Get Rid of Acid Reflux in Your Throat Fast - These Acid Reflux Drugs Lead to Untreatable and Dangerous Diseases
These acid reflux drugs are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the world.
But medical practitioners haven’t been revealing the whole story.
They have kept some information to themselves, or at least did not publicize it.
These drugs, according to a new study in the Journal JAMA Internal Medicine, lead to other diseases, more serious ones.
Deadly and untreatable ones.
Gastric acid suppression drugs are used to treat acid reflux because they suppress the production of stomach acids.
If stomach acid escapes from your stomach and washes back up into your esophagus and your mouth, the simplest solution for doctors is to prescribe a drug that blocks the enzymes that produce stomach acid.
The scientists wanted to explore the relationship between gastric acid suppressants and multidrug-resistant bacteria.
They looked at a number of past studies that compared the occurrence of multi-drug resistance between acid suppressants users and non-users, which included a total of 22,305 subjects.
From these, they found that people on acid suppressants were 75 percent more likely than non-users to develop multi-drug resistant gut bacteria.
The presence of one drug resistant bacterium can lead to the occurrence of drug resistant infections that involve other bacteria.
Furthermore, while bacteria that are in our digestive tracts are usually not harmful while they stay there, they can become extremely harmful when they escape through perforations in your intestines.
If they cause infections elsewhere in your body and they are multidrug-resistant, you might never be able to remove them.
Get Rid of Acid Reflux in Your Throat Fast - FDA Warning on Acid Reflux Medications
If you’re one of millions of people who suffer acid reflux and use – even if it’s only occasionally – medications to manage your heartburn, you’ll really want to pay attention to today’s short article.
Americans spend more than $10 billion on prescription drugs for heartburn. That’s on top of billions spent on over-the-counter solutions.
The most common drugs for heartburn are Proton Pump Inhibitors, or PPIs. These drugs stop small pumps lining the stomach wall that secrete acid to break down food for digestion. They’re approved by FDA for chronic, long term heartburn (GERD) but doctors are giving them out for a much wider range of conditions (surprise, surprise).
Recently the FDA has been issuing a series of warnings regarding long-term risk associated with PPIs, linking them to increased risk of infection with the diarrhea-causing superbug Clostridium difficile. Taking it for as little as a year increases the risk of hip fracture and causes vitamin B-12 deficiency. The worst part may be severe withdrawal symptoms when discontinuing use.
Get Rid of Acid Reflux in Your Throat Fast - Asthma- Milk Irritates More Than Reflux
A reader commented on the last milk article that he developed asthma as a result of his body’s intolerance to dairy.
Understanding how this is possible means first understanding that there are different types of asthma, and thus the triggers for attacks will differ.
For the reader whose asthma trigger is dairy, this suggests that his asthma is “non-allergic.” This basically means that his inflammation is caused by irritants outside the allergy world, such as pollen, dander, and dust.
Keep in mind that an intolerance to something is much different than an allergy.
While different types of inflammation occur with both allergies and intolerances, as evidenced in the differing kinds of asthma, the physiology behind the inflammation differs.
Asthma is an inflammation and constriction of the airways, causing the sufferer to not be able to breathe easily. This can range in severity from mildly irritating to life-threatening. People who are no strangers to asthma likely are well-familiar with not only what type of asthma they have, but also what triggers their inflammation.
Ironically, it is known that Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease also causes asthma attacks. This is particularly important to people who have an intolerance to dairy who also have a history of GERD, asthma, lactose intolerance, or any other dairy-related problems.
The point here isn’t so much to teach asthma sufferers about what causes their problems. Rather, it is more of an awareness issue for the rest of us who are not as sensitive to dairy.
It seems anymore that there are warnings popping up all over packages, menus, and even outside certain buildings of the presence of certain food ingredients. I have heard a lot of people complain about these warnings, saying it seems to be going overboard.
However, this is more than the drive to try and be sensitive or politically correct.
Have you ever tried to breathe through a small straw? If you don’t have asthma or allergies, you likely have not had the displeasure of this experience.
