Plant Based Performance

“You punch like a Vegetarian!”
Arnold Schwarzeneger

Now Arnie is a smart guy, but this quote isn’t. As a matter of fact it conveys entirely the wrong message: that being a vegetarian or vegan somehow is “pussy”, that people on plant based diets are weak and/or unhealthy.

Well nothing could be further from the truth.

I believe in marrying the concepts of optimal performance with optimal health. Because the two are NOT necessarily the same. I believe that the answer to the riddle is plant based low fat whole foods nutrition.
As a matter of fact, I’m sure of it.

Plant based means no animal products and low fat means low: 10% of total calories or less should come from fats.

If you are interested in going to the peak of your sports performance, and also want to be truly and fully healthy, read on: I might have some good news for you!

On this blog, over time, I will showcase athletes -and we’re talking elite, top level athletes- that are entirely plant based. Meaning they do not eat animals or even any animal products like eggs, milk, etc, in the case of vegans.

Many of us know that endurance sports run on carbohydrates; lots of leading triathletes, marathoners, cyclists are entirely plant based: high carbs, low fat and they leave the competition in the dust.

Quote Dr. McDougall, author of ‘The Starch Solution’: “There’s no such thing as a low carb or paleo athlete, not at the top level -it doesn’t happen.

OK OK so these skinny Tour de France riders are all vegans? Well so what, that still kind of feeds into this whole ‘vegetarians are weak’ thing, doesn’t it? Admittedly, they often appear a little like skeletons on wheels…

Well let’s look at strength sports then, and power sports. Turns out many champions of world class level have chosen this lifestyle, too!
Maybe out of compassion for other fellow beings on this planet -namely animals- maybe to finally become optimally healthy…maybe both. Either way, it obviously does not hurt their performance. I would argue it promotes it, and their titles, medals, wins back that up.

So vegan is pussy, you say? Well tell that to the Diaz brothers –Nick and Nate Diaz– or to Mac Danzig for example. Pretty badass fighters, these guys, pretty strong.

What about Germany’s Strongest man, Patrik Baboumian? Not so weak…or Carl Lewis: 9 out of his 10 Olympic medals were gold, 8 out of his World Championship medals were gold. That’s prett-tty powerful I’d say. All vegan.

But we showcase one athlete at a time, and their ‘Plant Based Performance’.

So today, a NFL player. American football is as ‘power’ as they come: maximal strength, speed, explosiveness, BIG muscular physiques.

David Carter, Oakland Raiders

Carter was familiar with the benefits of a plant-based diet, mostly learning from his vegetarian wife, but he assumed he couldn’t be vegan and keep his weight for football. An eye-opening documentary changed that assumption, though.

“One night my wife and I were watching Forks Over Knives and I realized that all the effort I was putting in to get big and strong for football was actually killing me,” Carter said. “After being vegan for only two months I can honestly say that being vegan is not the only most efficient way to be full body strong, it’s also the most humane; everyone wins.” In just two months, Carter has seen some small, lingering injuries heal after many years, including tendinitis, arthritis, nerve damage, and muscle fatigue.

When asked what he’s most proud of today, he replied, “Having the balls to be completely vegan.”
Source: ecorazzi

Look out for the next Plant Strong study of athletes paving the way into a better, brighter high performance future!

Mark

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