view BUT! It's important we buy the vegan options from these companies cause it shows them there is demand and if there making money off it they'll be more entitled to bring out more products. Also, if you didn't know the CEO of Unilever announced 3-4 months ago that focusing on vegan products will be one of their top priorities moving forward. Which can only mean more animals saved in the long run. So keep supporting these companies! Richmond's who make pork sausages for instance now have 4 or 5 vegan options. All cause of customer demand. I think one day we'll see companies like this completely shifting away from animal based meats. Aninal rights is moving in the right direction 👍🏻 Thank you for supporting the animals :)
@@TheFabFoo that is the other perspective. But i've been vegan since the mid 80s when the only choice was to boycott & buy from ethical companies. Never had a McDonalds, never had KFC. Don't think I've ever brought an animal product at all or from companies that test on animals. Unilever was named as one of the dirty dozen worst companies back in the 90s & now they want vegan cash. Have they stopped testing on animals yet. Maybe the vegan market will put more pressure on them to stop. I did go to Wimpy to get their new Vegan burger for those exact reasons x
@@ladylove3636 I'm glad you understand where I'm coming from and I totally get your old school mentality. I've got two links about our subject matter here that you'll wanna check out in case you don't know already. www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/china-ends-mandatory-animal-testing/#:~:text=We%20woke%20up%20to%20wonderful,but%20this%20is%20major%20progress! www.unilever.co.uk/news/news-and-features/2020/no-animal-testing-unilever-brands-and-the-eus-chemicals-regulations.html#:~:text=We%20don't%20agree%20that,safety%20at%20Unilever%2C%20explains%20why.
going vegan has been great. feeling good eating lots of non-processed food. has helped my cycling. just reducing meat and dairy is a great step forward. would recommend anybody to try. never heard a doctor say eating more meat and diary will improve your health
What I Think about vegan is thats it is really good but not something I could be on everyday of the week, like Everything moderation so a couple of Days every week I try to eat vegan dinners.
Paul McCartney and Linda campaigned for people to have a 'meat free Friday' many moons ago and the logi behind it was purely about getting the folks that won't go full veggie or vegan to at least do something to reduce the animals for food consumption as opposed to campaigning for a hardline immediate adaption. I can see that approach to be a slow approach but radicalism can push people away from change because we re wired to be distrust that hardline approach.
Yes you can definitely be a part time vegan! You obviously can't call yourself a vegan then, but lets say you reduce your meat consumption by 80% and your dairy consumption by 50% that is still making a difference. The partial vegetarian diet is a really EASY way to increase your intake of plant foods and to avoid any awkward social situations. These strict diets like paleo, vegan, etc are so hard to follow because they don't fit into people lives. Like, what are you supposed to do when you go to your grandmother's house for dinner? Just shove the plate away? Compromise is key.
For the animal, compromise is not the way to go. If you would be allergic for a food, your family would also have to consider that, so why not when you're vegan?
For my fiancé and me, we eat a few vegetarian/vegan meals a week for the environmental and heath benefits from lowering our meat consumption. I personally try to avoid going too far on any dietary changes unless it’s a doctor prescribed health necessity. Avoid eating an entire plate of brownies and enjoy that occasional treat of grandma’s homemade meatballs.
How many times do you need to show your poached eggs on toast haha. I had more energy when I went vegan but for me its the ethical side. It's unnecessary to eat animal products in 2017 with so many cruelty-free alternatives. This was a great video. You had an open mind and weren't bias. It was an honest experiment.
I’m all for veganism, i just don’t have the discipline for it every single day. I wish that the discourse around veganism was less ultimative, and that it was more commonplace to eat a diet of ie. 80% vegan meals, which is easily achievable for most people. I think that a lot of meat-eaters are turned off by the idea of never eating a piece of meat again, i know i was for a long time
case1: if you convert 2 people to be 80% vegan you already had a much bigger impact on suffering/environment than case2 converting 1 person to a hardcore one in ! Which is also much much more realistic and vegan advocates should focus on lowering peoples animal produce consumtion instead of telling them not to eat twinkies(which have very small amounts of beef lard in them, which is a byproduct of the meat-industry) for example Vegans are too extreme, if you are "only" 95% plant based they tell you to your face that you aren't a real vegan, just because you like to eat a few non vegan meals a day
There's more to Life than people, you know. To say, the whims, opinions and urges of people matter more than Lives of animals - is highly ignorant. People can feel insulted, intimidated, assaulted all they want - that's trifles compared to what the #untermensch (read: butchers, hunters, trappers, exotic savages, "livestock" farmers) do to animals. To billions a day. From frogs and mice to the blue whale. Non-stop. With a pathetic, hideous entitlement.
I applaud those that are vegan but personally it's too much of a compromise of lifestyle for me. I don't want to be restricted in where and what i eat and I'm happy with my current balanced diet.
A part time vegan is call a cheatgan or a flexitarian. I only prepare vegan meals, fueling like an athlete with the occasional indulgence of crisp and bikkies.. I don’t really feel much difference being a vegan but my trainer often claim that my recovery time is minimal compared to his other clients and I’m sticking to being vegan
Veganism is great and is a good option for many people. I think more people should become aware of the benefits on society of becoming a vegan. As more of these people look for vegan alternatives there will be a greater demand for more vegan substitutes and research. Over time the change required to become vegan will be easier and a lifestyle change will not be required.
I enjoy your videos Olly as you transformed CW on YT but I have to question some of this one - I realise it’s not necessarily your opinion but....If you want to do something due to environmental impact and not focus on ethics of eating an animal, is it not worth looking more at eating quality food produced near where you live? Where do you think bananas, avocado, nut milks etc come from? Not Doncaster/London. Vegan Protein powders, vegan bars - all processed and where are the source materials grown? What was the processing factory environmental impact? Powders in plastic tubs too....people can be vegan, paleo, etc and eat what they want for their own reasons but to try and convince others with an environmental aspect seems questionable. People say they feel better on detoxing, vegan etc but generally it’s because they are stripping out most of the very highly processed foods they eat. Similarly it’s a tough experiment to judge your cycling performance as it’s not blinded. Wouldn’t normally comment but please Keep up the good work.
Good points. Having a science background myself, I am well aware my pseudo experiment is just that! But you make a great point about the sustainability of food. i am all for seasonal and local produce, I just hope we see a change that facilitates this more, as feel it is something governments need to act on rather than individual consumers
Nutrition is a complex matter. Even more when in training. Common foods can be improved from several perspectives. Non animal based foods can give us some answers. I'd love to see more of your hands on approach to this matter. Radicals have had their way with veganism. It does not have be about an ideology or kind of religion, after all food shoud be about feeling well. Why can't we just be a 80 to 20 percent vegan? One does not save the earth by eating "the right stuff" anyway.