If you have ever wondered why there is such a push to disclose the presence of these food items, I would invite you, to give this exercise a try. Take a drinking straw, place it in your mouth, and go up and down your stairs (at a safe pace as to not trip and choke on your straw) at least once. Breathe only through your straw…not your nose.
Don’t overdo it, but just try to get a sense of what this feels like.
This is similar to what people who have antihistamine reactions go through when they are having an anaphylactic or asthmatic reaction to certain triggers, of which dairy is a big one.
The difference is, they can’t take the straw out of their mouths. During an attack, frequently a rescue inhaler, or trip to the ER is all that can turn the situation around.
For people with severe food allergies, an Epi-pen is their constant companion.
Trying to imagine the feeling of GERD at its worst is a little harder to do (safely). But these attacks are easily triggered by dairy, soy, red meat, and other foods- even when eaten in moderation.
Suffice it to say that if you really wanted a sensitivity training kind of exercise here, just imagine the feeling of trying to swallow a 5-pound barbell. The heavy, anxious, painful feeling along the esophagus and near the stomach’s opening isn’t just awful to experience; it can lead to long-term damage.
So I would invite you to try and notice on the packages, menus and buildings the different safety notices that are posted and what kinds of foods are listed. This will help you be a better friend to the people in your lives who suffer from food-related problems such as asthma, GERD and allergies.
To better plan your meals, or to learn more about Acid Reflux, have a look at my natural Acid Reflux guidetoday.
This post is from Scott Davis’ Acid Reflux Solution. This program helps you to cure your heartburn and acid reflux by using natural remedies to quickly heal your stomach without dangerous medicine or risky surgeries. It can also help you to remove some disorders of acid reflux such as constipation or IBS.
Yes, a recent study due to be presented at the Endocrine Society annual meeting highlighted one work habit that may be the underlying cause of your hypothyroid.
However, it is the first time that overworking has ever been linked to hypothyroidism.
Researchers used the information of 2,160 working adults that had previously been collected by the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Information about the amount of worked hours and blood tests to examine thyroid function were used.
1.4 percent who worked between 36-42 hours a week and 3.5 percent that worked between 53-83 hours a week suffered from hypothyroidism.
This shows the more hours worked increased the risk of suffering from hypothyroidism by 2.5 times.
Furthermore, for every 10 extra hours worked every week, the chance of developing hypothyroidism increased by 46 percent.
Although women tend to suffer from hypothyroidism more in general, the studies found that overworking affects men and women suffering from hypothyroidism equally.
Its solution is life sentence on hormone drugs, causing a ton of side effects.
But a new study in the Journal Frontiers in Endocrinology reveals the real underlying cause of hypothyroidism, but the good news is – this one is easily treatable.
These researchers wanted to know more about the effect on the thyroid of subacute thyroiditis, which is a condition in which your thyroid gland becomes inflamed, which in turn can either cause hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
When it is acute, thyroid hormone leaks out into the bloodstream causing symptoms similar to those of hyperthyroidism, such as a faster heart rate, exhaustion, anxiety, irritability, increased perspiration, tremors, muscular weakness, and weight loss. Doctors referred to this as thyrotoxicosis.
When it is subacute, it causes pain in the neck, jaw, and ears; the thyroid becomes enlarged, and one often has a fever and aching muscles. It is usually caused by a viral infection, especially upper respiratory infections.
The researchers recruited 61 patients with thyroiditis and followed them for two years to see when the first signs of hypothyroidism developed.
As they expected, they observed a sudden increase in thyroid size at the time of the subacute thyroiditis.
But by both one and two years, the thyroids of people who had had thyroiditis were a lot smaller than those were in healthy people, indicating hypothyroidism becomes a possibility soon after the thyroiditis.
They also found that the thyroids of thyroiditis sufferers who ended up developing hypothyroidism were even smaller than those who had the thyroiditis but never the hypothyroidism.
The maximum thyroid-stimulating hormone levels within the first three months were closely linked with the development of hypothyroidism later.
