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Raw Vegan Woman Athlete - Ashley
Raw vegan woman athlete Ashley Hamilton is a climber, artist, world traveler and at the age of 20 has already accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime.
This interview is PACKED with photos, I got a little carried away, but these images are just sensational. This is a girl who can kick BUTT! And she does it all on a 100% raw fruit and vegetable diet. So if you're an athlete and wondering about what may be a healthy diet for athletes, well just read some of the interviews that are going up on this site or check out our Living On Fruit video page to see amazing testimonials as to the benefits of this lifestyle. I am very pleased to bring you this exciting interview in July 2011 with a truly amazing woman athlete, someone I have long admired - Ashley Hamilton.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - Can you tell us about yourself? Age, where you live, occupation, etc?Hey! My name is Ashley Hamilton and I recently turned 20 years old. I live in Chattanooga, TN and am originally from Nashville... however, I just came back from studying abroad in Australia. =) I am a student at the moment but my dream occupation is a working artist. Below: Ashley with one of her artworks.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - Can you tell us about your diet before you started to move towards a healthier lifestyle, what did you typically eat and how did you feel, how was your overall health? Before I became interested in health, my diet was mainly comprised of ice-cream, chocolate, white pasta, and white rice.... but mainly ice-cream. I would often eat ice-cream for breakfast, lunch AND dinner – ask my friends. It was insane! I was constantly on a sugar high but then I'd crash, hard. I fought depression and suicidal thoughts, and generally had low energy. Woman Athlete: Ashley - Did you make a gradual progression towards raw, i.e. from vegetarian to vegan to raw? Yeah, I was vegetarian for quite a few years before I randomly went vegan (after thinking vegans were extremists and saying “I could NEVER go vegan!”) - sometimes the greatest life changes come completely spontaneously!!! I was vegan for only 2-3 months before finding out about raw vegan and I basically went 100% raw overnight. Woman Athlete: Ashley - How long have you been following a raw food diet?Over 3 years.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - How did you find the transition to a raw diet? Did you struggle with any aspects of it? Is there anything you still struggle with? As long as I stayed inspired and motivated, the transition was super easy. The only struggles were getting my family and friends to understand! Woman Athlete: Ashley - Did you ever eat a high fat version of a raw diet? If so, what was it like?I've tried it off and on, and I always end up having low energy and fatigue. High fat foods, even ones from the earth such as nuts and avocados, leave me feeling tired and unmotivated! I prefer sweet, juicy fruit.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - Are you now 100% raw or do you eat any cooked food items occasionally? If so, which cooked items do you include? 100% is where it's at, and is what I feel the best doing. However, if I were to find myself in a situation with extremely limited or expensive fruit, I'd choose cooked foods such as plain sweet potato, plain quinoa, or plain brown rice. All simple, vegan, high carb/low fat foods from the earth. Woman Athlete: Ashley - What benefits have you experienced from the raw food diet?HEAPS! Mostly increased energy, clear skin, better digestion (too easy, mate!)
Woman Athlete: Ashley - What do you eat in a typical day? My diet changes by season, as I typically base my diet on fruits that are in season, plentiful, and on sale! ;) Just before returning from Australia, my diet was mainly based on fresh medjool dates, as the fruit prices in Australia skyrocketed after the floods / cyclone. However, back home on a Summer day, I may have half a watermelon for brekkie, 6-8 mangos for lunch, and a smoothie for dinner with 4-5 ripe bananas, half a pineapple, and a few handfuls of berries. Woman Athlete: Ashley - How much exercise do you do on a regular day?I climb for 1-3 hours a day, sometimes more and sometimes less. I also ride my bike everywhere, but more out of necessity than exercise.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - Do you tend to keep track of roughly how many calories you eat per day? If so how many calories do you generally eat per day?Yes, I think counting calories is an important, objective way to see how you're going, especially if you are new to this diet. It can often be the main reason why people fall off the deep end and blame veganism for their problems!!! I eat about 2500 calories a day.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - As someone who started a raw food diet at a young age, do you feel there are unique challenges and things that you are 'missing out on', i.e. college drinking?Yeah it's definitely a challenge at times, socially. I just have to remind myself of the health consequences that things like alcohol can have. At the same time though, I can get into that same “high” by eating fruit and vibrating at a high frequency! I still enjoy parties, as long as the people have good vibes (and good music)!!! Below: Ashley at a dress up party.