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The Plant-Based Athlete: A Game-Changing Approach to Peak Performance
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The only research-based guide for connecting a plant-based diet with peak athletic performance, featuring interviews with professional athletes who've made the switch from meat to plants. The Plant-Based Athlete by Matt Frazier and Robert Cheeke reveals the incontrovertible proof that the human body does not need meat, eggs, or dairy to be strong. Instead, research shows that a consciously calibrated plant-based diet offers the greatest possible recovery times, cell oxidation, injury prevention, and restorative sleep, and allows athletes to train more effectively, with better results. However, committing to a plant-based diet as an elite athlete, first-time marathoner, or weekend warrior isn't as simple as swapping vegetables for meat. Even the slightest food adjustments can impact performance. That's why Matt Frazier, founder of No Meat Athlete, and Robert Cheeke, founder of Vegan Bodybuilding, wrote this groundbreaking book, to guide those interested in making this important shift in how to do so with the best, most transformative results. The Plant-Based Athlete offers readers: An instant classic and mainstay on health and fitness shelves everywhere , The Plant-Based Athlete is the ultimate invitation for joining the growing community of athletes who use plants to power their workouts and their every day.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 2021
866 people are currently reading
1725 people want to read
About the author
Matt Frazier
18 books56 followersMatt Frazier is a vegan ultramarathoner and founder of the No Meat Athlete movement.
Frazier shares training tips and vegetarian recipes on his site, No Meat Athlete. When he's not running, cooking, or blogging, Frazier's a full-time graduate student working on his Ph.D. in applied math. He also enjoys reading, gambling, music, and brewing beer. Frazier lives in Maryland with his wife and son.
Frazier shares training tips and vegetarian recipes on his site, No Meat Athlete. When he's not running, cooking, or blogging, Frazier's a full-time graduate student working on his Ph.D. in applied math. He also enjoys reading, gambling, music, and brewing beer. Frazier lives in Maryland with his wife and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
May 26, 2021
So first off, despite my critiques, I'm probably going to buy this book for the recipes in the back (so many faux cheeses!). I do think, however, that is has some issues.
I've been vegan for over ten years and an athlete for about the last five. I requested this book because trying to figure out macros makes my eyes cross and gives me a headache. The authors do a really good job of explaining them, and suggesting sample meal plans for a day based on your specific athletic goals. With that and the recipes, I like this book.
It seems to me, however, that the authors weren't entirely sure of their audience, and were trying to appeal to everyone at once. I don't need to be sold on a vegan diet (like athletes who are not plant-based), or receive encouragement to start working out (like vegans who may be worried about maintaining a fitness regimen without meat). As such, most of this book was really boring for me. The several stories in each chapter about award winning vegan athletes are surely inspiring to someone, but I know it's possible to succeed when just eating plants; I don't need to hear about all these people (again). I also hate books that list just series of quotes from different people at the end of the chapter. I'm hoping in the final version that the quotes will be inserted throughout the book instead of all grouped at the end. Again, there was good stuff in those quotes for sure, but I don't need them. I'm not entirely sure who those are for.
I used to teach English composition, and a thing I would work with my students on was confidence. If you end a paragraph with a quote instead of your own words, it undermines your argument. That's how the end of all these chapters felt to me. All the stories at the beginning of the chapters also bothered me. If you spend probably half a book showing example after example that you can be a world class athlete on a vegan diet, what that says to me is that the authors aren't confident enough in themselves to think that that readers would believe them without all this other data. I know people don't believe in a vegan diet, but surely there didn't need to be that many.
I thought making chapter ten the goals chapter, instead of chapter two, was weird. When I was starting out as an athlete, I needed goals before I needed to know about macros. I guess this book is more for athletes who aren't vegan yet, so the authors wanted to prove that macros can work. If it was meant more for vegans who want to start working out, goals should be first and foremost.
Again, even with the issues I had with this book, it does have something for everyone. Just skip the bits that aren't relevant to you, and be sure to try some of the recipes. You also might be interested in reading Eat Plants, Lift IronEat Plants, Lift Iron, which I enjoyed much more.
I was provided an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I've been vegan for over ten years and an athlete for about the last five. I requested this book because trying to figure out macros makes my eyes cross and gives me a headache. The authors do a really good job of explaining them, and suggesting sample meal plans for a day based on your specific athletic goals. With that and the recipes, I like this book.