Eliminate All Complications of Hypothyroidism - How Hypothyroidism Destroys Family Planning Dreams
Conceiving doesn’t come easy to all couples. There are many people out there with fertility problems that make it difficult to fall pregnant.
There are some clear explanations about a person’s fertility issues, but then there are some that remain a mystery.
Now researchers from The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University in China have found that a type of hypothyroidism is messing with your ability to have children in the future.
According to researchers, subclinical hypothyroidism interferes with female fertility. They investigated whether it affected a woman’s ovarian reserve.
In general, women in their late 30s and 40s have a lower ovarian reserve than women in their 20s, partly because they have fewer egg cells, and partly because the egg cells that are still present are not good enough to be fertilized.
Researchers recruited 2,568 women who had requested infertility treatment. 2,279 of them had normal thyroid function and 289 had subclinical hypothyroidism. 1,349 were below the age of 35 and 1,219 were older.
While there is currently no direct way of testing ovarian reserves, they used the most common markers used by researchers to estimate it, including the follicle-stimulating hormone (that regulates the growth and selection of egg cells), the antral follicle count (the number of a type of follicle that indicates the number of egg cells, estimated via ultrasound), and the anti-Müllerian hormone (that regulates the maturation of ovarian follicles).
Women with subclinical hypothyroidism had substantially lower anti-Müllerian hormones and antral follicle numbers and higher follicle-stimulating hormones than their peers with a healthy thyroid function.
Those below 35 differed only in follicle-stimulating hormones compared to their healthy thyroid peers, while those above 35 had an unhealthier profile of all three factors.
In other words, the older you are, the more severe the effects of subclinical hypothyroidism are on your fertility.
Usually, subclinical hypothyroidism is difficult to detect because there are often few to no symptoms. But if you have vague and unspecific symptoms like fatigue, depression, weight gain, hair loss, cognitive fogginess, and a swelling in your neck, you may have it.
This post is from the Hypothyroidism Solution Program created by Julissa Clay. She provides you with tips and techniques which she used while struggling with hypothyroidism. Julissa is a natural health researcher and has written many health program e-books and digital guides. She spent all her life to the service of all the people and helped them to recover from various health issues naturally. You can easily avoid the side effects of the medications by following her.
This 3-ingredient aloe
and lavender recipe uses the natural germ fighting properties in tea tree oil
to create an alcohol-free hand sanitizer.
Having a hand sanitizer in your
purse or car to use in a pinch comes in handy when good old-fashioned soap and
water are nowhere in sight.
However, most commercial hand
sanitizers use alcohol as the antibacterial agent. These products are often
drying and burn if you have even the slightest scratch on your hand, which can be
painful for adults, not to mention children.
To make matters worse, many
commercial sanitizers contain synthetic fragrances and parabens to extend the
shelf life of the product. Luckily, creating a homemade hand sanitizer that
contains only pure ingredients couldn’t be easier.
This DIY version is free of
harsh ingredients and combines the soothing aroma of
lavender with tea tree oil to combat germs, all in a
moisturizing aloe vera-based gel. Grab a small pump
or squeeze bottle and let’s get started!
Start out with an aloe vera gel that is pure and contains no
fillers. A great aloe vera gel dries quickly, is
moisturizing, and isn’t sticky. Aloe vera gel is available online and in
health food stores, with plenty of natural brands to choose from.
Pour aloe vera gel into a pump or squeeze
bottle. Next, add 3-4 drops of high quality tea tree oil and 4 drops of lavender oil. Lavender oil also has
antiviral and antibacterial properties of its own.
If you prefer a stronger scent,
add in a few more drops of lavender. Secure the lid and give the mixture a
shake. Store your sanitizer in a convenient spot, like a purse or in your glove
compartment.
Try these other
great scents to add to your hand sanitizer…
Orange or citrus
oil: uplifting
Peppermint oil:
refreshing
Rosemary: relaxing
3-Ingredient Natural
Homemade Hand Sanitizer
Recipe by Jennafer
Ashley
This 3-ingredient aloe and lavender recipe uses the natural
germ fighting properties found in tea tree oil to create an alcohol-free hand
sanitizer.
