The 4-Hour Body_ An Uncommon Guide to Ra - Timothy Ferriss [216]
Fried tofu 48.35 mg (7–8 small pieces)
Tempeh 43.52 mg (in less than two-thirds of a cup)
Common infant soy formula 25 mg
Estrogen overdosing isn’t good for either gender, unless you’re aiming for sterility.
So, how can you do it without soy?
Answer: Either extensive whole foods, which requires prep time, or powdered protein, which requires budget.
The whole-food options will be covered in the case studies, though you’ll see some soy products creep in. For supplementation, the most consistently recommended protein powders among vegan athletes are:
Sun Warrior Chocolate Brown Rice Protein (rice protein)
Pure Advantage Pea Protein Isolate (pea protein)
Nitro Fusion Plant Fusion (rice, pea, and artichoke protein)
I have also confirmed each of these as non-vomit-inducing when blended with 1–2 tablespoons of almond butter and either ice water, almond milk, or coconut milk.
WHAT CAN I EAT AS A VEGAN WHILE TRAVELING?
Answer: If we mean whole meals, the easiest is Mexican or Thai food, just as on the Slow-Carb Diet.
Vegans opting for Mexican would order a number of sides like black beans (no lard), steamed veggies, and extra guacamole (this is fat- and calorie-rich and not to be neglected), either eaten alone or with corn tortillas. I suggest avoiding wheat, as do the world-class vegan athletes I interviewed.
If caught in a bind with nothing but McDonald’s and Pizza Hut in sight, a bag of 50+ raw almonds can sustain you for 10 or so hours until you find something more substantial. These can be found at almost all gas stations and airport magazine stores.
Worst-case scenario, choose mild hunger over breaking your rules.
WHAT SUPPLEMENTS SHOULD I USE?
Answer: For essential insurance against serious health issues, ensure the following:13
My additional recommendations:
The most important caveat of all: we can only identify deficiencies, and therefore supplementation, for things that scientists have isolated.
See the conclusion of the next chapter for important warnings related to this.
The Case Studies
For each case study, I’ll extract the most salient lessons and include both weekly grocery lists and, in athletic examples, go-to staple meals.
Marque Boseman (male)—Vegetarian
Athletics: Noncompetitive athlete
Objective: Fat-loss using the Slow-Carb Diet
Weight: 189 pounds (220 pounds prior to diet)
Height: 5′7″
Weekly food cost: $60
Weekly food complexity: Low
Scott Jurek (male)—Vegan
Athletics: World-class ultraendurance runner
Objective: Endurance
Weight: 165 pounds
Height: 6′2″
Weekly food and supplement cost: $400–500
Weekly food complexity: High
________
Dr. John Berardi (male)—Omnivore (tested veganism for 28 days)
Athletics: Pro- and Olympic-level athletic coach, PhD in physiology
Objective: Strength
Weight: 187 pounds
Height: 5′9″
Weekly food cost: $80
Weekly supplement cost: $60
Weekly food complexity: Moderate
The following case studies are not included in this chapter, sadly, due to space restraints, but they can be found at www.fourhourbody.com/vegan-athletes.
Steph Davis (female)—Vegan
Athletics: World-class rock-climber
Objective: Endurance
Height: 5′5½″
Weight: 117 pounds
Weekly food cost: $60–80
Mike Mahler (male)—Vegan
Athletics: Strength athlete
Objective: Strength and metabolic conditioning
Height: 6′0″
Weight: 197 pounds
Weekly food cost: $100–125 (plus $60 in supplements)
Marque Boseman
Marque Boseman lost 31 pounds on the Slow-Carb Diet (13+ in the first month) while consuming no meat, and he has since moved to veganism.
Here is his basic profile:
35-year-old software engineer
Married, one daughter, one son on the way
Started at 220 pounds and 33% bodyfat
Ended at 189 pounds and 25% bodyfat
In just under three months, he lost 31 pounds, 26 pounds of which was fat.
He ran three miles, four days a week.
His cholesterol dropped from 220 to 160.
MARQUE’S GROCERY LIST
Marque spent just $60 per week on groceries, and his list requires 10–15 minutes of shopping:
Large cartons of egg whites and/or tofu/milk/veggie protein