Heard of the Netflix documentary What the Health? It’s pretty CONTROVERSIAL, as most things related to veganism are!! 😉 But my fave part was about the VEGAN BODYBUILDING DIET!
What the Health has a bunch of athletes and bodybuilders in it! It did an AMAZING job showcasing how you don’t need mega amounts of animal-based protein to GAIN MUSCLE…oh yeah, and also lose fat!
I think the problem with a lot of SCIENCE and MEDIA (including blogs!) is, having no proof!!
I’ll read an article about how vegans are nutrient deficient (because it’s not like you can take B12 vitamins or anything, right? 😉 ) but I’m like…OK then…show me someone who got super ill or even died after going vegan. Show me all the athletes out there who became vegan, became sick, and had to quit their sport or whatever…There aren’t any!!
But it goes both ways — we also need PROOF that veganism works for athletes and enhances their performance. We need PROOF that a vegan bodybuilding diet is possible!
What the Health tooootally gives this proof, by interviewing super RIPPED vegan athletes, mostly men but also a woman (REPRESENT!!).
They showed all kinds of athletes, too — from a marathon runner to a bodybuilder to a surfer.
In case you haven’t seen the documentary, I’m going to post quotes and pics from these athletes. And, hello?? You get all the proof you need that a vegan bodybuilding diet helps you GAIN MUSCLE from plant protein, just by looking at the bodybuilders’ pictures!
David Carter
Carter is a former NFL defensive lineman, so as you can imagine he’s SUPER familiar with weightlifting…but also with the idea that over time you stop gaining muscle as fast, which is frustrating!!
In What the Health, he said that before going vegan he was “only” benching 315, but after he was benching 400…425…465! The VEGAN GAINS are real!! 🙂 He also had bad tendinitis in his right arm, which WENT AWAY after going vegan. That probably helps explain the gains too. 😉
Timothy Shieff
This dude is the CAPTAIN of Team Europe in NINJA WARRIOR’S USA Versus the World. He needed to lean down for the competition because if you’ve ever seen Ninja Warriors you know that the big guys, no matter how strong they are, just can’t hold themselves up the way the leaner rock-climber type of guys can. So Timothy said he went vegan, dropped 20 pounds, and had SO MUCH MORE STAMINA AFTER GOING VEGAN!
Tia Blanco
Last but not least, let’s not forget the LADY who’s on a vegan bodybuilding diet! I was so glad that the documentary got a female athlete’s perspective!! Tia Blanco is a professional surfer who won the GOLD MEDAL at the International Surfing Association Open Women’s Championship…and no animals were harmed in the making!
She says, “I just don’t make any excuses. I would never not be vegan now that I know all the benefits and now that I know how it feels to be vegan.”
So…my goal with this week’s blog is NOT to shame anybody…
But just to prove that if anybody says you can’t be fast or strong AND vegan, or that a vegan bodybuilding diet is some kinda oxymoron…they are just plain WRONG!!
Plus, I always LOVE the chance to talk about professional female athletes, especially vegan ones. <3
If you’re hoping to look and feel like Tia, and the other athletes here, I’d LOVE for you to be part of my challenge group!! If you’re laying on the couch after work with no energy left to work out, I am here to help you!!
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