The Impact of Vegan Diets on Athletes

This article explores the influence veganism and plant-based diets are having on the sports world, from extending players’ careers to boosting overall fitness levels

Veganism and sport is a combination that many would perhaps not have seen coming a couple decades ago but now in 2020, they are proving to be a very popular duo. With many high profile athletes now turning to vegan diets, it’s worth examining just how advantageous it may be.

Many athletes have credited their faster recovery times to a change in their diet. No matter what level you play at, being able to recover as quickly as possible is a great attribute. This couldn’t be truer for athletes in the NBA where the gruelling schedules see some teams having to play on consecutive days.

It’s for this reason that stars such as Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan and Damian Lillard have sought to find a way to cope with the demands of the league by turning to vegan diets. With all three being vital to their respective teams’ success, each have gone up a level in their career since adopting plant-based diets. Lillard in particular highlighted how crucial a change in diet has been for him, claiming he has felt a lot better as he hoped to feel lighter this season and go easy on his joints.

“Veganism certainly has a strong correlation with athletes who keep performing to a high level even as they age” The threat of heart disease is one that looms large over the general public and it does not spare athletes either. Plant-based diets cut out the major culprits of heart disease such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Aside from preventing potential diseases, For example, when tennis star Venus Williams was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition in 2011 (one that could’ve led to a premature end to her career), she turned to veganism to improve her overall health. It is this change that has seen her remain competitive in the following years since the diagnosis even as she approaches 40 and one which she claims, ‘changed her whole life’. Of course, it did not take long for her 23 times grand slam winning sister, Serena Williams, to once again follow her older sister’s footsteps by embracing this diet change, and she too is now reaping the rewards. Tom Brady, who is often regarded as the best quarterback in NFL history, is another who has benefited from switching to a more plant-based diet as he is now in his 20th season playing, at the age of 42. Although not being fully vegan, reports claim that his diet is 80 percent plant-based and it is through this that Brady is able to keep going strong in his forties, being the oldest player to ever win MVP. Other notable athletes such as Novak Djokovic, JaVale McGee, Chris Paul and Wilson Chandler have all turned to vegan diets to keep their game up as they coast through their thirties. There is no doubt that veganism is growing rapidly in the sporting world and, with it providing great results as well as research intensifying on how exactly it’s helping us, it appears it may be more than just a fad. Ben Ofungwu Graphic & Page Design by Kajal Bains “Vegan diets are a great way of treating conditions that one may already be grappling with”