When did you adopt a whole food plant-based diet and why did you do it?
I made the change in January 2012. The singular event that started my mission to live this way, eat this way and educate people about the benefits of this lifestyle was watching the movie Forks Over Knives. I received it as a Christmas present.
What experiences did you encounter during and after you transitioned to a plant-based diet?
One of the challenges, especially as an athlete, was figuring out how much to eat. Coming from a diet consisting of more calorie dense foods to more plant foods, which are naturally not as calorie dense, it took some getting used to. There were some hungry days and lackluster workouts because of a calorie deficiency. Because I wasn’t used to eating a large volume of food, my stomach was telling me I was full when in actuality, I had not given my body enough calories. But, I learned some tricks along the way, simply ate more food and was riding my bike, training and recovering like a beast. Another challenge I had as an endurance athlete was obtaining certain micronutrients. Through trial and error, I figured out that I wasn’t getting enough Iron, so through research I answered the question “Which plant-foods are high in Iron” and ate more of those. I noticed a significant improvement in my endurance and performance.
Right away, I noticed I was getting to sleep faster, sleeping more soundly and waking up more refreshed. Another pleasant surprise is I shed 10-15 pounds of weight, without trying. If you’re an endurance athlete of any kind, this is HUGE! I was also recovering faster, riding harder and farther and spending less at the grocery store. It can all be done!
You are also known as the Plant-Based Cyclist and competed in RAAM on a 4-person team. How did you fuel your body with plants to accomplish such an amazing feat?
Racing and training for a race like this, you need to focus on calories. When you’re getting your calories from plant-foods, you need to focus on calorie dense plant-foods, like starches. I ate lots of brown or white rice, beans and lentils, lots of whole wheat or rice pasta, avocados, olives, oats, fruit. Then, it’s all about putting in the time on the bike, and you’re 90% there. On the bike, I enjoyed dates, bananas and homemade oat-based granola bars made with maple syrup, peanut butter and some dried fruit. Again, calorie density. I cannot stress this enough. When you’re riding 125 miles per day for 7 days straight, your body, to an extent, doesn’t care where the calories are coming from, hence the white rice and maple syrup. These certainly aren’t the healthiest, but I’m also not advocating average lay-people to eat these foods in abundance. Smoothies are also another great way to ‘drink your calories” while also getting in a lot of nutrition.
You have a remarkable podcast with an impressive slate of guests. What were some insights and learnings that resonated most with you?
I started the Ian Cramer Podcast as a way to provide a resource to people who want to learn more about the health benefits of a plant-based lifestyle and who are driven by evidence, data and hearing experts explain these principals. I’ve always been very inquisitive, and I love learning more about how diet and lifestyle affects health, so speaking to and compiling conversations with doctors, scholars, PhD’s, dietitians and experts seemed like a fun project.
A guest that I have found myself mentioning quite often is Brenda Davis, registered Dietitian in Episode #25. I asked her “How do you get family members to change the way they eat”? She said something to the effect of, ‘You shouldn’t concentrate your efforts on changing those around you. You should concentrate your efforts on loving them, and being a shining example of vibrant health. Then, as time goes by and your family sees you getting healthier, losing weight, dropping medications, reversing chronic diseases, making healthy, good smelling and looking dishes, your energy and love you exude will affect those around you and will be and impetus for them changing.’
The other guest that I can say that I learned the most new information from was Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, a Gastroenterologist. He was laying some truths in our conversation in Episode #36. We spoke about gut health, microbiome, fermented foods and how many of today’s prevalent GI disorders can be caused and reversed with diet and lifestyle changes.
What advice do you have for someone wanting to take control of their health, but they don’t know where to start?
Changing a lifestyle, such as the foods you’re eating, and daily behaviors can seem daunting. I think that people can get the widest and most comprehensive possible overview of how our diet affects our bodies and the world as a whole with 5 DVD’s: Forks Over Knives, Earthlings, Cowspiracy, What the Health and Eating You Alive. If you walk away from watching those DVD’s and you’re not moved and motivated to make changes, you’re still in the Prochaska “Precontemplation” stage of change, and you’re not ready to change, yet. After those DVD’s, I’d recommend doing a little digging and/or reaching out to thought leaders like Gigi Carter or passionate educators like myself and ask us to point you in the right direction, whether it’s a book, YouTube channel, Facebook page or Podcast. Utilize your resources, it’s easier than ever to connect with people through social media.
I always encourage people that it’s NEVER too late to change. Always remember this constant: our bodies want to heal. What happens when we get a paper cut, a broken bone, bruise or stub our toe so badly we want to cry? Our body heals the damage, because that’s what it was meant to do, that’s what it evolved to do to survive. So why can’t our bodies heal from type 2 diabetes, heart disease or even cancers? Especially when, with rare exception, these chronic diseases are caused by our dietary and lifestyle behaviors.
Keep eating more plants, remain responsible ambassadors to this movement and stay healthy.
You can find Ian Cramer at: www.plant-basedcyclist.com or on Facebook.