I've been mostly vegan for almost a year now. I lowered my cholesterol without having to take meds. The only time I break it is cheese on pizza, and Sushi :-)
I think veganism is great, both from an environmental and animal welfare point of view. Every time you refrain from meat eating, nature and animals get saved, so any time you don’t eat meat is a win. However in my experience, I find it counter productive to get upset when really wanting to eat differently now and then. By allowing some transgressions it will be easier to switch back to vegetarianism/veganism quickly.There is also a lot to say for responsible meat consumption, where you pay some, or a lot off, attention to where your egg, or burger comes from. This can have a large impact on the welfare of animals, and as these kind of products are generally more expensive, it will also make you question your meat consumption from a financial perspective.
I am a mostly vegetarian and I am good with that, and sure, it seems I eat some vegan meals and bars and so woohoo to that. And the mostly vegetarian diet is the result of my purposely reducing my food costs--meat is more costly than rice and beans and such. And it seems that eating truly vegan and variety vegan at that is a pricey endeavor, and in this season of my life, I really couldn't afford to go there.
I think the problem that veganism has is that it can come across as being morally absolutist. I think everybody draws their moral compass as an individual and this includes how we consume or use animals products knowing full well that we cannot avoid anything completely (ie every single medicine has at some point been through and animal testing phase by law). I agree that anything we can do to reduce animal product consumption is a step in the right direction environmentally, and it’s nice to see that for a lot of competitive sportsmen, veganism is definitely an option!
Vega is vis good in some ways for the environment, but the farming of mass crops like wheat, hemp and the like destroys habitats for the birds that need land that is not used all year round and as such these species have declined recently. But veganism sounds interesting and it would be a fun experiment.
Hi Ollie, great attempt, your mistake was probably to focus on supplements, especially proteins... instead of nutrients, minerals and vitamins i.e. real food. I mean there is no man out there that can precisely describe what happens exactly with the food we ingest, but micro nutrients are certainly the bricks that will help you build health and strength. And at least, you have been discovering a whole new cuisine and maybe new flavours to enjoy as well ;)
23:21 that is why YOU NEED the education, especially the ethical aspect, as you seem to be clued up on the environmental aspect and now get the nutrition part. It is far easier to mentally switch alternatives when you realise that it is not WHAT you eat, but WHO you eat. You also realise that the dairy and egg industries ARE the meat industry because ALL animals in those industries end up in THE SAME house of slaughter which their throat slashed....
Good video - thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm all for doing positive things for the environment, however my two biggest issues are : 1. Plastics containers for protein supplements don't seem environmentally friendly 2. The whole vegan/bee issue is wrong. So you won't eat honey because it's made by bees but will eat plants that bee pollinate?? Double standards.
There is tons of protein in plants. After all, cows and pigs have to get it somewhere. You don't need to take supplements if you use the right foods like pulses, legumes, etc.
Great Vlog. It echos many of my thoughts, I have friends that have gone full vegan, but there are a few things that I just like. Tea. You need proper milk with tea. Meat occasionally when eating out, and cheese can make certain things better. Generally, we don't eat much meat and tend to save it for a nice meal. But, I think our consumption is sustainable. Whereas the 100kg AVERAGE PER PERSON ( WTF!!!) annual consumption in the USA is obscene. And I can still enjoy life without worrying about what i'm going to eat (I'm going to the Alps in a couple of weeks, has anyone ever seen anything vegan in the alps?) and enjoy food still.
Your experience with a vegan diet sounds just like my experience with the keto diet. Extremely restrictive diets are so demoralizing. And I didn't even notice any benefits.
Vegan for 6 months, ride 500km every week, all year long. Eat about 4,000kcal everyday, 120-130g of plant-baqed proteins, no powder, all natural. All u need is tomato juice, beets, peas, lentils, almonds, red beans, potatoes, rice, yellow corn etc
I'm sure the argument about meat being inefficient is true. But I grow vege's in the garden. I use organic techniques and in particular don't use any pesticides. This means I have to put up with vege's that look to be lower quality that supermarket vege's. My broccoli has caterpillars in it, the beetroots have holes in the bottom where some bug has been eating it. The apples have blemishes and places where bugs have drilled into them etc. etc. Supermarket vege's however are pristine works of farming art. But to do this they have to cover them in pesticides. So the point is meat might be bad for the environment but don't be fooled into thinking vege's are the holy grail of sustainable food. To grow them in any quantity or quality you have to use pesticides which kill every living thing except for the plant.
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What do you think of "veganism"? Let us know your opinion in the comments section and win the mysterious prize!
Cycling Weekly thanks for doing this so we don't have to. It just takes us each to cut down meat and diary by half to be equivalent to half the world going vegan, right?
Vegan now for two years, better weight, better fitness and better feeling than ever. My biking and running have improved immensely.......the first few months are the hardest but it gets ever easier until it becomes easy as anything. Good vlog! Thanks.
When people think of vegan food, they too often think of imitation hamburger patties and tofu blobs. They forget simple things like oatmeal, PB&J's, rice and beans, stuff they eat without thinking about it not containing animal product. I think you've hit the nail on the head, though. The name of the game is to make a progression of small, meaningful steps; goals aren't often achieved in one giant undertaking.
Anyways, I really enjoy your channel. Your enthusiasm, curiosity, and drive make your videos some of my favorite to watch. Keep up the great work!
I think being a vegetarian is a great thing to make the world a better place and yourself more healthy but I don't really see the added benefits of vegan. Although I haven't gonna fully vegetarian I have cut back my meat eating back about half and intend to make it even less. The hard part for me will be getting the rest of my family onboard.
Cycling Weekly It's a shame Olly didn't watch the video if the one day old chicks getting ground up alive. But we wouldn't want to put him off his eggs!!
I was vegan literally for 17 years but last week on a downhill accidentally swallowed a fly so I have to reset the vegan clock and start all over again!
ahahaha
If youve eaten...well pretty much anything, definitely grains - youve been consuming insects all along.
What's your secret? I swallow about one fly an hour so seventeen years with no flies is pretty amazing to me! ;-)
LoL! What a fly comment!
I was hoping you'd morph into an angry shouty Australian by the end of the video
Why Australian though.
@@AllIsWellaus spend some more time on RUclips and come back
My wife's a veggie and is trying to go vegan, so naturally my meat intake has cut back drastically. I wouldn't class myself as vegan, but 90% of my meals are. I don't miss meat as much as I thought and my cholesterol has gone down. However I do still eat cheese and tuna as I love them. My advice, don't go cold turkey. Cut back slowly and you'll soon find that it's not that difficult
I go cold turkey; when it's smoked LOL
Since when did tuna stop being meat? You know it is full of mercury.
