OrganicAthlete: Why did you choose to stop eating animal products? When?

I stopped eating animal products primarily for moral, animal rights reasons. I became a vegetarian in high school, around 1988, and vegan in 1999.

OA: Describe your current diet.

As an endurance athlete, I eat a lot of carbohydrates, primarily oatmeal, cereal, fruits and vegetables, and energy bars. I typically eat a breakfast of oatmeal, raisins, peanut butter, and soymilk. I train through most of the day, and so lunch consists of Clif Bars and energy drinks. I have a soy-based recovery drink after training, and then eat a normal dinner consisting of tofu, tempeh, or seitan with rice and vegetables. I have a sweet tooth, and there's a great café near my house with vegan chocolate chip cookies. I'll often walk into the square to get one for dessert.

OA: What has been your experience as a vegan athlete? Have you noticed any performance or health benefits or problems?

I've been a vegetarian for my entire athletic career, so in that regard I have nothing to compare it to. But the main difference I noticed between going vegan v. vegetarian was that my ability to breath increased dramatically. I don't have any allergies per se, but difficulty breathing through the nose runs in my family. Once I cut out dairy, I was able to sleep with my mouth closed at night, which really cut down on the amount of colds and sore throats I would get. I also race at a lower weight, with no loss of threshold or peak power.

OA: Have teammates and other athletes been supportive or critical?

Typically critical, though other vegan and vegetarian athletes are always happy to find another peer. But generally, teammates have felt judged or threatened by my choices, and certainly inconvenienced by having to accommodate me when we eat as a team. On my current team, however, the atmosphere has been great, and my teammates supportive. One teammate has even begun to eat vegan whenever possible, especially when we're traveling together. It's great to have "food buddies!"

OA: What advice would you give athletes who want to stop eating animal products?

Make your changes slowly, and recognize that things aren't black and white. You don't have to get caught up in labels like vegan or vegetarian. Every non-animal choice you make has an impact. If you're at a birthday party for a friend and you want to have a piece of cake, don't beat yourself up about it, and just do the best you can.

It's important not to define yourself just be the foods you don't eat, but also by the foods you do eat. If all you do is cut things out, you'll reduce your diet to just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Traveling and racing as a vegan or vegetarian is getting easier and easier, with most major grocery stores around the US including "natural foods" sections. You can get soymilk and tofu just about anywhere, as well as soy protein powder and vegan energy bars like those make by Clif. Make sure you're getting sufficient protein, iron, and B vitamins, and you should see no negative change in your performance.

Adam is the owner/founder of OrganicAthlete Team Sponsor, Cycle-Smart.