The Plant-Based Athlete: Matt Frazier, Robert Cheeke, and Josh LaJaunie on PYP 475
Channel: Sick to Fit | Plant Yourself Podcast
Date: 2021-08-03

Matt Frazier of NoMeatAthlete.com and Robert Cheeke of VeganBodybuilding.com are two of the vegan athletic movement's OGs (that stands for Optimal Greens, I suspect). Robert's been promoting vegan muscle building for over 20 years, and Matt has been inspiring plant-powered runners since 2014.

And they just collaborated on the definitive guide to becoming and being a plant-based athlete, fittingly titled The Plant-Based Athlete.

Josh LaJaunie (whose story is featured in the book, along with 60 other top-notch plant-based performers) and I joined Matt and Robert to talk about the book, the movement they helped start, and the future.

We talked about why they wrote the book, and the intended audience, which isn't vegans, but regular folks who have been seeing all the plant-based athletic buzz (Tom Brady, Cam Newton, the Tennessee Titans, Venus and Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, and many more) and are wondering whether a fiber-centric diet can give them a competitive edge (or just help them hurt less after a weekend of warrioring).

And for plant-based folks who aspire to athletic achievement.

We talked about the benefits of viewing nutritional science through a performance lens, as a kind of safeguard against dogmatism and cultish adherence to unhelpful protocols.

And we spoke about the athletic identity, not as a label for the gifted few, but as an aspirational touchstone for all humans.

We talked about an unfortunate dynamic in the vegan community to deny having any physical or mental problems while on a plant-based diet, as if admitting our humanity somehow invalidates the diet and gives ammunition to our critics.

Robert, in a moment of great grace and vulnerability, publicly admitting to a 15-year long anxiety disorder that he felt he needed to conceal for the sake of the movement. I hope that if you're dealing with a health challenge, whether physical, mental, or emotional, Robert's coming clean will allow you to fully embrace your reality without wondering if you're doing something wrong.

My favorite part of the conversation was when Matt and Robert talked about how much it meant to them to hear from championship athletes the impact their work has had. So many professionals and Olympic athletes have Matt and Robert's books on their shelves, have turned to them for recipes and guidance, that reaching out to connect with them turned out to be a wonderful full-circle experience.

Josh, as always, added nuance and color to the discussion by sharing his experiences and perspectives.

I hope you enjoy and benefit from the conversation, and that you rush out and purchase a copy of The Plant-Based Athlete for yourself and everyone you care about.