Ultimate Fighter Is Vegan Champ

Ecorazzi :

A couple weeks back, we profiled Mac Danzig -- a finalist in Men's Health magazine's profile of the "25 Fittest Guys In America", and a competitor on the show The Ultimate Fighter. What makes Mac unique amongst all the other fit finalists is that he's a vegan. Since we dig that, we thought we might share a bit more.

Danzig received so many inquiries into his diet that he's posted an in-depth look at how he stays in shape, along with what he eats to remain in peak form. Here's a highlight:

"For the record, I cut dairy completely out of my diet in 1999 (over 5 years before I ever committed to a full-Vegan diet)... This was due to an allergy that I developed in my adolescent years to dairy that effected my sinuses and everything connecting to them. For a good part of my teenage years, I suffered from severe ear infections and chronic Vertigo (which is completely miserable). It took me a few years of to finally realize that the antibiotics were only temporarily subduing a much bigger problem. I did my research and finally found the source.

A lot of people don't realize how hard milk, whey, and other dairy products are on the sinuses and respiratory system, and the dairy industry would like you to believe that you need milk to get calcium. That notion is as oxymoronic as you can get. Although not everybody has as severe an allergy to dairy products as I did, I just wanted to point out that after years of battling with ear and sinus infections, eliminating dairy completely cured my problems. Anyone with similar problems may want to try it for a while."

Jump here to take a look at the full post -- and perhaps grab some tips on how to cut meat and dairy out while still leading a healthy (and strong) lifestyle.

Read the whole story: Ecorazzi

Comments

[Jonahson]

Veteran vegans knew that a long time ago. Bulls and elephants are among the strongest creatures in the world and they are vegans.

[HippyGourmet]

Vegan and vegetarian cooking and eating can save our planet!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJFuLZ_Nm0I

One of the best Vegan restaurants in the world is Blossoming Lotus on the island of Kauai in Hawaii!

[Sumocat]

Always nice to have another demonstration of why meat is not necessary even for professional athletes. People have a misconception that meat is necessary to build muscle when it's really just one option, not the only option.

[Chazzam]

I have been following Danzig since his impressive run on Ultimate Fighter. He seemed to be wired quite a bit differently than most of the more stereotypical "warrior" personalities on the show, generating no shortage of reality-show drama. Finding out that he is vegan is not a huge surprise to me. He has a personal fierceness of outlook that clearly goes beyond the ring. Looking forward to seeing more exhibitions of skill and fierceness from this unorthodox, and impressive warrior-vegan.