Jenna is a Registered
Dietetic Technician and recipe developer specializing in healthy eating. She
styles and photographs recipes for her website, Fresh and Fit , as well as contributes to a variety of websites. In
her free time, Jenna enjoys trying new restaurants and hiking with her German
Shepherd.
A lot of people have
gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer.
However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time
finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to
complete.
Fortunately, Kelsey
Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found
that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only
delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few
simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.
“Discovering the gym
changed my life. It became my new coping mechanism, and instead of being
harmful and negative, it help me heal myself physically, mentally, and
emotionally.”
Name: Simone Collins
Occupation: Graphic Designer for the Arnold Classic Australia and Dohertys Gym
City/State/Country: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Age: 28
Height: 5’5″
Weight: 128 lbs.
Training: CrossFit and bodybuilding
Website: www.simicollins.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/simivegan
Instagram: @simi_collins
Q: What are your
personal passions outside of fitness?
I love music and art. I
secretly love to sing, and although I haven’t done it for ages, I love drawing.
I am also a bit of a nerd – I love Anime, playing games, watching or reading
fantasy/sci-fi.
Q: What is the biggest
obstacle you have had to overcome in your life?
Beating anxiety and depression. I was in a dark place in my late
teens/early 20s. I really struggled to find a way to cope with my emotions and
mental state. My coping mechanisms were harmful and negative, including
self-harm and eating disorders.
Discovering the gym changed my
life. It became my new coping mechanism, and instead of being harmful and
negative, it help me heal myself physically, mentally, and emotionally. It gave
me self-confidence, motivation and a healthy relationship with food.
Q: What was the hardest
part of going vegan for you?
I didn’t find it hard at all! I
was vegetarian for 10 years before I went vegan, so it was really easy to substitute
eggs with tofu, and whey with plant-based protein, which was really
the only animal products I was eating.
“For anyone making the
switch, I suggest keeping your diet as close as you can to what you are used
to, and simply making substitutes to the animal products in your meals.”
Q: What are your top three
tips for women who want to compete?
Be mentally ready
– competition prep is as much a mental test as it is a physical endeavor!
Don’t crash diet!
If you feel you have to drop your calories so low, or do tons of cardio to
get lean in time, you’re probably not ready for the show. Slow down
and prepare for the next one, there’s no hurry, competitions are run all
the time!
Just have fun! Competition prep is hard, but the
challenge is extremely exciting and there’s no better feeling than being
on stage in your best shape!
Q: What does your
daily meal plan offseason look like?
My diet varies a bit,
especially now that I’m not prepping for a show. I tend not to count calories
or macros in this time and eat more
intuitively, to give myself a break from the regiment of competition prep. Here’s an example of
my meal plan:
Breakfast: Huge bowl of oats with protein powder and berries topped with
cinnamon and ginger
Lunch: 200g tofu,
tempeh, seitan, lentils, beans or chickpeas (protein and iron
source!) 1-2 roast potatoes or a cup of rice or quinoa (carb source) and unlimited
non-starchy vegetables or raw salad, topped with nutritional yeast (b12)
Himalayan salt (for iodine) and a splash of sauce (usually no added sugar
barbecue, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, salsa or pasta
sauce)
Snack: 4 rice cakes made into sandwiches with 1
chopped banana, fruit puree spread on each one
and topped with cinnamon
Before bed:
Plant-based protein mousse (just mix in less water or nut milk!) and
flaxmeal (omega 3)
Throughout the
day: A couple of cups or tea or coffee with almond milk. I tend to snack
if and when I’m hungry. I try to eat natural whole foods most of the time.
Sometimes I like to have a treat here and there, like some mock meat, veggie
burgers, vegan pizza, fries, chocolate, lollies etc. I keep this pretty
minimal though.
Q: Philosophy on supplements and which ones you take?
