Plant Chat: Matt Ruscigno, Vegan Ultra-Athlete and Registered Dietitian
When and why did you become vegan? Was it a difficult transition?
I went vegan when I was 17, the day I graduated high school. I didn’t plan it that way and I had no idea what a huge impact it would have on my life! Fortunately, I have an Italian-American mother who had taught me how to cook which made the transition so much easier. I was very motivated out of concern for animals so I was willing to do whatever it took to be healthy and stay vegan. I also had no idea then that I’d end up studying nutrition. I entered college as a physics major because I wanted to be a stuntman. By the end of my freshman year it was clear that nutrition was the more practical degree.
How do you fuel up for a marathon or triathlon on a plant-based diet?
Fueling for races on a plant-based diet is not as difficult as you think because what most people is already plant-based. Look around at aid stations at marathons or triathlons and there is lots of fruit like bananas and oranges and easily digested carbohydrates like pretzels or crackers. I personally love peanut butter and jam on whole wheat bread before, after or even during long workouts. Dates are convenient and easy to carry for workouts that require fueling.
What plant-based products can you not live without?
I couldn’t live without burritos. Beans, rice, salsa and guacamole wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla is the perfect combination of foods. Individual foods like kale, broccoli, black beans, garlic and red cabbage have a regular rotation in my dinner plan too. I also love peanut sauce and make my own that I add to stir-fry.
What does a typical pre and post workout meal look like?
I’m not a big eater pre-workout. I’ve done the 2.4 mile Ironman swim on just half a banana! Some people wake up in the middle of the night to eat breakfast 3 hours before the race, but I prefer to sleep in until the last minute. So I keep it light with fruit or try and time my workouts so they are spaced away from my meals. If you are eating after your workouts and increasing your glycogen stores this is easier to do.
Post-workout my favorite is almond butter and bananas on whole wheat bread. Easy, cheap, healthy and a great carbohydrate to protein ratio.
How has following a vegan diet improved your physical performance?
I’ve been vegan as long as I’ve been doing races so it’s hard to say how it has affected my performance. I know it has not negatively affected it. Nutrition is important for physical activity no doubt, but to see the most improvement you simply just have to train harder. There’s no way around that. It’s why I compete in many different disciplines from cyclocross to ultrarunning to 24-hour mountain biking. Being excited about what you do and what you are eating goes a long way!
How do you get around living car-free in California?
Like veganism, living car-free is just something I’m used to. I do drive sometimes for road trips and bike races and I’ll rent a car for that. But for day-to-day living in an urban area getting around by bike is ideal. It’s easy and fast and you don’t have to deal with parking. I combine it with the train and other public transit options for longer trips. For example, I’m on a train right now typing this on my MacBook Air. If I was driving on this trip I wouldn’t be able to work too. It’s like having extra free time when you take the train. And when I get to my destination I’ll have my bike to get around easily.
And you don’t have to be in crazy good shape to ride a bike for transportation. They say that if you can walk 1 mile you can bike 4 because the energy required is similar.
As a registered dietitian, what are the most common challenges people face when trying to make changes to their diet?
It’s not easy to change one’s diet. Most of my clients want to make the transition to being more plant-based. I make it clear that it’s not all or nothing. People beat themselves up too much when they ‘fail.’ It’s the nature of change to have ups and downs and I remind people of that. It’s easy to break old habits and it takes hard work. I help people improve their environment so change becomes easier. We wait to change the bigger, harder circumstances when eating plant-based may difficult like at family gatherings or eating out.
What was the inspiration behind writing, The No Meat Athlete with Matt Frazier? What message do you hope to send?
Matt Frazier of No Meat Athlete is a gifted writer and an amazing person. I’m fortunate to have connected with him and written for his site which then led to being a co-author of the No Meat Athlete book. We are similar in our approach that change takes time but can also be fun. You find motivation where you can and run with it (sorry, bad pun). His emphasis is on creating community and welcoming people to the benefits of eating plant-based instead of judging them for eating animal products. It’s great and he’s turned a lot of people on to eating better and running more. I’m thankful for his work and am fortunate to have added my expertise.
Tell us about your documentary, A Day in the Life with Vegan Athletes. Are there more documentaries to come in your future?
Day in the Life of Vegan Athletes is a documentary web series we where spend the day with athletes learning about their sport, how they fuel and how they train. The episodes are short, between 5 and 20 minutes, and are made by my friend Sasha, a professional filmmaker. We don’t preach veganism, we just show how these athletes make it work for them. They are inspiring too! We have one with Mike Arnstein the fruitarian where he runs the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon. We are expanding the project in 2014 under the name Strongest Hearts; we are very excited.
What tips or recommendations do you have for athletes following or preparing to follow a vegan diet?
For anyone changing to a more vegan diet my tips are to start with where you are, not where you want to be. Pick the easiest meals to veganize, not the hardest. And make sure you are eating enough. There are many ways to eat vegan and you have to find the one that works for you. I wrote a 2-page introduction to this for the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietary Practice Group that can be found here: https://vegetariannutrition.net/faq/