10 Vegan Athletes Who Will Define 2020 In Sports
The latest newest in the sports industry has always been a popular topic of discussion in our everyday lives, and the most interesting new trend in the sports industry is that of vegan athletes.
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What exactly does it mean to be a Vegan?
I can guess what you are thinking right now, I mean, who in the 21st century doesn’t know what a vegan is? Have they been living under some rock…? The truth is that many people have the wrong idea of what it means to be vegan. What many people consider to be vegan is actually vegetarian.
Vegetarian: A vegetarian I someone who doesn’t eat animals but may decide to eat products that come from animals e.g. eggs, milk. There are 3 main types of vegetarian based on what animal products they can eat:
- Lacto-Vegetarian: They eat dairy products.
- Ovo-Vegetarian: They eat eggs.
- Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: They eat dairy products and eggs.
Pescatarian: A pescatarian is someone who only eats fish, they don’t eat any animal products.
Vegan: A vegan is someone who doesn’t eat animals and any animal products or things that contain them.
It is commonly believed that vegan diets do not provide enough protein and energy that athletes need for the strenuous activities they perform every day. These rumors are founded on wrong assumptions and have been declared wrong by many professional sports dieticians.
Top 10 Vegan Athletes
Patrick Baboumian
Patrick Baboumian became a vegetarian in 2005 and later went on to become a vegan in the year 2011. Many people still believe that you can’t gain much from a vegan diet. They have the belief that a vegan diet can’t have enough nutrients and protein for one to stay in good shape and build muscles.
Baboumian has competed in many bodybuilding and weight lifting events and came out as the winner in each. He broke the world record for the yolk walk in 2013 by carrying a load of 550kg over a distance of 10m and then broke his own record In 2015 by carrying a load of 560kg.
Scott Jurek
Jurek is an ultramarathon runner and is one of the first athletes to announce that he was a vegan. He has been a vegan since 1997 and claims that his vegan diet plays a crucial role in his highly successful career. Jurek is the winner of 16 great ultramarathon titles. He went vegan while in college and has adhered to it since.
Nate Diaz
Diaz is a mixed martial artist competing in the UFC (The biggest mixed martial arts organization in the world). Nate Diaz became a vegan at the age of 18 and was inspired by his brother, Nick Diaz, a former welterweight champion in WEC and Strikeforce. He has said on many occasions that he attributes the successful careers of him and his brother to the vegan diet that they strictly adhere to. Nate is proof that a vegan diet doesn’t lack any essential nutrients. For, if he can fight for 25 minutes straight in a ring without showing fatigue then he must be doing something right.
Tia Blanco
Blanco is a professional surfer and the winner of the Open Women’s World Surfing Championships in the years 2015 and 2016. She grew up as a vegetarian and decided to go vegan in 2013 due to her for animals, the sea, and the environment brought on by her passion for surfing. She is the first woman on our list, and we shall see a few more before the end.
Venus Williams
I can’t continue to talk about female vegan athletes without mentioning Venus Williams, arguably the greatest female vegan athlete. She is one of the most famous female athletes, a tennis player who is a grand slam. She has won 4 Olympic golds and 5 Wimbledons. But do you know that her career almost came to an end in 2011 when she was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome? Her doctors advised adopting a raw vegan diet (a diet that involves eliminating all foods and animal products cooked above 118 degrees Fahrenheit). The vegan diet has saved her career, thereby falsifying all claims that it’s not a sufficient diet for athletes.
David Haye
Haye is a boxer with world titles in two boxing weight categories. He won three out of the four major cruiserweight boxing world titles. His net worth is estimated at a staggering $26 million based on his more recent fights and Fight Saga’s recent evaluation. He has been vegan for 4 years, starting from when a serious shoulder injury led to him taking a break from the ring. Haye strictly follows his vegan diet and if the rumors are true then how can he, a boxer, still remain in such good shape. He has a full-time chef and nutritionist who makes sure he’s meals contain all the nutrients and mineral he needs.
Heather mills
Heather started her life as an entrepreneur and later went on to become a downhill skiing champion. She previously used a raw vegan diet but now uses a whole food vegan diet. She plans to improve the world through veganism.
Kendrick Farris
Kendrick Farris has proven that you can be a vegan and still lift heavy objects. He is an Olympic class weight lifter and believes that protein is not that important. He claims that the protein we intake is much more than needed and ends up being excreted.
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis a relatively newer addition to the group of vegan athletes. He claims to truly love the vegan diet, he says it allows him to eat more carbs without putting on weight.
Timothy Shieff
He became a vegan after being diagnosed with mild tendonitis (a condition where the tendons are inflamed due to overuse). He is a free runner and claims to be able to train longer and live healthier since he adopted a vegan diet.
Final Words
The life stories of these great vegan athletes prove that the negative rumors about the vegan diet are all unfounded. From the looks of it, there are far more benefits than disadvantages from taking up a vegan diet.