B12 is crucial for vegan
bodybuilders. I manage to maintain high B12 levels simply eating nutritional
yeast, however if you’re low, I would recommend a supplement or even
injections. Sports aren’t always necessary, but personally I feel they assist
my training.
Q: Describe your
training regiment.
At the moment I am doing mostly
CrossFit.
We start the class generally
working strength or a particular lift, then we do a WOD (which is usually high
intensity work for time or reps).
We usually have an upper-body
focused day, followed by a lower body day, then a “skills day” where we work
more on strength and technique.
“I love the CrossFit
training style, you develop a great skill base, it keeps you very fit, and it’s
heaps of fun!”
I usually do
CrossFit 4-5 times a week, and a squat-only day (as I am working on
increasing my squat at the moment).
If I do 4 days of CrossFit, I
also do an arms/shoulders/chest day in the gym. I also stretch and
practice basic gymnastics holds.
Q: If you have to
pick only three exercises, what would they be and why?
Can’t go wrong with the “Big 3”
in powerlifting! They require the use of multiple muscle groups and I believe
you could keep very fit and strong, and even build a decent physique, just
doing these 3 lifts.
Q: What are the three
biggest trends you see in fitness right now?
Fasted cardio: Seems to work
for some, personally it makes me feel gross. I hate it so I never do it!
Fitness Model Competitions: It
feels like every other girl in the gym is getting ready for her first
“Fitness Model” competition, which is great, however I hope they are all doing
it for the right reasons, and are mentally prepared as well as physically. I
often notice these girls have not been training very long. I even met one that
had never been to a show, and didn’t even know what federation she had signed
up for!
Sometimes I think these girls
are pushed into competing by their coaches, or want to do a competition just
because it’s the in thing to do.
Nutella: I don’t understand why
everyone is so obsessed with it, it drives me nuts!
Q: What advice do you
have for someone who wants to try a plant-based diet?
“I think the hardest part
from a bodybuilding perspective, is trusting that you can still get the same
results without animal products.”
But there are plenty of
athletes who prove that it’s completely possible, not only to maintain muscle,
but to gain muscle or to get lean and shredded for
a competition without meat or dairy.
A
lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of
professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising
its progressiveness and efficiency.
The
program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your
potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this
system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any
carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in
your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of
proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Instead
of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and
bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a
plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to
prove it.”
“A few years ago, I changed
my viewpoint on a number of popular and controversial topics, including protein
consumption, supplement use, and my overall views about the sport of
bodybuilding.”
Robert Cheeke is responsible
for creating one of the first plant-based fitness websites in history,
and has over 20 years’ experience as a vegan athlete. It’s pioneers like him that
have made it possible for bodybuilders, athletes, and gym rats like me to wake
up to a healthier path of fitness.
Robert and I agree almost
entirely on the topic of bodybuilding nutrition.
We both believe that
a supplement-free, whole-food, plant-based diet is optimal.
The only difference between in
our philosophies is that he advocates a low-protein diet across the board.
“Whereas, I think some
individuals may need more protein based on genetics, fitness goals, etc.”
That said, I try to stay open
and remain willing to learn more.
Hell, I used to think that
eating exuberant amounts of meat was the only path to packing on muscle
and now I own a website called VegetarianBodybuilding.com.
It’s nice knowing that a guy
like Robert is traveling the globe, spreading the good word about our
lifestyle, and bringing us together.
Our tribe is much stronger
because of him without question. I also share and respect his belief in
consistency and creating positive habits.
You will certainly have an
opportunity to learn a lot from him in this interview!
Q: What does your morning ritual look like (first 30-60 minutes)?
When I wake up, I cuddle with
my little Chihuahua, Benny, for a few minutes before using the bathroom and
brushing my teeth. I then check my email, Facebook, and Twitter from my phone
as I wake myself up. Once I’m up, I take Benny out for a walk and then make my
way to the kitchen for some fruit.
I usually grab a handful of bananas and a bottle of yerba mate or glass
of water, and fire up my laptop and start working for the day. My girlfriend,
Karen, makes a bowl of oatmeal with fruit and walnuts and checks for book and
clothing orders that came in during the night to prepare packages to be shipped
out.
