6 minute read
MUNCHIES | MAKING A DIFFERENCE
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: THE POWER OF PLANT-BASED EATING.
Mitch Lee is a top vegan chef and a former freerunner, so he knows the value of a good diet and how important it is to eat right when you’re an athlete. Since turning vegan back in 2016, he’s discovered just how easy it is to enjoy a varied and healthy plant-based diet, and has created countless delicious and exciting recipes to back up his claim that there’s really no need to buy meat or dairy in this day and age. We caught up with Mitch to chat about his transition from freerunner to chef, the benefits of a vegan diet and what the future holds for him. He also chats to us about his mission to spread the word of veganism, how he’s helping to end child hunger and shares one of his stunning recipes with us for you guys to try at home.
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YOU’RE A FORMER PRO FREERUNNERTURNED CHEF. THE TWO SECTORS ARE FAIRLY DIFFERENT; WHAT LED YOU TO YOUR WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
For me, diet was always an important factor in my training. It's a part many people often overlook. It can affect your energy, mood and even recovery. When I was freerunning I'd always make energy bars, high protein snacks, or have enough food with me to keep me fuelled up for the day. I used to run a food blog under the name 'Macro Mitch' and would share my recipes on social media. Eventually this love and passion for food opened opportunities for me to make money and work with exciting brands until I got to the stage where I wanted to pursue it further. That’s when I began working in a restaurant.
WHY DID YOU LEAVE PRO FREERUNNING?
I was never an exceptional athlete. I knew what I could do well and I knew how to market myself and communicate it effectively to get fantastic opportunities. But eventually I couldn't keep up with the new generation
who were far better than me. As I was getting older, I needed a more regular income and so the restaurant job went from parttime, to full-time, to eventually managing the restaurant. This led me to pursuing my own business at Mitch's Kitchen where I was, once again, back in control.
DO YOU MISS IT? DO YOU STILL DO A LITTLE IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
Yes! I went out and trained a couple of times last year and hadn't lost too much movement-wise, it just felt much more rigid and my trust in my own power and control had basically gone. I love seeing the Storror (www.storror.com) guys still doing their thing; it's very nostalgic and does tempt me to get back out and train. I'm more into bouldering/indoor rock climbing now, but training with the old 3RUN boys Chase (Armitage), Chris (Lodge) and Paul (Jones) means we still throw in elements of freerunning. I don't think I'll ever lose that expression of movement.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING A CHEF?
As with freerunning, I'm completely selftaught. I'd try recipes I would find online and tweak them, never scared to try new things and see what I could create. I took my 'think outside the box' attitude into my cooking and the creative freedom is very similar to freerunning - only I can now eat my creations! As a chef, the most rewarding moments are when you get really positive feedback on something you've created, you put a lot of passion and energy into the food so it's nice to know that’s not lost on people.
HOW IMPORTANT IS DIET AND NUTRITION TO FREERUNNERS AND OTHER ATHLETES?
but when you're young you can get away with eating most things, especially if you are out training all the time and burning all that energy. I have trained or worked with professional athletes from various sports and it's amazing how many of them don't care about their diet or focus on nutrition or what they eat. What we eat really does matter. Freerunning is such a high energy sport that you need to be getting in plenty of carbohydrates for energy along with good sources of protein and fats to aid recovery and muscle growth.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A VEGAN? WHAT LED TO THAT DECISION?
I went vegan during Veganuary (going vegan for the month of January) in 2016 after the restaurant I was working in decided to go completely plant-based too. My wife was already following a vegan diet and so I decided to give it a go and then just kept it going. I realised I wasn't missing out on anything by not consuming animal products and it was also making me more creative as a chef. In 2021 there are plant-based alternatives to everything, from steak to egg to krispy kreme donuts. There really is no need to buy meat or dairy anymore.
IS A VEGAN DIET GOOD FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY ACTIVE, SUCH AS SPORTS PEOPLE? CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE RECIPES YOU HAVE CHOSEN FOR US?
Tofu is one of the most stereotypical vegan ingredients and it gets such a bad rep! I'm here to say 'GIVE TOFU A GO!' It's a fantastic source of protein, it's unrefined and unprocessed like many of the meat alternatives available and when cooked right it's a fantastic replacement for chicken or meat in a meal. This sesame crusted tofu recipe is one of my favourites to show people how good tofu can be - it's from our Rainbow Sushi Bowl meal and it's also been featured in Vegan Living Magazine.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR YOU?
We're on a mission to show people how delicious and easy it can be living a 'Fast-Paced Plant-Based®' lifestyle. We want to make a difference in the world, saving the lives of animals, reducing the impact on the planet and providing meals to those in need. For every meal sold we donate a life-changing meal to some of the world’s poorest children, by working with Mary's Meals and Work For Good. Watch this space!
A whole-food, plant-based diet is a fantastic choice for sportspeople. You can get all the nutrients you need to thrive in your sport as long as you eat enough of the right foods. You have athletes like Lewis Hamilton, Venus Williams and even Chase Armitage in the freerunning world, performing at the top of their game on a vegan diet. I feel the knowledge, research and stigma around being a 'weak' vegan has very much gone now, helped along by documentaries like 'The Gamechangers.' That said, you can also be a very unhealthy vegan nowadays with all the vegan junk food available, so it comes down to the quality of the food you eat!
INFO BOX
For more information:
Tofu has a bad reputation in the non vegan community with many people claiming they don’t like it. My answer to that is ‘you haven’t tried it cooked properly!’ Here’s a recipe that proves tofu is the natural king of meat alternatives! Once baked, the texture becomes almost chicken like and would convince even the biggest of meat eaters - That’s why we use it in our Rainbow Sushi Bowl (www.mitchskitchen.co.uk) with rave reviews from all our customers. ENJOY!