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - How do your friends feel about your lifestyle? Are they generally supportive? At first most of my friends were quite worried about me and many of them told me I was going to die if I stayed on this diet. However, after a while, they saw the changes first-hand and realized that I was on the right track. A couple years later, many of the nay-sayers were coming back and asking ME for tips to start this diet!!! Woman Athlete: Ashley - How about your family, how did they react when you initially started to change your diet, and then just kept improving it until you were raw? Were they supportive? How do they feel about it now?At first my family was also worried about me... coming from a Standard American Diet household, it was a big change and I can totally understand their worries. They didn't understand it at first, and thought it must be a phase I was going through, and there were definitely rough patches (which is to be expected in such a huge life change!) - but here I am, 3 years later, still eating this way!!! My parents eventually started to “get it” and have supported me along the way by buying me fruit. =) Although... whenever my dad wants me to do something, all he has to do is threaten to not buy me any more fruit!!! ;) Woman Athlete: Ashley - Can you tell us about your achievements athletically?I am a sponsored competitive rock climber and have competed throughout the U.S. in bouldering and sport climbing. I have won regionals (for bouldering) 4-5 years in a row and placed 1st at divisionals for sport climbing. I have been to nationals a few times for both types of climbing, and have won many local competitions around the Southeast and beyond.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - Do you feel your athletic pursuits keep you on track with a healthy lifestyle?Definitely. Climbing is what initially made me interested in changing my diet in the first place! I know that if I eat healthy, I perform better. It goes hand-in-hand.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - Are you currently competing? If so, what does your training schedule look like before an event? Nope, I'm not currently competing. I decided to take some time off from competing and focus on climbing on real rock, outdoors. I still do a bit of training so that I can achieve my goals and climb HARD! Woman Athlete: Ashley - Has your athletic performance and recovery improved as a result of raw foods? Please give details. Yeah, I feel like I can climb for longer and recover quicker! Woman Athlete: Ashley - What kind of foods do you eat during an endurance event?Climbing isn't necessarily an endurance sport... but on a long day of climbing, my food of choice is fresh dates. Not only are they super sweet and delicious, but they pack in lots of carbs and calories, and are easy to pack and don't take up too much space.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - As a woman in a society that values physical appearance, do you think the raw food diet enables you to look your best? Yeah definitely. =) Woman Athlete: Ashley - Did you ever have any struggles with excess weight? If so, did the raw food diet help with this? Yeah, a bit. If I stay high carb / low fat, this isn't an issue. Woman Athlete: Ashley - Do you feel there are spiritual benefits to a raw food diet and lifestyle?Definitely. I feel like I vibrate at a higher frequency, and am closer to “source” or “the universe” in general. On top of that, I often have psychic thoughts come to me as well, and overall, my spirituality has grown significantly since starting a raw vegan diet.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - Do you think certain foods are addictive? If so, what do you believe to be the best way to get over an addiction to certain foods?Yeah, certain foods are addictive for sure. Especially old favorite cooked/processed foods, such as icecream and chocolate!!! Addictions are HARD to get over but I think it all starts in the mind. You must get INSPIRED and EDUCATED because inspiration + education is the key to MOTIVATION and will help you overcome food addictions. If you're addicted to something that is not healthy, do a bit of research about the ingredients in that food and what their negative effects are. For instance, I used to be addicted to icecream. I had to get educated about the negative effects and ingredients in it to really become inspired to quit. I also had to EAT ENOUGH FRUIT CALORIES so I wouldn't crave my old favorites that weren't so good for me. It's only really a struggle for the first couple weeks, and then its fine cruisin' as long as one eats enough calories on the raw vegan diet. Woman Athlete: Ashley - Are there any foods or aspects of a less healthful lifestyle that you miss? If so, how do you deal with this?Eh, I don't really miss any old foods... but perhaps I miss the social aspect of eating a bit – mainly on camping/climbing trips and sitting around the campfire at night, which is always a very social event, while everyone is passing around food to share. I deal with it by always bringing my own fruit snacks to share. I also miss being able to eat ANYWHERE while out with friends, instead of always complicating the situation because not many places cater to raw vegans. Again, I compensate by just bringing my own fruit places, and if I don't have anything, I'll just stop in the closest grocery store, get some fruit, and bring it to the restaurant where my friends are eating.
Woman Athlete: Ashley - Do you ever make compromises with your food choices, i.e. while traveling or during winter etc? If so, what kind of compromises and what effects do these have on you?Hmm, I don't usually make compromises with my food choices. I mean, I may eat more dried fruit when traveling, which isn't necessarily optimal, but it doesn't bother me. In the winter, I eat more fat from nuts, which slows me down a bit, but overall, I try to stay on top of my diet 100% all the time. Woman Athlete: Ashley - Some people say that following a raw diet is too restricting in certain respects, i.e. you can only travel to places where there is fresh fruit, so it can take over your life. Do you think this is true? As someone who travels a lot, how have you found this aspect of a raw diet?
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