Plant Based Athlete Cookbook: Healthy Whole Foods for Athletes

A plant-based diet plan for endurance athletes is really not all that different from a normal (healthy) diet, with the exception, of course, of the meat and animal products. If you're switching from eating McDonald's every day, then sure, it's going to take some getting used to. But if you eat lots of nutritious, whole foods as it is, there really aren't all that many adjustments you need to make to go vegetarian, and from there, to go plant-based.

You can take it as far as you want, and some vegetarian and vegan athletes tend toward raw and gluten-free diets, citing even greater energy gains.

But of course, you don't have to take it that far to see the benefits. There are differing degrees of health in plant-based diets, and mine includes a lot of delicious cooked foods that people following more traditional diets would eat.