It seems to me, however, that the authors weren't entirely sure of their audience, and were trying to appeal to everyone at once. I don't need to be sold on a vegan diet (like athletes who are not plant-based), or receive encouragement to start working out (like vegans who may be worried about maintaining a fitness regimen without meat). As such, most of this book was really boring for me. The several stories in each chapter about award winning vegan athletes are surely inspiring to someone, but I know it's possible to succeed when just eating plants; I don't need to hear about all these people (again). I also hate books that list just series of quotes from different people at the end of the chapter. I'm hoping in the final version that the quotes will be inserted throughout the book instead of all grouped at the end. Again, there was good stuff in those quotes for sure, but I don't need them. I'm not entirely sure who those are for.
I used to teach English composition, and a thing I would work with my students on was confidence. If you end a paragraph with a quote instead of your own words, it undermines your argument. That's how the end of all these chapters felt to me. All the stories at the beginning of the chapters also bothered me. If you spend probably half a book showing example after example that you can be a world class athlete on a vegan diet, what that says to me is that the authors aren't confident enough in themselves to think that that readers would believe them without all this other data. I know people don't believe in a vegan diet, but surely there didn't need to be that many.
I thought making chapter ten the goals chapter, instead of chapter two, was weird. When I was starting out as an athlete, I needed goals before I needed to know about macros. I guess this book is more for athletes who aren't vegan yet, so the authors wanted to prove that macros can work. If it was meant more for vegans who want to start working out, goals should be first and foremost.
Again, even with the issues I had with this book, it does have something for everyone. Just skip the bits that aren't relevant to you, and be sure to try some of the recipes. You also might be interested in reading Eat Plants, Lift IronEat Plants, Lift Iron, which I enjoyed much more.
I was provided an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 19, 2021
This is the most useless plant-based book I’ve ever read.
If you are already plant-based or vegan, there is literally nothing in this book for you. There aren’t any science-based suggestions for training/recovering/fueling nor is their information related to performance or being a PB athletic person, etc.
Overall it’s a very bland, light summary of “why” you should be vegan + some examples of athletes who are vegan. There’s nothing about “peak performance” beyond “you’ll perform and recover better as a vegan”
The most interesting/helpful thing was the “here’s what I eat in a day” examples from some of the athletes but you can get more information / insight if you follow them personally in social media. Plus it’s so generic / all over the board it’s hard to know if any of their diets would be helpful for the athletic reader. Most seemed very fruit-based 🤷🏻♀️
I vaguely remember a book by Brendan Brazier 15-20 years ago which would be better if you are a vegan/plant-based athlete and want info on how best to eat for your training, recovery, etc. (I wanted something like ROAR but for vegans).
If you’ve read any article on plant based athletes in a magazine or online, you’ve already read the info in this book. It seems like the authors are just “cashing in”
I can’t recommend this to anyone and am glad I didn’t buy it. I think the paperback might have recipes which might add some benefit but that didn’t come with audio.
I was also disappointed the authors did not read their book but that’s a small thing by contrast.
If you are already plant-based or vegan, there is literally nothing in this book for you. There aren’t any science-based suggestions for training/recovering/fueling nor is their information related to performance or being a PB athletic person, etc.
Overall it’s a very bland, light summary of “why” you should be vegan + some examples of athletes who are vegan. There’s nothing about “peak performance” beyond “you’ll perform and recover better as a vegan”
The most interesting/helpful thing was the “here’s what I eat in a day” examples from some of the athletes but you can get more information / insight if you follow them personally in social media. Plus it’s so generic / all over the board it’s hard to know if any of their diets would be helpful for the athletic reader. Most seemed very fruit-based 🤷🏻♀️
I vaguely remember a book by Brendan Brazier 15-20 years ago which would be better if you are a vegan/plant-based athlete and want info on how best to eat for your training, recovery, etc. (I wanted something like ROAR but for vegans).
If you’ve read any article on plant based athletes in a magazine or online, you’ve already read the info in this book. It seems like the authors are just “cashing in”
I can’t recommend this to anyone and am glad I didn’t buy it. I think the paperback might have recipes which might add some benefit but that didn’t come with audio.
I was also disappointed the authors did not read their book but that’s a small thing by contrast.
May 2, 2022
I'm going to start this review by pointing out that I eat only plant based foods.
Why do I feel like this is relevant to share? Well, because, frankly, the book is kinda crap and it might otherwise be easy to write off my review as another meat-head coming down on vegan books. I'm giving it 1.5 stars rounded up - but it only clears the "not completely useless" criteria by the skin of its teeth. Mostly it felt like a complete waste of my time.
