Call me a skeptic by nature. I've always thought if it existed, then we would have seen it or found it by now. I hate to "I'm going on a diet". That very phrase implies a short term venture, and if you truly want to change your life you need to change your lifestyle. That  includes your diet. I've read a million diet books. I always get asked about them. A little over a month ago I heard that local Austin athlete, Rip Esselstyn had written a book called "The Engine 2 Diet" . I had met Rip several years ago when my ex-wife was pregnant with my son. Having not grown up in Austin, I had no idea who he was. What was very apparent, was that he was highly respected. I later found out he was 3 time All American swimmer and an Olympic trial qualifier, and a professional triathlete.  The book he wrote,  proposed a diet consisting of nothing but fruits,vegetables,whole grains,legumes,nuts, and seeds. Now before I go on, let me say I am a meat eater. I love steak. I love pepperoni pizza, bacon, eggs, cheeseburgers. I could go on. But, I have a great deal of respect for Rip. So I contacted him, and asked him if I could interview him regarding his book. He agreed and we set a time. As  preparation, I purchased and read his book. I was impressed. Very impressed.  One thing that impressed me the most was that Rip kept it very simple and wasn't quick to bash any other diet. What he offered was facts and case studies and recipes. He started off with a very inspirational story that captivated  you and then turned it into a book of health and awareness. But I still had to talk with him.

     First, I must say I got lost. Got there  about 10 min late for a 30 min interview. Rip , as always was very understanding. We caught up real quick and I proceeded to the interview. Our 30 min interview turned into nearly and hour and a half talk about the book. Rip could tell I was concerned about the concept of not eating meat. "if it has a face or a mother, it has muscle, which always contains fat and cholesterol" Rip pointed out that plants contain antioxidants and phytochemicals. Meat contains 0. Of course plants contain fiber which will keep you regular and take toxins and carcinogens out of your body  through your intestines. To  be honest Rips book points out so many benifits of plants that I would literally have to write several pages for this blog to accurate. I did ask Rip to give me his top 3 fruits and vegetables and sources of omega-3 fatty acids

Fruit

Banana

blueberries

mango

Vegetables

Kale

Sweet potato

Broccoli

Omega 3 fatty acids

ground flax seed

walnuts

soy beans

leafy vegetables

One thing, I do want to point out was that I crossed referenced everything I could in Rips book as well as everything he told me in our talk. Rip is dead on accurate.  Our talk went on to compare how a plant based diet could be applicable to the performance based athlete. Again, not only did Rip give me several examples, he also "practices what he preaches". A crazy thing happened at the end of our talk. Rip, having had a long day himself, prepared a plate of food for me. I was hesitant but..............boy I could have had three plates it was so good. beans,corn,peppers,squash,onion,and sweet potato. No meat! None! And you know what? I didn't want any afterwards. So I did a little experiment  of my own. For the past 5 days I have eaten 0 meat. None. How do I feel? BETTER! I've lost 6 pounds. How's my energy? As high if not a great deal higher. My stomach feels better. No headaches. On the 9th I am competing in a jui jitsu tournament. I will keep everyone posted how this affects my performance. 

   I hope you all consider the benifits of this lifestyle. Check out 2 websites www.theengine2academy.com  and www.theengine2.com  I am a big believer in Rip and his book. Sometimes you miss the forest for the trees. I always wanted to say that!

   Rip, you have made me a convert. Now I'm working on my son. I'll tell him that Spiderman eats plants. It could work. Thankyou so much for taking time to talk with me.