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http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2012/04/06/a-big-mistake-with-a-plant-based-diet/You asked…A few weeks ago, we published an article by Brendan Brazier. The article explained the basis of plant protein and how you can use it for recovery and to reduce inflammation.Many of you had questions about what Brendan wrote, so I decided to get him on to answer them for you!Here are my thoughts…1. Getting more fit doesn’t necessarily depend on the specific routine.Brendan starts his talk explaining how he dug into the research about how athletes train and realized that many of them were getting the same results using methods that are well known.He determined this wasn’t the factor to getting better. His approach was to figure out how you could recover faster instead of how you could train more. The reason why is because they body can only train so much and takes a certain amount of time to recover. If you could shorten the time to recover, you could likely improve performance.Brendan notes that about 80% of recovery was based on nutrition.So that’s where he focused on to become a champion athlete.I completely agree. You can only train so much and once you start to go over your threshold, you’ll begin to get diminishing returns. A good diet can be your best tool for faster healing.I remember when I was a tennis player in high school and would eat Twinkees and Mountain Dew soda before my matches. I wonder how much better I would have been if it was coconut water and a plant based nutrition bar (as opposed to petroleum based…)2. Focus on “high net gain” foods, no matter who you are.Whether you’re an athlete or a couch potato, we all can benefit from what Brendan calls “high net gain” foods. These are simply foods that are easy to digest and high nutrients. Plants, of course, fit this criteria very well.On of the biggest reasons our population has become more unhealthy is because we tend to eat foods that are nutrient poor. Building your diet around plant foods will give you the best results in the least amount of time.One other thing to consider, particularly if you’re an athlete is to make sure you eat enough calories while you’re eating “high net gain” foods. The reason why is because these foods tend to have a large amount of fiber that makes you full quicker. So you need to be conscious enough to eat more than you may think to make sure you don’t burn up your energy stores and run into deficiencies in the long run. Getting your blood testing as an athlete is also essential (it’s actually essential for everyone… LOL!)3. Brendan’s big mistake.I asked Brendan what mistakes he made early on with a plant based diet. He said very specifically, not eating enough omega 3 fats to his diet. when he started adding this nutrient in the form of chia, hemp, algaes, etc (I’d like to give him some sacha inchi oil!) his recovery time decreased and his skin improved. I’m sure his brain function improved as well.Many plant based eaters are low in omega 3’s so getting them from multiple sources is a must. We like Sacha Inchi oil, but you can try others as well.In the next few months, I’m going to have even more options for you — as well as a way to test effectively — because I know how important this is for your overall health.4. The biggest mistake others make moving toward a plant based diet.Brendan feels that most people transition too quickly and make it a stressful experience.I’ve seen way to many people go all in on a specific diet only to flame out in 1-3 years. (Some much shorter!) Long term success is what we’re all looking for, so by adding specific “high net gain” foods into your diet, you’ll get better results and the transition will be smoother.5. What to do when you don’t compete anymore?I know you likely don’t compete as a professional or even amateur athlete, but I wanted to know what Brendan did after he stopped training 3-4 hours a day.For him, there was not much of a change. The only thing he did was eat less calories. Now, knowing what most football players go through after they retire, I’m sure it wasn’t as easy as it seems. You have to have very strong fortitude to cut back your calories from 10,000 or so to 3000-4000 a day. It’s a strong habit to break, particularly if you like food — which I’m sure you do!Brendan also talked a little about the breakdown of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in his diet. He found he needed more carbs when training and less when he wasn’t. This is — of course — specific to him, but I experience the same thing when I’m heavily training. Carbs are great when I’m working out hard, but when I’m in maintenance mode, I see them stick to my belly.