"The Plant-Based Athlete" aims to provide the reader with the peace of mind that it's ok to be an athlete without consuming animal products. The authors set out to both inspire the reader with examples of plant-based athletes and provide a road map of sorts - a guide - of how to approach nutrition for optimal performance. I guess they kind of do that, but there are far better resources out there for this. The most useful bits are the suggestions of how to pair foods to create a full and well-rounded meal - but seriously, this could have been achieved in 20-25 pages or so.
The rest is just, well, bad:
- Most egregiously, it regurgitates some falsehood statements and statistics from studies that have been both disproven and withdrawn. Moreover,
- It's ridiculously over-reliant on anecdotal and self-reported individual testimonies.
- It doesn't discuss or recognize any nuance or divergent studies/information.
- In short, it tries to convert without providing sufficient evidence.
- Yet, it doesn't know its audience.
- And uses arguments that only work if one is already converted and uncritical.
- Add to that ad nauseam "testimonials" from athletes, and I've had just about enough.
In terms of what the book argues...
- The argument that eating plant based is compatible with being an athlete, it is so well-established that this book is entirely superfluous, and,
- The argument that eating plant based is better for your performance, well, that one isn't quite as clear cut. Although, you wouldn't know it from reading this book.
However, it should throw up a pretty big red flag when the argumentation too often falls back on testimonials and "the proof is in the pudding" arguments. If one argues that plant based diets are best because there are plant based athletes at the very top of athletic performance, well, there are plenty of meat-eating athletes at the very top too...
In summary, this is not something I would recommend to anyone.
Why do I feel like this is relevant to share? Well, because, frankly, the book is kinda crap and it might otherwise be easy to write off my review as another meat-head coming down on vegan books. I'm giving it 1.5 stars rounded up - but it only clears the "not completely useless" criteria by the skin of its teeth. Mostly it felt like a complete waste of my time.
"The Plant-Based Athlete" aims to provide the reader with the peace of mind that it's ok to be an athlete without consuming animal products. The authors set out to both inspire the reader with examples of plant-based athletes and provide a road map of sorts - a guide - of how to approach nutrition for optimal performance. I guess they kind of do that, but there are far better resources out there for this. The most useful bits are the suggestions of how to pair foods to create a full and well-rounded meal - but seriously, this could have been achieved in 20-25 pages or so.
The rest is just, well, bad:
- Most egregiously, it regurgitates some falsehood statements and statistics from studies that have been both disproven and withdrawn. Moreover,
- It's ridiculously over-reliant on anecdotal and self-reported individual testimonies.
- It doesn't discuss or recognize any nuance or divergent studies/information.
- In short, it tries to convert without providing sufficient evidence.
- Yet, it doesn't know its audience.
- And uses arguments that only work if one is already converted and uncritical.
- Add to that ad nauseam "testimonials" from athletes, and I've had just about enough.
In terms of what the book argues...
- The argument that eating plant based is compatible with being an athlete, it is so well-established that this book is entirely superfluous, and,
- The argument that eating plant based is better for your performance, well, that one isn't quite as clear cut. Although, you wouldn't know it from reading this book.
However, it should throw up a pretty big red flag when the argumentation too often falls back on testimonials and "the proof is in the pudding" arguments. If one argues that plant based diets are best because there are plant based athletes at the very top of athletic performance, well, there are plenty of meat-eating athletes at the very top too...
In summary, this is not something I would recommend to anyone.
April 29, 2021
This book lit a fire for me - I’m convinced I need a WFPB diet. I grew up with meat at the center of most meals and have always struggled with trying to move away from that. This book contains key information, testimonials from athletes, and more. A must read if you wish you could change your diet and think it’s impossible. This book will break it down and show you exactly what to do.
July 20, 2021
Bottom line: some of the stories of the athletes were inspiring, however, everything else was rather bland, and ultimately, disappointed by the constant demonization of foods.
I've been vegan for over ten years now and am an health and fitness enthusiast and love reading books that cover this topic whether it's vegan or not. However, I was thrown off by the constant demonization of foods (including words such as poison), which really does inherently make this approach of eating relevant to those who are privileged and can afford a high abundance of fresh organic, non-GMO produce and the like (which doesn't need to be the message of this book).