My advice, don't go vegan - your health is the most important thing.
I am vegan, and I have come off of 6 meds. And so.healthy now. Riding my bike longer and faster.
What's more trendy than veganism is the obsession with protein. 100g of Beef vs. 100g of Beans, both contain 22g protein, beans more iron and none of the down sides as we ll as a fraction of the calories. What Chris said is spot on, eating whole-food plants, without supplementation you will reach your leanest, most powerful potential as a cyclist.
What about the amino acid structure of the protein? It's not as simple as 22g of protein vs 22g.
Jacob Tipper all plants have all essential amino acids. Protein deficiency is not a thing. Eat enough calories from whole plant foods with plenty of variety and you're set.
I'm aware plants have EAAs, and you can have a perfectly normal/fine diet with plants. But if you want to reach your full potential as a cyclist you don't just need protein, you need good quality sources that contain higher amounts of Lucine in particular. While yes soybeans are high in them, most beans have about 25% of what beef, chicken and other high-quality proteins have of Lucine. So that would be a lot of beans you would need to eat to get the same amounts, which is possible, but really quite impractical and unsustainable to eat that amount. As said before you could get the sources from soybeans, but there are plenty of studies showing how too much soy-based product isn't particularly good for you as a high-performance athlete, and as protein goes plenty of studies show you don't get the same benefit as consuming whey based products. You can be perfectly healthy as a vegan, but for high-performance all the data backs up non-vegan products are the way to go. * I now await people naming random athletes who are vegan but good... that is not proof, all those atheltes may well be better on a non vegan based diet.
The fact that you can be selective with your AA structure is a positive. If you're training you can focus more on BCAAs to get the repair benefits without having to eat more of creatine, fat, cholesterol etc... in order to do it. Beans are not the only plant-source of protein, legumes like peas for example have a much higher concentration of lucine, and you can safely each much more of them, also given the lower fat content, you can eat more of them for the same number of calories (fat=9 cals per gram, carbs and protein only 4 cals per gram)
Beans also have a lot of lectin which is not necessarily good for some people.
I'm a triathlete who does lots of cycling, 300+ km's per week most weeks and train over 20 hours per week. I was vegetarian my whole life and then made the switch to veganism last year, aged 22. Admittedly, the shift wasn't as hard as for the meat eaters out there as I was already half-way there, but I have found any performance or physical losses at all. I still train the same and my performances have improved over the past year, I started cycling at the same time as my shift to veganism, was a marathon runner before that. I do supplement protein but other than that have no problems with meals and fuelling for long rides and events, doing an IronMan triathlon on a vegan fuelling plan and diet. I know it wont suit everyone but anyone who tries should stick at it as it gets easier after a few months, cant just give up after a few weeks.
I'm a big fan of veganism. I've been vegan since January 1st and through hard training and a plant based diet my weight has gone down and my power has gone up! Fair play to you Ollie for trying it!!
It was fascinating seeing your experience with veganism, Oliver. I am 16 years old and have been vegetarian for 10 years, and haven’t eaten meat beyond fish. The past few months, I’ve tried eating less dairy and eggs, both for moral and environmental reasons, and haven’t felt a big difference. Somedays, I’m vegan, and others simply vegetarian. Seeing your experience with veganism has inspired me to maybe try going vegan for month, or longer, as well. Thanks for the entertaining vlog and keep it up!
I'm glad you gave it a fair crack Ollie! I find the ethical side keeps me vegan, I think you worried needlessly about protein mind. Maybe check out some of the rich roll podcasts he's achieved some epic results vegan
I've been vegan for about 5 years and feel good and have decent ftp. In the start it was a bit difficult figuring out how much calories to eat. I don't use protein supplements, just eat alot of vegetables everyday with rice, beans or potatoes. Nowadays I'm on a sweet potato curry burritos binge
I agree with you here Ollie. I’m a competitive (cat1/2) cyclist and have tried going vegan...I want to be vegan...but, I find my performance is better when I up my protein intake a bit but find digesting soooo much plans based food to get adequate protein can be a bit uncomfortable. Especially when we’re talking 4-5000 calories a day of food. So now I eat some fish.
Also, I didn’t get any leaner or lighter when I went vegan. I actually found it easier to drop weight when I was still eating eggs (and fish). That might not have been simply due to what I was eating though. But the point is going vegan won’t automatically make everyone leaner. Especially if they are already not overweight.
Also also, since changing to an almost plant based diet (part time vegan as you call it the video) two years ago I’ve only been sick once...and I treat sick peoples every day!!
Great to highlight the environmental impact of meat farming. I couldn't help but find it funny the number of times you've shown poached eggs in the first two minutes...
I'm a vegetarian but not full vegan - have read conflicting evidence about the impact of a vegan diet and I'm concerned about mono-culture farming: huge swathes of land devoted to almond farming for instance in California that may be affecting local water supplies. I've seen arguments for limited livestock farming especially in areas of the UK that are completely unsuitable for arable farming - up on moors for instance!
I'm also not convinced that avoiding eggs for example, especially if you're careful about where you get your eggs from, is necessarily going to have much impact on the environment. Of course, how those hens are fed is going to have it's own impact so it's pretty complicated.
Ultimately, I think getting people to think about what they eat and how their diet is having an impact on the world is the best thing - regardless of what people ultimately decide. Cutting food waste, food mileage, unnecessary plastics and packaging - all these are also going to have an effect and something else to consider.
So, in California with Almonds (speaking as a Californian), yes. They do use a lot of water. However, there's also a lot of beef and cattle-feed crops being raised in the state that use a lot more water. A glass of almond milk has a much bigger water footprint than a simple glass of water, but has a much smaller water footprint than a glass of cow's milk.
The majority of grains, soy and corn is used for animal agriculture, so reducing animal agriculture will benefit in that aspect. Regarding the "local" eggs, that still involves exploiting animals. To produce egg laying (female) chickens, you also get male chickens, meaning, those will get get killed on their first day of hatching. Besides that, in the USA, according the USDA, eggs are not allowed to be promoted as healthy, nutritious or safe.
As a second year student of Food, Nutrition and Health at UBC, I can confirm that the beef and dairy industry is amongst the most polluting and inefficient activities that humans are practicing right now. However, your argument on almond farming and its impact on local water supply is rather weak as those farming regions have minimal surface water supply(mainly underground water, which is bad once you start exploiting it for whatever purpose) and obtain their water through the canal system that diverts water from hundreds of kms away(northern California). Monoculture farming has its efficiency and disadvantages. The intensive use of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides as well as the lack of crop rotation and periods to allow soil to regain nutrients are much more harmful than the intensive input of water. Other than that, you are right on getting people to regain food literacy and recognize the importance of food sovereignty.
