There’s nothing like complementing your fitness regime with a plant-based diet! According to a study published in the journal Nutrients, following a plant-based diet has been shown to improve performance, cardiovascular health, and recovery time in endurance athletes. From ultra-marathoner Fiona Oakes to vegan bodybuilder Nimai Delgado, athletes around the globe are increasingly supporting and talking about the importance of their plant-based diets.
Have you heard of these 10 inspiring vegan athletes?
1. Nimai Delgado
Here’s a body-builder who has never touched meat in his life because he was raised vegetarian by his Hindu parents! How’s that for plant-powered? Nimai was one of the many vegan athletes to be featured in the groundbreaking The Game Changers documentary. On social media, he shares what he eats on a daily basis with his audience to show that we can get all the protein we need from plants.
2. Morgan Mitchell
Morgan is a two-time Australian Relay champion who competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She has been vegan since age 20! Morgan is also featured in the 2018 documentary The Game Changers, where she talks about the significant health benefits of her plant-based diet. However, at the root of her diet lies her deep love for the animals and the environment.
3. Kuntal Joisher
Kuntal A. Joisher is the world’s first vegan to scale Everest. In May 2018, he stood on top of Mt. Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world at 8,516 meters. Over the course of his expeditions, Joisher only consumes vegan food and uses 100% vegan gear including his one-piece synthetic suit made completely from animal-free material. Not a trace of down or leather.
4. Lewis Hamilton
Talking to BBC about his recent transition to a vegan diet, seven-time Formula 1 Champion Hamilton said: “As the human race, what we are doing to the world… the pollution (in terms of emissions of global-warming gases) coming from the amount of cows that are being produced is incredible. They say it is more than what we produce with our flights and our cars, which is kind of crazy to think. The cruelty is horrible and I don’t necessarily want to support that.”
5. Patrick Baboumian
Patrik Baboumian is an Iranian-born German-Armenian retired strongman and former bodybuilder, featured in the much talked about documentary The Game Changers. This inspiring vegan athlete proves that even record-breaking powerlifters like him can be powered entirely by plants.
6. Jehina Malik
Malik is the first ever bodybuilder who has been vegan since birth! Her compassion is as inspiring as her strength. For her, it’s all about busting the stereotypes that vegans can’t get enough protein from plants, or can’t build muscle, or that one can’t raise a child vegan.
7. Scott Jurek
Being a seven-time winner of Western States 100, Scott is one of the greatest vegan athletes of all time. He often credits his plant-based diet for his dominant success. Scott has even published a book – Eat & Run – that goes in-depth into his dietary philosophy, and has had a sweeping influence on the adoption of veganism amongst many ultra runners.
8. Brendan Brazier
Meet the former professional Ironman triathlete and two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion, who is also an author, advocate of veganism, AND co-creator of the Vega–n award-winning plant-based nutritional line.
9. Fiona Oakes
Despite losing a kneecap (due to a tumor when she was 17), Fiona Oakes is a top British distance runner with four prestigious world records for marathon running, including an award for being the fastest woman to run a marathon on every continent. Back in 2013, she won both the Antarctic Ice Marathon and the North Pole Marathon. Not only has she been vegan since age 6 but also co-founded Vegan Runners in 2004!
10. Rich Roll
Named one of the “25 Fittest Men in the World” by Men’s Fitness, Rich is a vegan ultra-endurance athlete, a two-time top finisher at the Ultraman World Championships and the first (alongside Jason Lester) to complete EPIC5 – 5 ironman-distance triathlons on 5 Hawaiian Islands in under a week. Not to mention, he’s a full-time wellness & plant-based nutrition advocate. Have you tuned into The Rich Roll Podcast yet?
And the list could go on–there are so many vegan athletes in the world! Who else would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments.
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