Athletes require strong muscles. And for this good quality proteins are required which come from animal foods.
But increasingly athletes are switching to plant-based foods and proteins with no deterioration in their performance. Which are these athletes that have gone green for the gold, silver, and bronze?
Athletic performance and plant-based foods
Athletes require a lot of strength for excellent performance in their game. They need to have more and stronger muscles. Both training and good quality diet is a must to ensure this.
The diet should have more good-quality proteins. We all know that proteins from animal products are of the highest quality. But they are also loaded with saturated fats.
This could negatively affect health in the long term. Hence diet experts are urging people to accept plant-based foods.
Plant-based foods (Source: Harvard Health)Additionally, environmentalists state that animal foods have a higher carbon footprint. This leads to climate change and other damaging effects on the environment.
To control this, they too are asking people to eat more plant-origin foods and decrease meat products.
Increasingly, athletes to are switching to plants for food. Plants have proteins but are lesser in amount compared to animal meats.
Moreover, plant foods might not have all the essential amino acids that the body requires. Nonetheless, many athletes have already gone vegetarian or vegan with no fall in their performance. Which are these athletic stars?
1. Novak Djokovic
Who does not know Novak Djokovic, the number 1 tennis star from Serbia? He switched to solely plant foods 12 years back. And he has only scored better.
He had said that he went higher in performance with plant foods since he could control his allergies with them as well. Novak starts his day with hot water and lemon, followed by celery juice, and superfood supplements. He had said:
“Eating meat was hard on my digestion and that took a lot of essential energy that I need for my focus, for recovery, for the next training session, and for the next match,”
2. Tia Blanco: on Plant-based foods since birth
Tia Blanco (Source: Surfer magazine)She is a professional surfer who requires strong legs, thighs, and balance. She is vegan and her diet is mainly nuts, beans, seeds, and legumes. Her family is vegetarian and Tia has never eaten meat in her life. Tia cooks food at home and shares recipes with her Instagram fans. The surfer is now an ambassador of Beyond Meat.
3. Steph Davis
Steph is world famous rock climber. For the last 8 years, she is a pure vegan. She boasts:
“there’s nothing in my life that hasn’t become better as a result, from climbing and athletics to mental and spiritual well being.”
She turned vegan after she partnered with PETA. Steph adds:
“What can we do to start making changes in a positive way? And if it just so happens that changing our lifestyle leads to environmental benefits, health benefits, economic benefits, and positive social change, then all the better. One thing I’ve learned is you don’t have to do or be anything you don’t want to be, and you can change anything in your life just by starting to do it. It’s you who chooses who and what you are, by the things you think and the things you do.”
4. Venus Williams
This tennis champion had an autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s disease. She turned vegan in 2011 and has since then found an improvement in her health as well as performance.
5. Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson (Source: Marca)This famous boxer, 56 is vegan for the last 10 years. He is in good shape since then. He revealed:
“I was so congested from all the drugs and bad cocaine, I could hardly breathe.”
“I had high blood pressure, was almost dying, and had arthritis.”
“Turning vegan helped me eliminate all those problems in my life,”
“I’m in the best shape ever.”
His trainer agrees and states that his speed now is that is a 21-year-old.
6. Chris Paul
He is Oklahoma City’s point guard who has ditched both meat and dairy. His chef told USA today:
“The main thing is, we try to keep it as light and clean as possible for his normal routine, with organic ingredients. Anything that can minimize body inflammation. Chris is always worrying about what he can and can’t eat.“
Read more: Plant-based meats vs real meat: which is better?
Chris eats oatmeal along with plant-based milk and also nut butter at breakfast. And at lunch, he has brown rice or pasta with sausage from Beyond Meat company, grilled vegetables, and some curry sauce. He is as agile as players half his age.