Lastly, I was thrown off by a he number of athletes covered in this book (which would be at least half the book itself). Each chapter (for the most part) was covering stories of different athletes, and those stories weren't always inline with the theme of the chapter which is confusing to me, and all ended with quotes from athletes or plant-based physicians. However, I do appreciate that they highlighted a high number of female athletes, which was refreshing, and athletes from a wide range of fields.
Ultimately, I felt as though the authors could have presented more compelling research to entice the reader, rather than depending on individual stories to present a case for being a plant-based athlete.
Further, I was incredibly thrown off in the introduction (again highlighting numerous athletes) that mentioned such names such as Arnold Schwarzenegger or Mike Tyson for being plant-based, but had entirely built their careers from an omnivorous diet.
This truly was a bittersweet read and had higher expectations from this book. I would maybe recommend it to someone considering a plant-based approach and knew they were interested in fitness, otherwise, I wouldn't recommend.
I've been vegan for over ten years now and am an health and fitness enthusiast and love reading books that cover this topic whether it's vegan or not. However, I was thrown off by the constant demonization of foods (including words such as poison), which really does inherently make this approach of eating relevant to those who are privileged and can afford a high abundance of fresh organic, non-GMO produce and the like (which doesn't need to be the message of this book).
Lastly, I was thrown off by a he number of athletes covered in this book (which would be at least half the book itself). Each chapter (for the most part) was covering stories of different athletes, and those stories weren't always inline with the theme of the chapter which is confusing to me, and all ended with quotes from athletes or plant-based physicians. However, I do appreciate that they highlighted a high number of female athletes, which was refreshing, and athletes from a wide range of fields.
Ultimately, I felt as though the authors could have presented more compelling research to entice the reader, rather than depending on individual stories to present a case for being a plant-based athlete.
Further, I was incredibly thrown off in the introduction (again highlighting numerous athletes) that mentioned such names such as Arnold Schwarzenegger or Mike Tyson for being plant-based, but had entirely built their careers from an omnivorous diet.
This truly was a bittersweet read and had higher expectations from this book. I would maybe recommend it to someone considering a plant-based approach and knew they were interested in fitness, otherwise, I wouldn't recommend.
December 27, 2021
Neįtikino: nėra kažko naujo apie veganišką mitybą. Knyga galėtų vadintis "Įmanoma maitintis veganiškai ir sportuoti: pavyzdžiai". Kas yra žinoma ir be šios knygos :)
November 18, 2024
Too many anecdotes without integrating them into coherent messages in many chapters. Most examples in different chapters are similar since athletes are just telling their stories, unrelated to a chaper. Overall the book is disappointing and the more I read, the less I become impressed. It is better to read other plant based books, while I strongly favour plant based diets...
June 21, 2022
It was fine. I felt like it said the same thing over and over again in about 300 different ways.
October 19, 2021
Inspirerande och motiverande om man nu håller på med träning. Det var kul att läsa om elitidrottare som är veganer, men de repeterar sig extremt mycket och språket är inget stimulerande…. Det handlar mer om just *hur* man kan leva som vegan istället för *varför* man ska göra det. Båda är lika viktiga, men eftersom den här var första boken som jag skulle läsa om ämnet, hade jag velat veta varför innan jag vet hur.
Det var massa recept också vilket var najs, ska prova några av dem de kommande dagarna.
Det var massa recept också vilket var najs, ska prova några av dem de kommande dagarna.
July 12, 2021
Vital training and nutritional info layed out in a comprehensive and easy to understand manner. Chock full of testimonials and examples of effective ways to set goals and make training plans. Matt Frazier's and Robert Cheeke's approach to performing at peak while staying optimally nourished is serious goals. This was a very motivational read and my book is now full of notes and ear marks to be referenced many more times in the future as I continue my Plant-Based journey and marathon training.
December 18, 2021
Overall a good book with lots of good information. This would be really helpful to anyone who is thinking of going plant based or is new to plant based eating. Having been plant based for a few years I knew most of the information but still did learn some new things. The stories from elite athletes was really encouraging and the recipes at the end are enticing.
February 8, 2022
a very detailed insight into plant based performance ranging from what to eat and how to get essential nutrients (yes, including protein 🙄) to what it takes to excel in your chosen sport. i loved the science and care put into the book and hope to use some recipes and knowledge starting yesterday!
June 27, 2021
Definitely should be read if you are thinking about switching to a plant based diet. No new information and somewhat redundant if you have already made the change and have read any other book on the subject.