The little I've read about general farming practice in the US is very damning. Short term-ism at it's finest and a hugely powerful political force.
Farming of more crops and fruits etc needs a very concentrated approah but when you consider that higher arable land is devoted to canola and Wheat which cn easily be higher yielding to more varied foods then you would see that we have plenty of fertile cropping land. The wine industry uses copious amount of good land and water for a smalll yields whereas Beer production produces more product with less land and water. Lets not forget human population which if we reduced by 1-2 billion would have less impact on food scarcity. Birth control over two generations will see a drop to sustainable comfortable levels globally eliminating pollution and crowding. The population of the world is the elephant in the room and very few are willing to discuss it for either Religious or reasons that defy logic. Countries like Japan and Italy and many others are seeing reduction in birth because they want their kids to live in small society with more housing space etc.
First of all props for trying it out and specially for putting in the vlog. Second I suggest you up your carb intake and reduce your fat intake for maximum weight loss or management. As I beginner cyclist and vegan my power numbers aren't the best but my vo2 max are really good, my weight is on point (69kg 185 cm) and I don't count calories. I eat as much as I can every day, high carb low fat medium protein.
Big thumbs up for trying and for sure small steps are better then no steps! Keep up the good work and thanks for spreading the message
I did a vegan diet for 18 months, along with some friends. while they seemed to thrive on it , I did not. I never got that "high energy" or " super clear skin and eyes" thing that people talk about . I seemed more susceptible to allergies and respiratory problems. Ethically , it's a superior way, but It doesn't work for me . Since going back to a diet that includes a wide variety of vegetables , carbs and meat , I function better and get ill less.
The Bike Gnome Have you tried a whole food plant based diet, based around high fruit intake? Not all Vegan diets are Equal!! Same as not all non Vegan diets are Equal. I think if you want to live conciously you can easily do so, you just need to adapt to different foods and focus on nutrients not fads or protein.
You must have been doing it wrong
The vegan46 How predictable. You do realise that humans have evolved to live in different environments? Some people due to their ancestors don't have the genes to live on a wholly plant based diet while others cannot live on a high meat diet.
MsPeabody1231 what a load of Bullshit name one country or certain human as you call them that can't live on a plant based diet .anyone that says they cant are clearly not doing it right.humans don't need meat to live fact .
The Bike Gnome oh dear, face the wrath of the vegan nazi army! So intimidating on RUclips and yet utterly pathetic in a pub brawl 😁
I found following a plant based diet, I have more energy, recover faster and sleep a lot better. Also, worth mentioning is heart health.
It would have been a good idea to have done blood work, then compare you power and blood numbers before and after to be more objective. I would love to do a month training and eating with you Ollie.
I had planned to do some power comparisons, however getting the flu made it completely pointless. It wiped me out and i'm only just getting over it.
Eat Plants Keep in mind though hes training with... holy fuark.... that schnoz looks like it could swallow a banana by itself @20:35. Pause and just have a look at that thing! Ask him if doc rivers is his kin if you ever meet him in real life. Ask him if he can smell what you're thinking about veganism. Fuck sake man better drop him or he will breathe up all the air. In all seriousness though thats got to be a genetic advantage.
So to be the Vegan telling everybody: Many people try it, I can only revomend it! I've went vegan years ago and, as many others report, my body felt tremendously better. The whole ethical part of the debate is not really worth debating, scince the numbers are clear als Ollie pointed out. But the health aspect is interesting as well: there are plenty of studys showing long term health benefits (yeah yeah no randomised-control trial studys but you aint got them on other diets either). Especially for athlets: you're likely to get less inflamatory responses in your body on a vegan diet, which helps to recover faster. And concerning the cost aspect: I'm a low-budget student, you'll get along if you put some time in it. So what keeps you off giving it a try?
My take on it is what keeps cancerous cells alive. Well, being plant-base/vegan helps mitigate those preventable cases.
Is it me or does every diet proclaim to be the bestest of the best........
I've been vegetarian for about 2 months now and can see myself becoming vegan in the future. Having eaten meat all my life I don't see *much* difference in how I feel or how I ride. Doing something good for the environment is a massive plus, that is what is pushing me to go completely vegan.
I'm currently doing an extended Lent as a vegetarian. I admire vegans quite a lot for being as strong as they are, with regards to not eating any dairy or anything. I don't think I could be vegan myself as I enjoy cheese and eggs and milk just a bit too much. I do think I could continue with vegetarianism for quite a while though
Well done Ollie. This was a great episode.
You presented the Environmental issue, and your perspective of being a healthy person before the change, well.
How much research did you put in to your diet prior to January 1st?
Knowing the you'll be missing the eggs. Formulating your egg-contingency plan, if you will.
Considerable. I'm passionate about food and I enjoyed the vegan food i ate. I can cook, so that helps and Having mates who are great chefs is very useful. I read research papers and watched the severall documentaries.
Oliver Bridgewood earthlings, forks over knives, cowspiracy and what the health?
My wife and i started to go vegan 6 month ago and boy it changed our lives totaly. In a good way. Bud the best thing about vegan..... i got fitter and destroyed my Friends pr's on Strava. :D
I think it's great that you've done this and highlighted the environmental issues and I commend you for giving it a go. I think it would have been better if you had focused less time on protein (which really is not an issue, you can trip over enough protein on a vegan diet) and more time on the nutrients that really are an issue for vegans such as calcium, iron, vitamins D & b12 and omega 3 & 6. There are lots of cyclist (and people generally) going vegan and focusing needlessly on protein without paying any attention to these vital nutrients. No person in history has ever died (or become seriously ill) from protein deficiency but brain function issues later in life related to b12/omega deficiency as well the many many issues related to Vit D and Iron deficiencies are rife. If people are going to go vegan (which I think they should!) they should be aware of these real issues so they can focus on eating the right things, a proper vegan diet can provide all of these, but these are areas that people often fall short and then blame veganism for getting sick (which is crazy, if you neglect nutrients on any diet you would get sick).
Thanks for the vlog Ollie, helps to disperse the myths that veganism and athleticism can go hand in hand. I'm no vegan but I can plainly see the benefits, especially from an environmental perspective. Chapeau.
I think Veganism is great, although maybe not for everyone. The environmental impact alone makes me want to also try to be a part-time vegan.
