Meeting Christine VardarosOn Saturday I took the train to Brussels to attend the EVA Sport inagural event: a talk given by Christine Vardaros, professional cyclist (cross and road), writer, and vegan. I was really looking forward to this, as I have been following Christine's blog (
http://www.christinevardaros.blogspot.com/), and wanted to hear more about her experience as a vegan athlete.
Christine turned out to be a friendly, open and funny person! She is also very passionate about what she believes in and sharing it with others. She gave us an inspiring and informative talk about the myths regarding a vegan diet:
- "You can't perform well on a vegan diet": at 38 years old, Christine is living proof that a vegan diet can help you outperform your genetic ability. She is one of the top women bikers in the world, in one of its toughest disciplines, and is still improving. She told us how when she made the transition from vegetarian to vegan eight years ago, and dropped dairy, she was able to beat the allergies and breathing problems that had been plaguing her. Her energy level is consistently high, she recovers more quickly from hard training and her immune system is excellent. She says she is far more productive in her 30's than she was in her 20's.
- "A vegan diet is complicated": Christine says a vegan diet does not have to be complicated and vegans don't have to rely on special, expensive ingredients and long, involved recipes. She shared with us what a typical day's meals are: breakfast is mixed grain oatmeal, ground flax and some chopped fruit with warm water; lunch is usually on her bike, so she takes bananas, dates, figs and sometimes an energy bar (she uses Pro Bar, her sponsor - she brought one for me to sample and I had it yesterday after my run - it was really good!); lunch/dinner at home are often grilled portobella mushroom or eggplant burgers, big salads, pasta and pizzas with lots of veggies, or other grains with veggies. For snacks she eats peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bread dipped in olive oil, and for dessert she likes red wine and dark chocolate!
- "It's difficult to maintain a vegan diet while travelling, living abroad, or eating out": Christine says it's not that difficult as long as you are creative and flexible, there is usually at least one option on a menu you can eat, and if not, you can request something that works. At the very worst, she says, "even if there is absolutely nothing of substance you can eat but rice for instance, I promise you will get through that day." She told us how, when competing in the Tour de France last year, for several days, the only thing available for her to have for breakfast was plain white French bread. It wasn't ideal, but she survived it.
- "You can't possibly get enough nutrients and protein on a vegan diet": All plant foods have protein and the average person actually gets too much. Christine says in fact she has to be careful not to get too much protein; and that most athletes are carb deficient! Her daily diet breaks down to 70% carbs, 20% fats, and 10% protein. She also only takes two supplements: vitamin C to boost her immune system and vitamin B12 every few days, just to make sure.
Christine says she always gets questioned about her diet, but the fact that she is able to perform so well as an athlete, where her body and her health are crucial to her income, proves that a vegan diet is not only feasible, but preferable. In conclusion, she said: "We all grew up with a set idea of what it meant to eat healthfully...unfortunately, what we may have believed is not always true. It simply comes down to re-educating ourselves about healthy eating. By eating a plant-based diet, everyone wins! The animals are freed from an insane amount of suffering, the environment improves, and your health becomes better than ever before!"
I went home feeling very inspired from having met Christine and hear her speak. Just seeing how down-to-earth she was, and how she eats normal things while at the same time being in such a physically demanding profession, made me feel that not only is eating a vegan diet the right choice for so many good reasons, it really isn't that hard or complicated or a sacrifice. Thanks, Christine!
The vibrant blue of the water at the lake:
And the obnoxiously loud frogs at the pond at one of our favorite spots to eat, the Groene Lotus:
Seriously, the frogs are so loud that you can barely hear yourself think! One year one of those frogs turned up in the pond of our next-door neighbors and for several days we thought someone had adopted a goose. 
