A lifetime of plant-based nutrition, Joe Gambles is a veteran of the sport having competed in his first triathlon at age 12. As one of the few 100% plant-based professional endurance athletes around, Joe shares with us his insights on improving performance and feeling better by changing your diet at any age.
Based on his own experience from what he has witnessed with other athletes in the sport, eating vegan is the most natural way to give you the fuel you need to have true longevity in the sport. Joe explains to us how he has been eating plant-based his entire life, what he’s changed in his diet over the years to keep up with his evolving needs, and now raising his own children to follow suit.
It is always wonderful to be connected to share the stories of one of the few 100% plant-based professional endurance athletes. Could you tell us what sparked you to go vegan?
-As a life-long vegetarian making the transition to purely plant-based wasn’t a huge leap, although it did take some tweaking to get right. The environmental ramifications of factory farming was ultimately the driving force for me to permanently eliminate dairy and eggs from my diet.
• Tell us about how you’ve learned to improve your performance and overall well-being by changing your diet at any age. Would you say this is directly tied to a vegan lifestyle?
-As a professional triathlete, coach, husband and father, I am always looking to maximize, but also balance, my energy. My diet as a lifelong vegetarian – and now into my third year as a vegan – really helps with this. As mentioned, my motivation for becoming vegan was environmental. Little did I know that cutting dairy and eggs from my diet would also have an enormously positive effect on my performance and recovery as a professional Ironman Triathlete. In retrospect, I think I was relying on milk fat for a lot of my daily calories, and when I replaced it with nutrient-rich plant-based foods, I noticed that I was recovering more quickly from my hardest workouts, leaving me with more energy for my life outside of training and racing.
• What are some of your favorite products to use? Do you take supplements/use protein powders?
-As a plant-based athlete, I am so fortunate that I have partnered with Vega. They are a company that aligns with so many of my personal beliefs in relation to nutrition, health and the environment. I cannot live without Vega Sport Premium Protein. It is my ‘go-to’ drink after my key workout of the day. I know that I am getting everything I need to help me recover quickly. Vega recently released their Sport Series of supplements. I take their B-Complex and Magnesium on a daily basis.
• Can you tell us about how you’ve been raising your children on this lifestyle as well? Do you/they plan to be athletes as well?
-My wife and I are raising our 3 year old son as a vegetarian (as I was). Although he prefers oat milk rather than cow’s milk at this point, he still eats some dairy products occasionally. We pay close attention to his diet to ensure that he is getting the full spectrum of nutrient dense foods that a toddler needs to thrive. As for my son wanting to be an athlete, he’s definitely a very active kid although, at this point, I can still outrun him-thankfully!
