Inspirational wellness model: “The Other Dr. Ruth”

Ruth Heidrich, Ph.D. is a six-time Ironman Triathlon finisher, holder of more than 900 gold medals from every distance from 100 meters to ultramarathons and triathlons. She has completed more than 60 marathons all over the world and  has held three world fitness records in her age group at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. She was named one of the “Top Ten Fittest Women in North America” in 1999. When she was seventy years old, Heidrich had the bone mass density of a woman in her early thirties and a resting heart rate of forty-four. Since being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of forty-seven, she has won more than nine hundred athletic trophies and medals and has been cancer-free for more than twenty years. She is the author of A Race For Life, The Race For Life Cookbook, and Senior Fitness: Empowering Your Golden Years. She has been vegan for 25 years and a daily runner for 39 years.

Here’s her daily (vegan) meal plan:

Breakfast:
”Served in a LARGE bowl. All items are raw.
Lots of greens for the base: 3-4 leaves of Romaine, 1 stalk kale, 1 stalk of celery, 10 sprigs of parsley or cilantro. Slice and add 1 large carrot, 1/2 mango, 1 large banana, and half dozen large, seeded Globe grapes. Top off with 1 rounded Tbl of B12-fortified nutritional yeast, and 1-2 Tbl of blackstrap molasses.Because I eat this after my daily workout, this is served late and I eat no midday meal.”

Supper:
“Lots of greens for the base: 3-4 broccoli florettes, 2-3 stalks of kale, 1 stalk of celery, 1/4 unpeeled English cucumber, 1/4 head of green or red cabbage, 1 large carrot, 1/2 red (or orange, green, or yellow) bell pepper, 1/2 large field tomato, half a head of garlic (about 6 cloves) Half of a yam or sweet potato, raw.On top of the above ingredients, to 1-2 cups of prepared salsa (mild, medium or hot), add 1 Tbl of regular mustard, 1 Tbl of flax seed, freshly ground.”

Dessert:
“A base of blueberries (fresh or frozen, depending on availability and season) – 1/2 cup; 1/2 cup of a second fresh fruit (e.g. strawberries, bananas, grapes,); top with a small handful of walnuts, and 1Tbl. blackstrap molasses.”

Snacks:
“For those times when the hunger pangs strike, I eat carrot or celery sticks, grapes, dates, and in the evening, plain air-popped popcorn.”