A few years ago, I was your typical office-worker: stressed out, uneven energy, overweight, and inconsistent complexion. Now I'm just your typical 28-year old urban hunter-gatherer on a quest to be healthy, and having a few adventures along the way. See my full bio.
Check out the June issue of Details for yours truly featured in one of the cover stories, "Diet Wars: The Food Fight Gets Nasty".
They went for a paleo vs. vegan theme. Actually, paleo vs. hegan. A "hegan", a ridiculous word recently coined by the Boston Globe to sell papers, is apparently a more masculine vegan than the typical vegan male. Here's my bit of antagonism:
"Hunter-gatherers were serious badasses," [Durant] says. "Men who are vegan aren't the most masculine." Travis Robertson nimbly sidesteps the jab, but he does flex his muscles. "You'd never know," he says, "that so many right wing-conservative 25-year-old males are vegans." That's right. You'd be surprised how many men who look just like Tim Tebow eat precisely what Robertson eats."
Yes, how many men who look just like Tim Tebow eat precisely what Robertson eats? Not so many. Ricky Williams is vegetarian, but I have a feeling that competitive football players under-index in hegans. If the term sticks, it will be an ongoing testament to the fact that the vegan movement is heavily female. And that vegan men are mostly skinny professors, Hollywood types, and urban hipsters (who have to be skinny enough to fit into their skinny jeans). Here's one picture of a Brooklyn vegan male. The most masculine sub-species of vegan are the punk rock variety, some of whom do polar bear swims with me.
Anyhow, the best part of the article are the vegan and paleo sample menus, which unfortunately aren't in the online edition. Which would you rather eat? Wild boar summer sausage or peanut-butter toast? Tofu casserole or two dozen oysters? Go find a paper copy for the full treatment. Article here.
And if anyone doubts who would win in a gladatorial contest, well, we already conducted one.
Comments
I fully expect a publication
I fully expect a publication like Details to play up the ''manliness'' aspect of eating a paleo-style diet, but I expect more from you and this blog. A paleo diet should be undertaken so as to maximize health--that's all. The idea that what you eat somehow makes you ''manlier'' than the next guy is all marketing hype. You've fallen into the trap of marketing a lifestyle, rather than promoting good health. Incidentally, you look a little frail to me... been eating tofu?
Thanks for the article. I am
Thanks for the article. I am strict paleo (and lovin' it) but have some square-jawed male vegan friends who don't seem to be missing any testosterone. I'd love to see some actual clinical research on the two approaches instead of anecdotal observations.
Lets be honest. You might not
Lets be honest. You might not know that guy is a vegan because he works out like mad and probably supplements like crazy. He'd be the exception the rule though. On the other hand, every paleo-meat eater I know is fantastically fit without doing anything special particularly special (granted we are all relatively active people, but there is a cause an affect reality. If you aren't crashing from carbs you are more likely to want to move around). I myself have seen incredible positive changes in my own physique while making it a point not to take supplements. Moreover, I have not changed in the slightest my activity level! I have always been very active but never had the physique to match until I started Paleo and getting off the practical vegetarianism.
Ha-ha. You can be both
Ha-ha. You can be both man! I'm a plant based paleo right now ;)My regular vegan cheats are fish oil & raw eggs, where my paleo cheat is beans (soaked/fermented). Been probably a month since I had any beans though.Being vegan shouldn't mean you get a free pass to plant based franken-foods (like soy products). Being a popular trendy diet, I feel like more often it is.P.S. I'm one of those skinny endurance guys ;)