8/24 Foodie Friday

Mercedes is focused during dumbbell thrusters. 
Yes! It's Foodie Friday! This past Monday I busted the myth of the perfect human diet. There is not one perfect diet for every human as we all are metabolically different and we have different values with regard to food. Today's I am excited to share a guest post by our own Noah Massey. Noah is a CrossFitting VEGAN! She is happy to share her story with you. Read the post all the way through the end where I share a delicious vegan chili recipe with 25g of protein per serving courtesy of Wallflower Kitchen!
Now, please enjoy A Day in the Eating Life of a Vegan CrossFitter by Noah Massey. 
"Veganism seems to be popping up everywhere these days (hooray!) even with elite athletes.  But the majority of us still seem wary. Why?  Because there’s this huge misconception that a vegan diet cannot provide enough energy, protein and micronutrients for an active individual. Oh contraire Mon friar.
Plant Power
It is true that getting enough calories in as a vegan can be a challenge, especially for the newly initiated, but the bonus is you literally get to eat ALL THE TIME!  My caloric goals are around 1,800 a day and I have no trouble meeting these needs in 5 meals a day (okay maybe 6).  See below for a breakdown of my daily food.
Muscle Mass
Gorillas are massive, muscular, herbivores.  In fact only 2% of their daily intake is protein (grubs and bugs).  If our distant cousin can produce those huge muscles on a scavenged diet then we, one of the most adaptive creatures ever to evolve, can most certainly meet our needs with the help of a super market.  Don’t believe me?  Check out Patrik Baboumain, Venus Williams, Ronda Rousey and my personal muscle crush Kendrick Farris (330 lbs bench, 605 lbs squat, 352 lbs snatch, 378 lbs power clean and 447 lbs clean & jerk).
I shoot for about 90 grams of protein a day.  I will confess that I’m not great at getting it all in.  That has more to do with having two small children and a zillion ranch chores to do every day than in the abundance of pulses (beans, lentils, peas and grains all of which are high in protein) and other protein sources.
Micronutrients
B12 is one of the most difficult things for a vegan to acquire as it is only found in animal products. Last year I had my B-12 tested. After a year of a mostly vegan (sometimes there’s no way to get away from cheese) diet my B-12 was in the middle of the normal range.  I got a B-12 shot anyway, just for fun to see if it would change anything about my neurological function, I didn’t notice a difference and I’m pretty sure the 6 am crew will attest to that!
Omega 3 fatty acids and things like iodine can also be hard to find but are readily available in nuts and potatoes, bananas and green beans.  Problem solved.
Putting it all together
I’ve been off the meat wagon for 27 years, except for some brief returns (more about that later). Now I’m not saying I’m spot on with my nutrition but for a woman with two little kids and a rollicking group of animals to care for I think I do all right.  Here’s how a day at the MLC Ranch looks:
In my face before 6 AM class:
Coffee with coconut cream, a banana and a scoop of Vega Clean Protein in water.
Breakfast:
Smoothie with one mango, banana, lime juice, ½ a jalapeno, two massive handfuls of spinach and water
Snack time:
Sometimes this is where the breakdown happens and I eat a cookie… today it’s carrots and jicama (which I peal and put in water on food prep day) and hummus
Lunch:
Was it a heavy day at the gym?  All the food!!!  Two pieces of bread holding: cashew cheese, Field day tomato slices, lettuce, shredded carrots, bread and butter pickles, and Just Mayo (vegan and so good).  I was super hungry so I ate some left over gazpacho too.
Snack:
Where my coffee at?! We had a play date so portable food is the name of the game: tortilla with peanut butter, honey and a sliced banana.
Dinner:
I hate turning on the oven so pretty much everything is made on the grill this season: grilled tofu, crispy potato skins and green salad.  The meat eater is home now so he might eat some of the chicken breast he prepped on Sunday but usually whatever I’m making is better.
That’s it, lots of veggies, lots of food that can be made and cleaned up quickly."

Foodie Friday Recipe
​Easy Vegan Chili Sin Carne

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