Alright you Biggest Loser fans, I happened to open the current issue of Vegetarian Times (actually says September issue) and happened to see a small article about BOB HARPER. He is the super cute and talented trainer on THE BIGGEST LOSER. Last season was the first time I had ever watched the show. Don’t ask what took me so long to jump on the band wagon. I am a reality TV junkie and I love nutrtion and exercise; no wonder I love this show. (Except for the ridiculous product placement and the bogus plugs for animal products simply because they are HUGE sponsors of the show.) Anyway, the article said that Bob has become VEGETARIAN and dropped his cholesterol 100 points. He said he became more aware of this lifestyle by reading “Skinny Bitch”. You GO BOB (looking even hotter to me now). I guess he is rubbing off on Jillian too. On her radio station she mentioned that she used to be anti-vegetarian but that Bob is starting to rub off on her. I seriously hope some of this comes through on the show this season (we’ll see how much freedom sponsors give Bob on this). It would be so great to have a completely certified trainer tell people that they can actually get PROTEIN from PLANTS.
That’s got to be the number one question I get at the gym, “Well, if you don’t eat meat, how do you get enough protein?” I used to be just like everyone else; mixing my protein powder with water in the locker room and chugging it down before barely taking 2 steps out of the gym. NO MORE!! I even gave up the Soy Protein Drinks (mainly because these are all highly processed with added sugar). There isn’t really anything “whole food” about a protein drink. Instead I have a piece of fruit waiting for me in the car. And how do I feel?…..Fantastic! My muscles aren’t shrinking, my energy levels aren’t somehow lower, and my daily muscle recovery is great.
“Something everyone should know about protein: Every whole food contains protein! Carrots contain it, celery contains it. We do not have to restrict ourselves to nuts, seeds, and beans when thinking about protein. We certainly do not need to focus on animal products. The protein consumed from a balanced plant-based diet appears to be plenty. Many of us have been conditioned to worry about specific nutrients, such as protein. If we just consume the foods the human body is designed for, we don’t have to worry about the nutrients and we should experience optimal health.” (www.soystache.com)
So how did we somehow get sold that we don’t get enough protein? What are we all afraid of exactly? I don’t recall anyone being rushed to the hospital because the were having a “low-protein attack”. I honestly can’t think of any MAJOR DISEASE or illness that is in anyway related to not having enough protein. In fact the opposite is true. Heart attacks, Diabetes, Cancer and so many of the “big ones” are being PROVEN to be linked to diets high in animal PROTEIN. Not plant protein (beans, spinach etc), but ANIMAL PROTEIN. If this is true, don’t you owe it to yourself to look into what you are eating a little further? I think the greatest marketing ploys of all time are that we need MILK for CALCIUM and that we need MEAT for PROTEIN. (Well done dairy industry, well done meat industry.)
Why would someone like Bob Harper decide to change his diet at this point in his life? Think about it. He is in incredible shape. He is on a hit TV show. He could have clients lined up until the day he dies. What could he possibly gain by changing his diet? The only plausible answer that I can think of is BETTER HEALTH. That’s the same reason I changed my eating. I used to think that the way I was eating would result in the healthiest lifestyle until I slowly (and skeptically) learned otherwise. My guess is that this was probably the same for Bob!
Let me just say that this does not mean that I will never eat animal products again, it just means that it is no longer the focus of my meals. No more egg whites for breakfast, no more chicken breast for lunch, and no more fish for dinner. These are now occasional side dishes replaced instead by a fantastic and delicious PLANT BASED DIET.
So what in the world do I eat? Follow my food journal and you’ll see how tasty a vegetarian lifestyle can be!
Source: WFM Blog – 2