The words 'professional athlete' bring to mind toned bodies, strength, endurance... and incredibly large appetites. The average fan would naturally assume that the diets of athletes like Olympian Carl Lewis and slugger Hank Aaron include a lot of meat as a source of protein and bulk for their strong-bodied machines.
But that's not necessarily true. In fact, more current and former professional athletes than you would think have given up animal proteins and turned to a variety of alternative veggie-based diets instead.
Who, you ask? Carmelo Anthony, New York's most recent sports star, turns to vegetables when he's on a diet. Legendary boxer now turned TV host and pigeon-owner Mike Tyson is a recently converted vegan (yes, it's true!).
Former NBA star Robert Parish chose to chow down on vegetables before slam dunking for the Celtics while two of the greatest female tennis players in history are also both veg-heads. But the list does not end there, and includes multiple hall-of-famers and rising stars alike.
For those of you who are looking for inspiration to follow a meat-free diet and want a famous role model, or for those of you who just want to see who else is on this list, keep reading for more vegetable-loving athletes.
Below, the 10 Vegetarian Athletes Slideshow.
- Yasmin Fahr, The Daily Meal
More from The Daily Meal:
Where the NBA's Biggest Stars Eat
10 Best Athlete-Owned Restaurants
The Best Places to Watch Baseball in America
Extravagant Athlete Birthday Cakes
From Pau to Yao: 10 Athlete Foodies
Follow The Daily Meal on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thedailymeal
Kathy Freston: Vegan: Great For Kids!
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Fail possessive.
Super info!!!!
I'll keep at it, and yeah you look soooo much better.
Eating a high carb diet prevents ketosis.
to a vegan diet. I also stopped drinking coffee and go with green tea instead. From a vanity point, my face and body look like it did when I was back in college twenty years ago after just three months, I still like I did previously, exercise, but people who have not seen me in just three months tell me how my face looks completely different, it was all the animal products that bloat up the skin, even if you are not heavy set, amazing, and the energy levels are just incredible. It was not easy at first and I use to think vegan was just weird. Now the only thing I think is how unfortunate it is that meat and dairy is pushed so hard on us in America, especially when I ran track in college, the whole protein thing and the weight room. I have more lean strong muscle and I'm faster in my running times twenty years later. Incredible. I feel lighter, not tired. I think with all the hormones we pump into our cattle and chicken to maximize profit margins eventually goes into our blood streams and can have a negative influence on our moods. To me its results..
Oh, the point has something to do with how they can get enough "protein" even without eating meat??? Who cares? Considering how many supplements and "protein powders" elite class athletes(in EVERY sport) suck down, they could probably dispense with real food altogether but I hardly consider that a desirable role model for anyone else.
She was for at least several years during her playing days, so obviously it is a viable option for performance-minded athletes, but why overstate the case?
Actually stunning results.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOTETXwfIaY
Live and let live. People want to eat meat...so be it. I just wish only 10-20% of their diet consisted of animal proteins, while the remainder consisted of veggies, greens, fruits, nuts, whole grains, etc.
Since adopting a plant based diet, I feel great. Tons of energy, endurance, stamina and strength. I feel ten years younger!
Sorry to have to tell you, but meat eaters don't have to like the endless barrage of vegetarian propaganda, any more than you would have to like it if there were identical articles propagandizing meat eating. Imagine if the above article was reversed, and it was all about all of the great athletes who eat meat, and tried to use that in a blatant attempt to get people to become avid meat eaters. If you honestly think the vegetarians here would have nothing negative to say about that, you are seriously misguided.
And by the way, I was a vegetarian for years, and like many people, words cannot even begin to describe how extremely much better I feel with some meat in my diet.
Just avoiding meat isn't enough.
http://www.gnolls.org/1596/vegans-are-cannibals-the-truth-behind-the-new-vegan-high/
For example, a bowl of black beans and short-grain brown rice provides a complete amino acid profile. With all the other protein sources I consume, I am getting more than enough complete protein without eating meat.