I support the reasons to adopt a vegan lifestyle. However ,as you highlighted in the video, getting in the right amount of protein when you're training hard is difficult without the use of supplements. Unfortunately, I'm a student and i don't have deep pockets to spend on protein powder etc. Any tips on being a vegan athlete on a budget?
Have known quite a few vegans for years and it doesn't hold them back at all. Contrary to the stereotypes, they never made a big deal of it or hammered me when I was eating meat/eggs three times a day. Came around to vegetarian eating myself a few years ago when I found out about the environmental impact of meat/dairy industry. Started choosing chicken/fish over red meat, now 99% of my meals are vegetarian and have cut right back on cheese/eggs/butter. For me evolving over time works and I prefer to think 'I choose to eat mostly vegetarian'... that means I am aware that it is a choice when I make an exception (e.g. touring Japan) and I haven't 'failed' / broken the rules / fallen off the wagon irreparably. Used to be obsessed with protein but now don't think about it and haven't had any issue. Keeping fat low and carbs up is noticeably good for me. Mental focus better and ...er... tongue cleaner?! Enjoying it.
I was a vegetarian and healthy eater for many years but when I’ve gone vegan OMG cycling performance improved so drastically, everything improved FTP, recovery times, so much more energy to do things! However for me personally cheese was the “poison” in my diet, I’ve had blood tests while still on vegetarian diet (eating cheese) and my C-reactive protein (shows inflammation in the body) was quite increased, since going vegan blood tests are perfect. Need to mention though my motivation to go vegan and stay vegan is animal welfare therefore never craved an egg or cheese. General health and cycling performance improvements are all welcome benefits. You did great Oli and cutting on meat and diary will have a great positive impact on reducing animal abuse and greenhouse emissions ❤️🌱
I had the exact same realisation at the end of going vegan too. My diet before being vegan for a month was probably quite poor so being vegan made me feel more healthy, the only difficulty I found was going out for food or even worse going round to other people's houses for dinner, they were the main reasons I stopped being totally vegan. What I took out of it was I don't need meat as much or as often as I did for it to be "a meal" and I'm now just as happy and content with a vegetarian/vegan meal.
i'm a plantstrong veganator :D
i've been vegan for about 4 years, and i feel fantastic, high energi levels, boosted performens and no supliments! Just b12, and everyone should be taking b12
John VeganCyclistDK the only people who need b12 are vegans. If becoming vegan increased your energy level, then you must have been unhealthy before. The only reason to go vegan are for the environment and for food shortages, which are good enough reasons.
No not only vegans need B12, modern day humans living in modern societies need to take B12www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2000/b12-deficiency-may-be-more-widespread-than-thought/38% of americans have low B12
daAnder71 thank you internet spell police :p
I have been a solid Vegetarian for 35 yrs (now 48yrs old) and choice has always been a problem - there’s always something, but not always what you want! Health wise I’m a fit cyclist, mountaineer, rock-climber and have never suffered from a lack of energy (unless driven to the wall). Cannot live without eggs - you’re not alone - so Veganism, not an option! Keep healthy, make your choices, and make your choices work for you.
good video... There's waaaay more vegans in the UK than the States man... Brits just seem more willing to look at and heed statistics and studies regarding meats...
In terms of short term health impacts, a whole food plant based vegan diet definitely seems to have a more noticeable impact the unhealthier a person was beforehand. I'm glad you gave veganism a fair chance in this video and helped show a serious athlete can be vegan with no problems. The main problem was obviously missing out on the certain foods you like which is a fair claim. But it should be stated that one egg contains more cholesterol than your RDA. So that should be kept in mind. And I do applaud people who genuinely cut back on animal products for their health and believe a little is ok. It's just that is where the ethical side of veganism comes into play. If you don't need an animal product for anything other than taste, then is that a justifiable reason for exploiting the body's of sentient beings?
Just a thought for anyone interested
First off, congrats on taking the time and effort to educate yourself on the topic of veganism, give it an honest go, and then put yourself out in the public eye!
Second, as a vegan of almost six months, I am very happy with my decision for both my health and environmental impact. It can be inconvenient and even awkward at times (especially when I visit family in the meat-loving southern USA,) but I firmly believe it is worth it.
Diet is a spectrum, and while veganism probably isn't the best choice for everyone, if we all make little choices to incorporate more natural, responsibly-sourced foods into our everyday diets, we will do a world of good for ourselves and future generations.
(And I would be more than happy to help relieve you of any leftover vegan protein...)
I really enjoyed your vlog Oliver. As a professional producer, I can say you have a very nice witty comfortableness on camera. I was perplexed to see your delightful poached eggs so early on in your edit when you were explaining your vegan foods. But they appeared again later after Vegajanuary was finished. Thought you might enjoy trying Adobe Premiere. You can get it for 29.00 US a month and learn all kinds of nifty tricks. Keep it up mate. Really enjoy your work.
I'm 16 and have been Vegan for 6 months. Love it. I understand that many people find it hard to go vegan, but that is because either they are uninformed or misinformed. Since I turned vegan, I have gotten much leaner, and have actually increased my power to weight ratio incredibly. There are many ways to go vegan, they are all good, but some suit different sports better than others. I have chosen to go the high carb route and find I have much more energy than in the past.
All the sacrifices of being vegan are nothing compared to the suffering of the animals, the impact on the enviroment and also your health.
I'm a vegan athlete for almost a year and i feel great, yes it's difficult to not eat at home and all that stuff but it's worth it and my consciense is clear..
I’m not keen on the word vegan. It has a lot of political connotations. I am one and I maintain 79-80kg with a decent bf % though. I rarely have a protein shake unless I feel totally wiped out from riding as well. I find Dr Esselstyn’s videos very compelling and educational if you are interested in being plant based!
I’m writing this as I make vegan pancakes. My fiancé trained for and completed a marathon on a vegan diet last year so clearly it does not effect athletic ability. Whilst I am not Vegan. I agree that meat consumption should be reduced, in particular beef. I eat vegan the majority of the week except for weekends mainly when I eat out or have eggs with breakfast. It totally doable as long as you plan meals which are very tasty.
6:50 "Do you think you could race at [Continental Pro Tour] level and be vegan?" Well, Adam Hansen is vegan so you can even go beyond Continental level.