I sign books if necessary and
then settle into social media work, promoting my Vegan Bodybuilding &
Fitness brand from my laptop in my home office. That covers my first hour upon
waking.
Q: What key
rituals/practices do you try to maintain at all costs, even while you
travel?
One of the rituals I am very
proud of is my daily commitment to completing more than 100 push-ups and
crunches per day. I have not missed a day performing at least 100 of each since
August 16, 2013. I average about 145 push-ups and 285 crunches completed per
day.
“Regardless of where I am,
what time zone or country, I do these exercises every single day. I believe in
consistency and creating positive habits, and this is my longest-running
current daily practice.”
Q: Who were/are your
mentors in life? Tell us about them and why.
When I look back at my mentors
over the years, the people who stand out are my high school psychology of
success teacher, Eric Dazey; my high school soccer coach, Jon Bullock;
America’s Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine; my older sister, Tanya;
and most recently, Dr. T. Colin Campbell.
Mr. Dazey helped me create
formulas for success, and his leadership transformed my academic performance
during an important time in my life, when I was a freshman in high school
struggling to adjust academically.
I just bumped into Mr. Dazey in
my hometown in July 2015, and it was one of the highlights of my summer.
“Coach Bullock taught me to
demand excellence and work hard to achieve meaningful goals. He challenged me
to become a leader on my team and in my community.”
I just saw him in a TEDx video
a couple of weeks ago, giving a motivational speech about creating a
compassionate world. I’m proud to call him a friend and mentor.
“Prefontaine showed me what
the human body is capable of when you give everything you have to your sport
and follow your passion fully.”
Steve “Pre” Prefontaine was the
athlete I looked up to above all others. He died before I was born, but his
legacy impacted me more than anyone else and shaped the way I would approach my
own athletic performance for the rest of my life – with reckless abandon and
disciplined hard work.
My older sister, Tanya,
introduced me to the vegan lifestyle back in 1995 and has been a
continual role model for me ever since. It was her leadership that changed
my life forever and influenced the paths I would take and dreams I would
pursue.
Lately, Dr. T. Colin Campbell
has been one of my greatest role models, impacting the way I look at food,
health, and the intellectual honesty that is part of a public discussion I now
have about the whole-food, plant-based lifestyle.
I am honored to be an annual
featured speaker on the Holistic Holiday at Sea Vegan-friendly Cruise with Dr.
Campbell and other leaders.
Q: What is something
you believe in that other people usually think is crazy/different (besides
vegan-related topics)?
One thing that is a little
different about me is that I still write handwritten thank you cards on a
regular basis.
When I offer online contests,
giveaways, and incentive prizes, I include a handwritten thank you card with
each package I ship out. I sent out more than 500 personal thank you cards in
2014.
I leave handwritten thank you
notes for the cleaning staff in motels and hotels, along with a cash tip, and I
even include thank you cards when I pay bills via check in the mail. I feel
like handwritten notes are a lost art these days, but it is something I enjoy
doing.
“Based on the feedback I’ve
received over the years, the thank you cards are greatly appreciated by the
recipients, and it brings a smile to their face and joy to their day. That’s
ultimately why I do it.”
Q: What have you
changed your mind about in the past 10 years?
A few years ago, I changed my
viewpoint on a number of popular and controversial topics, including protein
consumption, supplement use, and my overall views about
the sport of bodybuilding.
For many years, I was an
advocate and promoter of a high-protein diet. I believed it was necessary for muscle growth and synonymous with the sport
of bodybuilding.
In 2012, I took Dr. T. Colin
Campbell’s Plant-Based Nutrition Certification Course through Cornell
University, and based on what I learned, I adopted a relatively low-protein
diet. As a result of that course, I also decided to give up use of all
supplements aside from vitamin B12.
My views of the mainstream
sport of bodybuilding had been waning for years, and the obsession with
animal-based supplements among the mainstream bodybuilding community was
another turnoff.
As a result, I became a lesser
fan of the sport of bodybuilding than I had been for years.
