The VC is a legit strong dude and super funny to boot. I enjoy all of his content. His videos always motivate me to go train. …Of course this is also true of the Ask A Cycling Coach Podcast…
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Vegan for 3yrs (first went veggie for a month but thought 'nah this isn’t doing anything for me physically or ‘mentally’, on TR for 10 months having been riding for 10 years previous, FTP from 280 to 330 and weight marginally down from 85 to 83kg.
Favourite meal is breakfast smoothie with banana, avo, shelled hemp seeds (not the powder), chia seed, flaxseed, berries, spirulina or chlorella. So a fair proportion of protein for recovery but probably not on par with a protein powder, I do have some Vega and Sunwarrior products around if desperate.
Before I made the decision I was getting really painful arthritis type pain in my joints, specifically my hands, having cut out animals products this flared up worryingly (especially as I was only in my mid-thirties), fortunately I stuck with it and after 2-4 weeks this pain went altogether and I haven’t had it since. I’m not a doctor but maybe there’s a connection there with uric acid, I don’t know. Similarly I was super bloated for a month as my body dealt with the transition but eventually this stopped.
I made the change for what I perceived as potential health benefits and I feel so much better and lighter on this diet. Close to that were environmental and ethical reasons, however now that’s all kind of flipped with an altered view having stepped away and looking at things from a new perspective and acceptance.
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I hear with more regularity about other things like this. I’m a firm believer that it matters what you put in your body. Moreover, I don’t believe our food is what it used to be in terms of quality.
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I wanted to share my supereasy lentil stew recipe- which is a big hit in my household. I usually make a decent batch and freeze portions for future use or to bring to work for lunch.
Ingredients:
-Onions (1-2) diced
-Carrots (3) diced
-Celery (3) diced
-Squash (3-4 cups cubed) I have used buttercup, acorn, pumpkin all with great results. Sweet potatoes work well too.
-Kale (one head- remove stems and roughly chop)
-garlic (3-4 cloves)
-2 cups of lentils
-1 can of diced tomatoes
Steps:
-saute onions and garlic in oil with salt, add carrots and celery and continue to cook (4 min)
-add squash or sweet potato (or both), tomatoes, lentils and enough water to cover everything up. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for an hour. Check on it every 20 min and add water if things look a little dry.
-add kale and let it wilt. Add a sprinkle of lemon juice and adjust seasoning.
-serve over brown rice or alongside some nice whole-grain bread
Variations:
-Curried- add ginger and either curry paste, powder, or garam masala with the onions and garlic. Add a tablespoon of tamarind paste while lentils are stewing. Serve with a dollop of yogurt (non-vegan), and some freshly chopped cilantro. Side of rice or naan bread, or both 
-Mediterranean- add pinches or oregano, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes when veggies are sauteing. Can serve with freshly chopped mint or parsley and Feta (to make it non-vegan)
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Thanks people, Love this thread!
I have been on a whole food plant based for 18 months but only back training properly since about Feb the his year after being cleaned up by a car.
I have already passed previous max FTP and notice i recover much quicker. I went from 240 watt FTP to 316 watts between Feb and August this year.
No supps other than B12 and no protein powders.
(Looking into DHA though)
Rich roll is a massive inspiration as well as Dr Michael Gregor.
Keep it up people, it’s the way of the future. 
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With inspiration from you all made a vegan bolognaise (lentil) last night that my wife and I enjoyed, had so much left over it’s our lasagna tonight (vegetarian this time as with cheese)
Ironically it’s very similar to the above stew. Keep the recipes and inspiration going.
What are others using regards supplements? Are you maintaining vitamins and aminos through real food diet or are supplements needed?
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I love the VC channel! He a great representative of the vegan cycling community.
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Im neither a vegetarian or plant based cyclist but sonya looney has a podcast called the “sonya looney show” its worth checking out. She’s a world champion ultra distance cyclist, which follows a heavily plant based diet.
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Vegetarian here. Would love if we could start sharing recipes here. I’ll start off with a great high protein dish which usually pleases meat eaters as well. Add some carbs (rice, millet, etc) and a green, and you’ve got a pretty stellar meal. Salisbury Seitan recipe _ Veria.pdf (219.0 KB)
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What are you doing specifically do achieve your proteins each day? I’ve been tracking macros for the last several weeks and I’ve noticed it quite difficult to hit that protein value without protein powders and animal based proteins (having a shake as I type this message).
Are you just constantly cooking/meal-prepping high protein meals?
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First day as a TrainerRoad subscriber.
I too have used Dr. Grogor’s daily dozen as an experiment. (7 month now.)
It has given me a good strategy for eating. I have tweeked it for my liking.
Plus Nigel Mitchels "Fueling the Cycling Reveloution.
I use a vegan protein powder also.
What I’ve learned in seven months; my ftp is the same; my endurance is better; my energy on a daily basis higher; I’m faster on the road; although being leaner my weight has increased by pounds.
So looking forward to the training plans this fall and winter.
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Same for me, Rich Roll is awesome
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I just eat plants hey, a can of beans or equivalent of home cooked beans a day. The rest is pretty much fruit and greens, herbs and spices, turmeric, flaxseed meal, handfull of nuts a day. Home made fruit leather.
Protein targets seem inflated, I have read study’s on this but cannot quote them sorry, but have you ever heard of someone with a protein deficiency.?
I have a leaner muscle mass with more power now compared to my plant based protein and even my meat eating days of less power and more bulk.
I don’t meal prep, but I do usually eat the same each day except for dinner and depending on training load.
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Totally. Just stay away from that almond milk. 
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Same opinion…I think if you eat a good variety of different food you get enough protein, without counting anything. The only thing I use "extra"protein is a shake after a hard workout, my experience is that I feel better the next day. Maybe its placebo but if its help
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I’m not a veggie, but my wife is a pescatarian, so I guess that makes me sort of a flexitarian. We tend to eat mostly veggie at home, with fish thrown in now and then. I can’t say I’ve found it to have a negative effect on my performances or anything! Taking a lot less dairy these days as well.
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I went vegan for 8 months. I made sure I supplemented my protein and iron. I did notice I was eating more calories, never gained any weight. My training stayed the same, my FTP never changed. I was also trail running at the time. I never felt heavy or out of energy. VC is a great source of advise and insight to any vegan athlete.
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Although not a vegan or a plant based cyclist, one of my prior teammates is very passionate about this and has spent the past several years researching and developing content on the topic of Whole Foods Plant Based Diets. I encourage you to check it out, as it is very informative.
https://www.plant-basedcyclist.com/podcast
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I have been mostly vegan since January. Except for the one container of Whey protein I’m working through and the occasional chocolate. I changed for environmental reasons but I have never felt better. It doesn’t seem to affect my energy levels at all.
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I moved to a vegan diet a few years back (pre TR) and the following few months weight dropped about 6 to 8kgs with the same level of training and riding that I had been doing for the last 6 months. Energy level increased and now I seem to train more (now I have TR) and I recover even better, all good things, will never go back!
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