I've tried veganism before and I found that I had a hard time getting the calories I needed about 5000+ a day during my training. But I did find a great vegan protein powder that I've added in and feel better in the heavy training weeks
I went veggy a few years back, mostly for convenience as the mrs is. I don't weigh much but I dropped about a stone over the next year; there's just so much fat in meat, that for cyclists cutting down is a good idea. I too like me eggs, and continue to eat these for the protein, but I buy them from local farms where I know the chickens are happily roaming around a mucky field. There's a few ethical questions behind mass-production of eggs, so this makes me feel ok about eating them - plus they taste SO much better fresh from the farm than from the supermarket. Oh, interesting videos btw ;)
I have recently tried a couple vegan dishes recently, They were edible and full of protein. My biggest problem with a vegan diet is my budget, and the lack of stores that sell things like brown rice tortillas. I will be eating more low sodium black beans from now on, and less beef or pork. I am not a huge fan of cheese anyways. I need to get better and chopping vegetables faster. It seems to take me a lot longer then it should.
another vegan here, was racing c grade races then went vegan now i am winning a grade racers and never been better. I had crohns disease and it has solved that issue also eat enough calories and just forget about the protein bullshit.
TheTibikart What protein bullshit? Have you read the GCN book, The Vegan Cyclist? I suggest you look at the chapter on protein. We all need protein Vegan or not.
Being a vegan that cycles I have seen an increase in power decrease in weight both marginal but add up to a good power to weight I think you need to worry less about what your eating and just go with it don’t worry about calories as much just eat and train
Also dominoes do vegan pizza with cashew cheese
Another great video Ollie, keep them coming! What I realised by (briefly) trying veganism is, I too cannot live without poached eggs...
a quick clarification...plants are organisms as well.
No, this is not meant as an indictment against veganism, just clarifying the analysis that
Marmite should be fine since it's yeast...yeast are fungi so if you eat mushrooms you shouldn't really have a problem with yeasts
Good video and nicely balanced arguments.
I've been veggie for nearly 30 years and have recently gone vegan, although if I'm honest it's primarily to make me stop and think about my diet more and break some bad habits/lazy eating I've picked up. I'm only a few months in, but feeling good so far and can't see myself stopping.
As mentioned, there are massive environmental benefits, but from my perspective the best approach is more personal - eating less red meat to reduce my impact, ensuring the pork/chicken/fish I consume are raised and processed in a sustainable and ethical manner and trying to support local producers. That being said, I eat more vegetarian meals than I used to...as I just can't give up cheese!
Veganism is in many ways very interesting, but I have a few thoughts on it. I am a sports science student living in Oslo (where meat prices are ungodly) and the science seems to suggest that hitting all your nutritional requirements on a completely vegan diet is very difficult, although doable especially with supplements.
I live a mostly vegetarian lifestyle. Partly out of financial necessity and partly because I was brought up with a lot of vegetarian meals.
Please specify which nutritional requirements, otherwise it is difficult to respond.
I don’t think it’s the end of the world if you’re a vegan that has eggs twice a week and has a pizza a couple times a month. If everyone did that the impact would be huge!
Great video Ollie. What would you have classed your diet as before? seems we need a new category your 'Part Time Vegan' seems Vegan Vegetarian Pescatarian Clean Eating .... etc ways of eating have such strict rules (and as woes + lows when and if you break the rules). Can we not have a new category of eating 'diet' where you make the best choices you can, but the world will not fall apart if you have a pizza or poached egg.....
Great way at approaching the subject. I think you did everything very sensibly and didn't just follow the beliefs that the vegan vs non-vegan teams are spouting (poor nutritional science on both sides) Good job.
Ryan Devlin Agree.
We’ve cut our meat intake by about 50% without really trying that hard, even going for veggie options when eating out. It,s a lot easier now than ever. I’ve never been bothered by animal death or the environmental impact of meat production cutting my meat intake down has just become a way of life.
Paul Fearon interested to know why you have done so if you’re not bothered about animal deaths or the environmental issues associated with meat? Also, how has your health and cycling benefitted, if at all?
Did you compare your expenditure from a vegan diet compared to your regular diet. Which diet is more expensive?
I did a similar test and got pretty much the same conclusion. Hard for me to become a vegan person (specially whilst trying to reduce body fat), but definetely I can consume less meat than what I was used to. This statement comes from someone who the though of eating less meat never crossed my mind until few weeks ago. Cheers
Carlos Vieira you should read about a high carb low fat diet.
Vegan for over 2 years now. Lighter, fitter and prettier than I was eating meat. Hitting PB’s for cycling, swimming and running recently. Eat more CARBS!
12:54 simple logic mate: if you obsess about protein especially those coming from HIGH FAT foods like nuts, you WILL put on weight............... chickpeas, and bean have very low fat content. They are virtually all carbs, which is what you need to not feel sluggish. Why not focusing on those or on starches???
Tonytruand09 bro are you okay?
Mitchell Steindler I am perfectly fine 👌🏾😉I was replying as the video was rolling. I am simply frustrated that this guys went completely unprepared for, according to himself, a “massive” change of lifestyle, and and end up with “it’s not for me”.... well in that case why bother going into the challenge in the first place?
Will he go into a race of a completely different category with the same mindset? I don’t think so...
I'm vegan and have Been almost six months and have no intentions of going back. But to each his own .
I think a lot of people give up a plant based diet due to social pressure and debunked science, but now its easier to be vegan than ever, there's less and less excuses, besides even the food industry is getting into plant base alternatives because long term is the better option for the planet.
A really good unbiased video. I agree with all the benefits of going vegan, but I feel that actually vegetarianism is a could half way point. Even pescatarian, the important thing I truly believe is to reduce or virtually cut out meat consumption.
I was worried about being able to get enough calories in. Turns out it is not a bother on a plant based diet. My fitness levels increased, recovery time increased and I can now ride much further and faster than before.
The coconut yogurt - the greenhouse gases that are produced transporting the coconuts to the uk is immense. Far more than any British meat impacts the environment...let me know your thoughts.
good news, you're wrong about that. Not that shipping it across the world is great, but the impact is still much less. At the moment a huge amount of soy, grain and corn is grown in remote places, than shipped to Europe.....to feed farm animals that eat a huge amount more than any human would. So eating the plants directly would be better.I recommend watching the documentary www.cowspiracy.com
I have always been a keen cyclist, but upped the ante the last 3 years, a year and half ago I decided to go vegetarian for health reasons and noticed a huge difference in my cardiovascular workouts, and feeling healthier and dropping body fat. About 7 months ago I decided to try going vegan for the same health reasons, and because after doing the same research you did I care about my impact on the planet, and want to look after it for my children and their children. I must admit before going vegan I ate a lot of processed food even when vegetarian, purely for ease, I lost a little weight going vegetarian a few pounds but when I went vegan I dropped half a stone. My resting heart rate has dropped from 85bpm when eating meat to 62bpm being vegan, surely a good thing, I find workouts easier in terms of cardio, but if I don’t look at what I’m eating when I can lose energy quickly, I don’t think it’s because I’m vegan it’s just I don’t really know much about sports nutrition and I’m learning as I go, however I am cycling from Lands end to John o’groats this June! So I will be putting the vegan diet to the test for sure. I have upped my training this month and will continue too until the start of June. So far no real issues I do feel I need some supplements for to aid recovery though so I agree with you there. Enjoyed the video glad you took something away from it, and can see some benefits from not eating as much meat and dairy :-)
Vegan cyclist here. As strong as I was before. Healthier and more eco friendly now.
