Pete Foret is a 51-year-old server engineer, ultra-endurance cyclist and single dad to a 10-year-old daughter. I had the great pleasure of sitting down with Pete to learn more about his story and how he is taking control of his health.
When did you adopt a plant-based diet and why did you do it?
I adopted a plant-based diet in March 2015 after watching the documentary, Forks Over Knives. I had two grandparents who died of heart attacks and two others who died of cancer. My dad had heart bypass surgery. When I learned that diet plays a big role, I made the change to a whole-food, plant-based diet. I’ve had conversations with people that… yes, cancer can be hereditary and there are environmental factors, but it’s also what you put in your body. I asked myself, what’s the one thing I can control? It is what’s on the end of my fork.
You are an avid cyclist, what changes did you experience both on and off the bicycle after adopting a plant-based diet?
What I noticed the most was I was able to recover faster after bike workouts, I also saw a reduction in body fat percentage, slept better, and was not as tired.
I do races, but the main thing I like to do is ultra-endurance events. I get asked about whether I could stay vegan with 280-mile bike rides, and I have no problem finding foods to eat and keep my energy levels up.
I work in an office building where my coworkers and I go to lunch together – I used to come back from lunch and felt like I needed an afternoon nap. In fact, some guys will fall asleep at their desk. Not me. I’m no longer tired in the afternoon. I have longer energy duration throughout the day.
Another thing I would add is that since going plant-based, I stopped looking at protein. I read the book Proteinaholic by Dr. Garth Davis and realized I didn’t need all that protein. It was a great book and really opened my eyes.
What challenges did you face after adopting a plant-based diet and how did you overcome or deal with them? What made it easier for you to be successful?
I was pretty lucky because about 8 months before going plant-based, I had started drinking green smoothies, so I was beginning to add more plants to my diet. I also met two other guys, Max and Wes, who had already been vegan, so they helped me figure things out. The biggest thing was figuring out what to eat when I go out to restaurants. Once I went out for Mexican food, and they told me to just order veggie fajitas. Also, I learned that you can ask the chef for what you want, and 99% of the time they’ll come out with something amazing.
Max and Wes have helped me with meals and putting foods and flavors together. Now I’m completely happy keeping it simple with just rice and beans.
What has really helped me is my family. Even with a 35-year tradition for Thanksgiving, my sister always makes sure I have vegan foods to eat. I have a wonderful family support system.
We’ve had some exchanges on social media about the role meat and dairy plays in contributing to climate change. What do you think would get people to care enough to replace meat and dairy with plant-based food alternatives?
Climate change and diets are the new tobacco philosophy, meaning science and “facts” are created on both sides, and that creates doubt. This was also seen with the Time Magazine cover story “Eat Butter” where it created doubt and confusion. That doubt keeps people doing what they’ve always done. When people see what is happening to animals on the factory farms, there is no doubt. One of my biggest pet peeves are people who say they’re animal lovers, but then eat animals. You can live without eating meat – if a person needed meat, there is no way I could go out and do a 280-mile mountain bike ride. There is no reason people need meat. Advertising has implanted in people’s minds that they need it.
What advice do you have for someone considering a plant-based diet?
There’re two types of people – rip the band-aid off or move slowly and gradually. Which ever type of person you are, talk to other people and connect with a few resource groups. Learn about restaurants and hidden animal products. For example, I learned that one of the restaurants I would go to put sour cream in their guacamole. If going slow, start off with meatless Monday, then add meatless Thursday and so forth. Also, find out why you’re doing it – is it for health, the environment or animals? For me it started out for health reasons. Now I’m all about the animals.
You can follow Pete on Instagram @faf1967