“I appreciate the art of
weight training and building one’s physique and all the hard work that goes
into it, but supporting mainstream competitive bodybuilding is becoming more
challenging for me since I disagree with the animal-based diet and supplements
that are so prevalent in the sport.”
I am now into my fourth year on
a low-protein, supplement-free, whole-food, plant-based diet, focusing on promoting vegan bodybuilding within a mainstream
bodybuilding culture.
“I’m in my 20th year as a vegan athlete, and I am as strong now as I ever was
when I was using supplements and consuming copious amounts of protein.”
Today, I follow a 70/15/15 approach,
consuming approximately 70 percent of my calories from whole-food carbohydrates
and 15 percent of each proteins and fats. I prefer to promote the general
fitness lifestyle over competitive bodybuilding, as fitness appeals to far more individuals.
I have also become an expert on
fat loss and muscle growth with a high-carbohydrate, low-protein, whole-food, plant-based diet from my years of
experience following this approach and writing about it extensively in my
latest book, “Shred It!”
Q: What would your
friends/colleagues say you’re really good at?
My friends and colleagues would
probably say that I am good at leading by example:
Released another
bestselling book about the whole-food, plant-based athlete lifestyle in 2014
I run the largest
vegan athlete social media pages on the Internet
As a result of those efforts, I
believe many friends would say I lead by example from putting in the work to
create projects I believe in.
Q: What would your
naysayers say you’re bad at?
I believe naysayers would say
I’m bad at building muscle as a vegan by comparing me
to mainstream steroid-using bodybuilders. They might also say that I am bad at
running my website and that I’m not very good at responding to emails.
I have 700 unread emails in my
main email account, and I run an out-of-date-looking website, so I would agree
with the criticism, and I actively work hard to improve in many areas that I
currently struggle to thrive in.
Q: What would you tell
your 18-year-old self?
If I could go back in time, I
would tell my 18-year-old self to spend more time in school. Though I have
become successful in many areas, both personally and professionally, I never
went to a traditional college or university, and I don’t have a degree in
anything.
I relied on hard work to get
where I am today, but I think I would have enjoyed college, learning and
becoming smarter, as well as developing life-long friendships during those
post-high school years in my late teens and early twenties.
Q: What are your three
favorite books?
My three favorite books are:
1. “How to Win Friends and
Influence People” by Dale Carnegie
2. “The Thank You Economy” by Gary Vaynerchuk
3. “Made to Stick” by Dan and Chip Heath
Q: What was the hardest
part of writing your book? Tell us about the events that led to the
decision to write it.
The hardest part about writing
“Shred It!” was creating a 300-page book following my 300-page “Vegan
Bodybuilding & Fitness” book released in 2010.
Coming up with new material
covering a similar topic is always a challenge.
Fortunately for me, I have had
a dramatic change in my views about protein consumption, supplement use,
training, and other related topics, so I was able to write about a lot of
completely fresh and innovative ideas.
Following my completion of Dr.
Campbell’s Plant-Based Nutrition Certification Course, I was determined to
write a plant-based fitness book. One that
contained the fundamental principles of eating real, healthy whole plant foods
combined with enjoyable exercise.
Perhaps the aspect that I am
most proud involving my latest book is the endorsements I received from many of
my biggest role models, including Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Caldwell B.
Esselstyn, Jr., and the producer of “Forks Over Knives,” Brian Wendel.
It took nearly two years to
write “Shred It!” when factoring in my initial drafts, hiring and working with
an award-winning professional editor for six months, doing the photo shoots and
book layout, and recruiting 28 world-renowned experts to peer review and
endorse the book.
I am very proud that “Shred
It!” is one of the bestselling vegan books of 2015 and has inspired thousands
of people to achieve their health and fitness goals.
Q: What are the three
biggest changes in fitness you’ve observed over the past decade?
Over the past decade, the
biggest changes I’ve seen in the fitness industry are the trends that
include CrossFit, the use of kettlebells, and the growing popularity of
calisthenics and Parkour, or bodyweight training.