Breno Arantes go figure ;)
Breno Arantes so your farts are more "clean"? 😂
Someone else mentioned Adam Hansen. I just found out he is vegan. That guy is a legend of unfailing form and endurance riding every grand tour since 1890 or something. So that's a good sign 😀
The UN first made remarks about how bad cattle were for the environment 12 years ago
I've been Vegan most of my life, took up cycling last year! Its a good combo. Marmite is great, trouble is the company who owns it not so much so I don't really buy it as generally make quite ethical choices. The 2 biggest contributors to Climate Change are the Meat Industry & Transport so by being a Vegan Cyclist you remove yourself from both. I wonder if any of the views on here have changed since the release of the Game Changers x
Just read about your point regarding the company behind Marmite, AKA Unilever. I understand your view BUT! It's important we buy the vegan options from these companies cause it shows them there is demand and if there making money off it they'll be more entitled to bring out more products.
Also, if you didn't know the CEO of Unilever announced 3-4 months ago that focusing on vegan products will be one of their top priorities moving forward. Which can only mean more animals saved in the long run.
So keep supporting these companies! Richmond's who make pork sausages for instance now have 4 or 5 vegan options. All cause of customer demand. I think one day we'll see companies like this completely shifting away from animal based meats. Aninal rights is moving in the right direction 👍🏻
Thank you for supporting the animals :)
@@TheFabFoo that is the other perspective. But i've been vegan since the mid 80s when the only choice was to boycott & buy from ethical companies. Never had a McDonalds, never had KFC. Don't think I've ever brought an animal product at all or from companies that test on animals. Unilever was named as one of the dirty dozen worst companies back in the 90s & now they want vegan cash. Have they stopped testing on animals yet. Maybe the vegan market will put more pressure on them to stop. I did go to Wimpy to get their new Vegan burger for those exact reasons x
@@ladylove3636 I'm glad you understand where I'm coming from and I totally get your old school mentality. I've got two links about our subject matter here that you'll wanna check out in case you don't know already.
www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/china-ends-mandatory-animal-testing/#:~:text=We%20woke%20up%20to%20wonderful,but%20this%20is%20major%20progress!
www.unilever.co.uk/news/news-and-features/2020/no-animal-testing-unilever-brands-and-the-eus-chemicals-regulations.html#:~:text=We%20don't%20agree%20that,safety%20at%20Unilever%2C%20explains%20why.
going vegan has been great. feeling good eating lots of non-processed food. has helped my cycling. just reducing meat and dairy is a great step forward. would recommend anybody to try. never heard a doctor say eating more meat and diary will improve your health
What I Think about vegan is thats it is really good but not something I could be on everyday of the week, like Everything moderation so a couple of Days every week I try to eat vegan dinners.
yeah i only do smack about twice a week. All in moderation right ?
Ha. Are you comparing veganism to crack?
I am comparing ideologies my friend. If you could understand the difference it would be great.
please point out the difference in the ideology
Paul McCartney and Linda campaigned for people to have a 'meat free Friday' many moons ago and the logi behind it was purely about getting the folks that won't go full veggie or vegan to at least do something to reduce the animals for food consumption as opposed to campaigning for a hardline immediate adaption. I can see that approach to be a slow approach but radicalism can push people away from change because we re wired to be distrust that hardline approach.
Nice relaxed style of video, this is definitely the way forward for cycling weekly.
Yes you can definitely be a part time vegan! You obviously can't call yourself a vegan then, but lets say you reduce your meat consumption by 80% and your dairy consumption by 50% that is still making a difference. The partial vegetarian diet is a really EASY way to increase your intake of plant foods and to avoid any awkward social situations. These strict diets like paleo, vegan, etc are so hard to follow because they don't fit into people lives. Like, what are you supposed to do when you go to your grandmother's house for dinner? Just shove the plate away? Compromise is key.
For the animal, compromise is not the way to go. If you would be allergic for a food, your family would also have to consider that, so why not when you're vegan?
For my fiancé and me, we eat a few vegetarian/vegan meals a week for the environmental and heath benefits from lowering our meat consumption. I personally try to avoid going too far on any dietary changes unless it’s a doctor prescribed health necessity. Avoid eating an entire plate of brownies and enjoy that occasional treat of grandma’s homemade meatballs.
How many times do you need to show your poached eggs on toast haha. I had more energy when I went vegan but for me its the ethical side. It's unnecessary to eat animal products in 2017 with so many cruelty-free alternatives. This was a great video. You had an open mind and weren't bias. It was an honest experiment.
How much protein do you think you actually need? I eat mainly whole foods and get twice the amount of protein I need.
I’m all for veganism, i just don’t have the discipline for it every single day. I wish that the discourse around veganism was less ultimative, and that it was more commonplace to eat a diet of ie. 80% vegan meals, which is easily achievable for most people. I think that a lot of meat-eaters are turned off by the idea of never eating a piece of meat again, i know i was for a long time
case1: if you convert 2 people to be 80% vegan you already had a much bigger impact on suffering/environment than case2 converting 1 person to a hardcore one in !
Which is also much much more realistic and vegan advocates should focus on lowering peoples animal produce consumtion instead of telling them not to eat twinkies(which have very small amounts of beef lard in them, which is a byproduct of the meat-industry) for example
Vegans are too extreme, if you are "only" 95% plant based they tell you to your face that you aren't a real vegan, just because you like to eat a few non vegan meals a day
There's more to Life than people, you know. To say, the whims, opinions and urges of people matter more than Lives of animals - is highly ignorant. People can feel insulted, intimidated, assaulted all they want - that's trifles compared to what the #untermensch (read: butchers, hunters, trappers, exotic savages, "livestock" farmers) do to animals. To billions a day. From frogs and mice to the blue whale. Non-stop. With a pathetic, hideous entitlement.
I applaud those that are vegan but personally it's too much of a compromise of lifestyle for me. I don't want to be restricted in where and what i eat and I'm happy with my current balanced diet.
A part time vegan is call a cheatgan or a flexitarian.
I only prepare vegan meals, fueling like an athlete with the occasional indulgence of crisp and bikkies..