December 27, 2021
Close to half the book is spent on convincing athletes (or yourself who is looking to get fit) to go plant-based. This doesn't apply to me because I am already vegan. Still 3.5 stars because of the sheer amount of plant-based athletes that the book introduced me to. Learning, at the end of the book, about the routines and diet of these athletes was quite insightful. I incorporated warm-up/cool-down and recovery routines into my workout after reading the book.
January 29, 2022
3.5 stars
Enjoyed reading about routines and meal plans.
Many of the stories about the athletes became repetitive.
Enjoyed reading about routines and meal plans.
Many of the stories about the athletes became repetitive.
August 27, 2024
Ik sport veel en ik eet grotendeels veganistisch. Ben ik daarmee het ideale publiek voor dit boek? Het is uit, en ik weet het nog steeds niet. Wat ik wel weet is dat ik binnen de kortste keren doodziek was van alle quotes en testimonials van fanatieke (top)sporters die veganistisch eten. Net als van alle 'guilty pleasures' die bij nadere inspectie blijken te bestaan uit rauwe cacao en chiazaad, gemixt met betonmortel. Dit boek preekt (denk ik) voor eigen parochie maar jaagt me op deze manier snel de kerk uit. De recepten achterin waren wel de moeite waard.
December 10, 2021
For what this book is supposed to accomplish, the authors did a great job. The chapter on recovery was especially informative. However the chapter on supplementation inadvertently made a great case for eating eggs and fish high in omega-3's! Also, they missed the elephant in the room even though they spent a lot of time talking about how to achieve goals: how to navigate social eating situations with a vegan lifestyle. Dealing with friends and family on a diet like this ain't easy.
August 22, 2022
Recommended by a runner friend who follows this advice closely. While I was surprised to learn how much protein can be had from a plant-based diet and how many world-class athletes subscribe to this philosophy, I 'm not sure I can buy-in to the tofu and tempeh-laden recipes in this book. Yes, I can do better will whole foods and up my carbohydrate intake as well, but I need a more tailored approach by a nutritional specialist to get me on the right track, pun intended.
July 20, 2021
Great read! Loaded with so much valuable information. I especially appreciated the simple breakdown of macros and micros; I always find myself twisted up over these things. I felt the authors made otherwise scientific and complex nutrition information easy to digest, understand and apply to my life.
November 12, 2021
Excellent, a really good, in-depth guide. A few too many real-life tales of vegan athletes, but aside form that it of overkill, excellent. Really helpful, and a reference I will be heading back to as I train.
May 12, 2023
Literally such a useless book Used “the proof was in the pudding” as scientific evidence but literally there are meat-eating athletes at the top of their game too? The recipes are fire tho lol kind of bummed at the book. Also says nothing about peaking your performance
August 15, 2023
A book chock full of intriguing information about how a plant based diet has potential to enhance athletic performance. It’s clear this was written by a professional athlete and not a professional author (a bit repetitive at times). Despite this, I enjoyed Matt Frazier’s familiar tone throughout the book, his passion for the topic was obvious from the jump. Lots of food for thought.
February 1, 2024
A hands-on guide for aspiring plant-based athletes, featuring vegan role models in sports, a collection of recipes in the back, and a comprehensive overview of essential nutrients and its scientific background.
June 30, 2021
I definitely learned some stuff 👍🏼
February 28, 2022
It started out great and inspirational but after a while reading the stories of other athletes and their grocery shopping lists it became a bit prosy. Other than that, very inspirational!
November 13, 2021
The information was geared to much higher end athletes than me but I still learned a lot about being a vegan athlete that I can apply. There were many many many stories from elite athletes that I mainly skipped. Some great recipes at the end.
March 17, 2022
I've been reading quite a few books lately on plant based eating. I've been been a vegetarian for decades now, but started transitioning to completely plant based last fall. This is the first one I've read that really focused eating this way for athletes, which I appreciated, and it had many wonderful examples, but it wasn't as scientific and well researched as I was hoping for. It's great at motivation but not terrific at the whys and hows.
June 27, 2022
This book gave good suggestions on how to pack in plant-based protein. The recipes in the book were really helpful too.
November 30, 2022
Some great dietary advice for athletes and proof of the benefits of a plant-based diet.
May 20, 2025
Similar vibes to Game Changers; more inspiring for existing athletes interested in plant-based eating, but not much information on sports nutrition specifically.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews