Ben was born and raised in San Francisco, California. He attends Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where he is pursuing a degree in economics. Ben is a successful competitive distance runner. He is the 1,600-meter record holder at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, completed his first marathon at the age of 16 and qualified for the Boston Marathon, and, on his 21st birthday, made his ultramarathon debut, finishing fifth in the Skyline 50K and setting what is believed to be the amateur course record.
Ben is also an Ashtanga yoga practitioner and leads and recommends an entirely raw vegan diet of almost exclusively fruits and vegetables for maximum athletic performance, vitality and joy.
- Make a list of all the places at which you can shop. Find wholesalers and other nontypical vendors near you. You can even put ads in your local newspaper or Craigslist requesting access to backyard produce!
- When you buy food, buy a lot. Try to buy most of your food in one or two shopping trips per week. If you can’t always buy ripe fruit, make sure you have lots of fruit ripening so that when you have finished eating your ripe fruit, more is waiting! Buying lots at once also makes it possible to get bulk discounts!
- Keep your kitchen stocked. You better believe fresh is best, but sometimes it’s nice to have a “backup plan.” Keep high-quality dried and frozen fruits around for convenience!
- Buy the good stuff. Sometimes organic is really important, and sometimes it’s not as important. What’s really important for this lifestyle is that your food tastes good and that it is nutrient rich. Seek out the good stuff and try to get it for a reasonable price.
- Learn how to bring food with you. You can’t exactly walk into a restaurant or cafeteria and buy a fruit meal. You need to plan in advance and bring something with you. This doesn’t have to be difficult; it can make lunch much more convenient and much cheaper. A banana smoothie is a great plan for many!
Check out Ben’s transformation profile!
Hungry for more? Check out Ben’s Simple, Sweet and Tangy Mango Tomato Dressing recipe!