I don’t really feel much difference being a vegan but my trainer often claim that my recovery time is minimal compared to his other clients and I’m sticking to being vegan
Veganism is great and is a good option for many people. I think more people should become aware of the benefits on society of becoming a vegan. As more of these people look for vegan alternatives there will be a greater demand for more vegan substitutes and research. Over time the change required to become vegan will be easier and a lifestyle change will not be required.
I enjoy your videos Olly as you transformed CW on YT but I have to question some of this one - I realise it’s not necessarily your opinion but....If you want to do something due to environmental impact and not focus on ethics of eating an animal, is it not worth looking more at eating quality food produced near where you live? Where do you think bananas, avocado, nut milks etc come from? Not Doncaster/London. Vegan Protein powders, vegan bars - all processed and where are the source materials grown? What was the processing factory environmental impact? Powders in plastic tubs too....people can be vegan, paleo, etc and eat what they want for their own reasons but to try and convince others with an environmental aspect seems questionable. People say they feel better on detoxing, vegan etc but generally it’s because they are stripping out most of the very highly processed foods they eat. Similarly it’s a tough experiment to judge your cycling performance as it’s not blinded. Wouldn’t normally comment but please Keep up the good work.
Good points. Having a science background myself, I am well aware my pseudo experiment is just that! But you make a great point about the sustainability of food. i am all for seasonal and local produce, I just hope we see a change that facilitates this more, as feel it is something governments need to act on rather than individual consumers
Nutrition is a complex matter. Even more when in training. Common foods can be improved from several perspectives. Non animal based foods can give us some answers. I'd love to see more of your hands on approach to this matter. Radicals have had their way with veganism. It does not have be about an ideology or kind of religion, after all food shoud be about feeling well. Why can't we just be a 80 to 20 percent vegan? One does not save the earth by eating "the right stuff" anyway.
Domino's? After a month without pizza you go for Domino's? Please do it over!!
I've been mostly vegan for almost a year now. I lowered my cholesterol without having to take meds. The only time I break it is cheese on pizza, and Sushi :-)
I think veganism is great, both from an environmental and animal welfare point of view. Every time you refrain from meat eating, nature and animals get saved, so any time you don’t eat meat is a win. However in my experience, I find it counter productive to get upset when really wanting to eat differently now and then. By allowing some transgressions it will be easier to switch back to vegetarianism/veganism quickly.There is also a lot to say for responsible meat consumption, where you pay some, or a lot off, attention to where your egg, or burger comes from. This can have a large impact on the welfare of animals, and as these kind of products are generally more expensive, it will also make you question your meat consumption from a financial perspective.
I am a mostly vegetarian and I am good with that, and sure, it seems I eat some vegan meals and bars and so woohoo to that. And the mostly vegetarian diet is the result of my purposely reducing my food costs--meat is more costly than rice and beans and such. And it seems that eating truly vegan and variety vegan at that is a pricey endeavor, and in this season of my life, I really couldn't afford to go there.
What was the Rapha chef cooking in his pan!? Looked like it wasn't going well what ever it was!
I think the problem that veganism has is that it can come across as being morally absolutist. I think everybody draws their moral compass as an individual and this includes how we consume or use animals products knowing full well that we cannot avoid anything completely (ie every single medicine has at some point been through and animal testing phase by law). I agree that anything we can do to reduce animal product consumption is a step in the right direction environmentally, and it’s nice to see that for a lot of competitive sportsmen, veganism is definitely an option!
Vega is vis good in some ways for the environment, but the farming of mass crops like wheat, hemp and the like destroys habitats for the birds that need land that is not used all year round and as such these species have declined recently. But veganism sounds interesting and it would be a fun experiment.
Hi Ollie, great attempt, your mistake was probably to focus on supplements, especially proteins... instead of nutrients, minerals and vitamins i.e. real food. I mean there is no man out there that can precisely describe what happens exactly with the food we ingest, but micro nutrients are certainly the bricks that will help you build health and strength. And at least, you have been discovering a whole new cuisine and maybe new flavours to enjoy as well ;)
23:21 that is why YOU NEED the education, especially the ethical aspect, as you seem to be clued up on the environmental aspect and now get the nutrition part. It is far easier to mentally switch alternatives when you realise that it is not WHAT you eat, but WHO you eat. You also realise that the dairy and egg industries ARE the meat industry because ALL animals in those industries end up in THE SAME house of slaughter which their throat slashed....
Good video - thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm all for doing positive things for the environment, however my two biggest issues are :
1. Plastics containers for protein supplements don't seem environmentally friendly
2. The whole vegan/bee issue is wrong. So you won't eat honey because it's made by bees but will eat plants that bee pollinate?? Double standards.
There is tons of protein in plants. After all, cows and pigs have to get it somewhere. You don't need to take supplements if you use the right foods like pulses, legumes, etc.
How are you on GCN and cycling weekly?
Great Vlog. It echos many of my thoughts, I have friends that have gone full vegan, but there are a few things that I just like. Tea. You need proper milk with tea. Meat occasionally when eating out, and cheese can make certain things better. Generally, we don't eat much meat and tend to save it for a nice meal. But, I think our consumption is sustainable. Whereas the 100kg AVERAGE PER PERSON ( WTF!!!) annual consumption in the USA is obscene. And I can still enjoy life without worrying about what i'm going to eat (I'm going to the Alps in a couple of weeks, has anyone ever seen anything vegan in the alps?) and enjoy food still.
Your experience with a vegan diet sounds just like my experience with the keto diet. Extremely restrictive diets are so demoralizing. And I didn't even notice any benefits.
A vegan diet is not restricting, there are thousands of plants to eat.
Vegan for 6 months, ride 500km every week, all year long. Eat about 4,000kcal everyday, 120-130g of plant-baqed proteins, no powder, all natural. All u need is tomato juice, beets, peas, lentils, almonds, red beans, potatoes, rice, yellow corn etc
Your missing the greens bro! Kale, spinach broccoli
I'm sure the argument about meat being inefficient is true. But I grow vege's in the garden. I use organic techniques and in particular don't use any pesticides. This means I have to put up with vege's that look to be lower quality that supermarket vege's. My broccoli has caterpillars in it, the beetroots have holes in the bottom where some bug has been eating it. The apples have blemishes and places where bugs have drilled into them etc. etc. Supermarket vege's however are pristine works of farming art. But to do this they have to cover them in pesticides. So the point is meat might be bad for the environment but don't be fooled into thinking vege's are the holy grail of sustainable food.
To grow them in any quantity or quality you have to use pesticides which kill every living thing except for the plant.
since being vegan (for a month was vegetarian first) the one thing i miss is a poached egg...but gained 5 watts on my avg power, so not all bad!
So what is your avg protein intake?