Programs such as P90X and other
DVD training programs seem to be at an all-time high, as well. In general, I
view these changes to be a good thing, because there are now more options
available to the mainstream public, which appeal to mass audiences.
This, in turn, gets more people
to become active, and should result in improved levels of health for this and
the next generation if the fitness lifestyle is supported by healthy eating
practices.
I believe changes and trends in
fitness come and go, but as long as people are active and enjoying themselves
doing physical activities, I think we’re on the right path.
Q: How did you become
the founder/president of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness?
When I became vegan, I was a 15-year old, 120-pound
sophomore in high school in 1995.
I was a five-sport athlete,
finding most of my success in endurance sports such as cross-country, soccer,
and track and field.
As a skinny teenage athlete, I
wanted to be bigger and stronger.
It wasn’t until 1999 that I
decided to start lifting weights. I wasn’t even familiar with the sport of
bodybuilding, but I knew I wanted to build muscle.
The following year, I
discovered there was an actual competitive sport of bodybuilding and embraced
it, adding 30 pounds in one year, peaking at 185 pounds in 2001.
In 2002, at age 22, I founded
Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, a brand designed to share my vegan bodybuilding lifestyle with others.
My website,
www.veganbodybuilding.com, went online in early 2003. By that year, I weighed
195 pounds and had been featured in FLEX Magazine three times.
The vegan bodybuilding lifestyle was put on the
map in a major way when I started competing and winning bodybuilding
competitions in the mid-2000s.
I shared those experiences in
newspapers, on TV, on the radio, in books, and all over the Internet.
“My vision behind creating
Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness was to lead by example to show that you can
successfully build muscle on a vegan diet and achieve fitness goals without
having to compromise ethics to excel in athletics. Ultimately, I wanted my
actions to inspire others to lead to a more compassionate world.”
I went from weighing 120 pounds
when I became vegan
to weighing 195 pounds eight years later, and felt like I had a compelling
story to share.
That story is still relevant
today, as I am a keynote speaker sharing my transformation from skinny farm kid
to champion vegan bodybuilder to audiences around the
world.
Q: Next big plans for
the site and you personally?
One of the exciting things that
is part of my role in the vegan fitness industry is that I really
never know what is next. I work hard to create opportunities by writing books,
setting up speaking tours, and completing other projects, but there is also a
lot of spontaneity and unique opportunities that arise on a regular basis.
For example, I take off to
Australia for a three-week tour in October 2015, and I’m still piecing things
together. I also plan to take a trip to Thailand in the New Year and possibly
relocate to Venice Beach for a couple of months in early 2016, but these are
just possibilities in the broad scope of life to be determined as time goes on.
Professionally, I plan to write
more books in the near future, and I will continue to tour and speak to
audiences around the world. Personally, I plan to do a lot of traveling to
exotic places to explore the planet while sharing the compassionate vegan lifestyle with people all over the
globe.
As for Vegan Bodybuilding &
Fitness, we’ll be improving our website, growing our social media communities,
releasing some companion books to “Shred It!,” producing more vegan fitness clothing, and writing more
content for many publications.
Q: What does the future
of plant-based fitness look like in the next five to 10 years?
I was a plant-based athlete before the Internet
came of age, and a whole lot has changed over the past couple of decades. The
awareness of the vegan lifestyle is at an all-time high and
growing rapidly, as is the acceptance of vegans in the athletic industry.
“There are more successful
vegan athletes from all walks of life than we have ever seen, and this will
only continue to perpetuate throughout all sports for years to come.”
I predict that there will be
big stars in all major men’s and women’s sports who publicly adopt and promote
a plant-based lifestyle within the next
decade. This will truly be exciting to watch.
My latest book, “Shred It!,”
can be found on www.veganbodybuilding.com.
Wishing you all the very best.
Follow your passion and make it happen!
A
lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of
professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising
its progressiveness and efficiency.
The
program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your
potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this
system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any
carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in
your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of
proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Instead
of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and
bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a
plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to
prove it.”
