Yup, you read that right! Vegan athletes do exist, actually they don't just exist, they're thriving and many of them find themselves at the top of their game after going vegan.
I was prompted to write today's blog after reading this article by Vegan Food and Living about footballer Calum Ferguson. He had been struggling to stay healthy and while recovering from back surgery, he took some time to reflect and began exploring what he could do to get and stay healthy. He took a few months to transition to a vegan lifestyle but, he has seen considerable gains since then. In the article he admits to being the guy asking about where his protein would come from and talks through the difficulty he faced personally as initially some of his family members didn't "get it." Make sure you check out the article to read Calum's own words.
Calum isn't alone in finding veganism actually improved his athleticism. Have you heard of "the strongest man in Germany", Patrik Baboumian? He was featured in the 2018 documentary Game Changers and is a real-life Hulk. Inspired by helping a bird who had been injured, Patrik started to look at who he was eating and moved to a vegetarian diet where he saw impressive improvement in his weightlifting. He eventually went vegan and has continued to thrive. Since I was already on the Vegan Food and Living website, I found an article about Patrik there as well. You can read the full article here.
Tia Blanco is a professional surfer who grew up vegetarian but went vegan after watching the video Glass Walls and reading The China Study. Tia won the first place Gold medal in the 2015 International Surfing Association (ISA) Open Women's World Surfing Championship and defended her title again 2016.
Interested in body building but think you can't do it as a vegan? Torre Washington has you covered. Just click on his name and check out his website, whoa.
These are just a few vegan athletes who are enjoying the benefits of a vegan lifestyle in their professional careers as well as personally. Each one has seen a significant benefit since going vegan, so, if you've ever wondered, can I get enough protein eating a vegan diet? These athletes (and all other "regular" people who are vegan) are proof that the answer is yes.
Feeling inspired to go vegan after reading a blog or hearing an episode of the podcast but are now wondering what the heck you're supposed to eat or wear or what it all really means?
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First I would like to say bravo on your post. Second, we are ALL athletes, or having an athlete inside of us would be a better way of saying things! Brandon Brainer- is a vegan athlete and founder of Vega products. And yes there are vegan pro athletes all over the place- running, cycling, triathletes (Rich Roll comes to mind), down to myself and my vegan dogs who run and do Doga every day- not to mention weight training!
Author of Walking with Peety- Eric O'Grey turned into a well-established athlete doing marathons and I believe triathlons when he had to change his health- he is now VEGAN and his dog is also Vegan too I believe- you can see…
I used to get emails from the "No-Meat Athlete". I believe he was a marathoner. It was interesting to read about his management of his diet and his athletic competitions.
I have not heard of the German Hulk, but I know of a handful ice hockey players within the Swiss National League who turned to a vegan diet, either for health or ethical reasons. I saw a documentary about one of them. He was struggling with inflammation and joint problems for a long time and was this close to having to end his career as an athlete. He tried a lot of things, to no avail. After drastically changing his food habits, he was able to keep playing for a few more years, and today he's a coach, still going strong on the ice (say the active players).