A Crew of Elite NFL Athletes are Betting on a Plant-Based Diet
More pro-athletes are turning to a plant-based diet to get the most out of their workouts, training, and recoveries.
But what might seem like a new trend in the NFL is nothing new to strength sports in general. Back in June 2017, for example, the totally vegan PlantBuilt team competed at the Naturally Fit Games in Austin, Texas in CrossFit, powerlifting, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, and kettlebell - taking home 32 medals. Teammate Sara Lee set an American and world record in kettlebell. Icelandic vegan powerlifter Hulda B. Waage set a record back squat in 2016, and America's strongest weightlifter, Kendrick Farris "is 100% vegan", according to both Men's Fittness and his own testimony from a fun interview during the Rio Olympics where he said, "I'm not missing out on anything...I weigh over two hundred pounds."
The rewards of a plant-based diet are also becoming popular among elite NFL athletes. Ravens wide receiver Griff Whalen, has followed a strictly vegan diet for almost four years.
When I tried a whole food vegan diet I felt a major impact in less than 2 weeks. That was enough motivation for me to stick with it. - Griff Whalen
Whalen even eschews leather for ethical reasons. He spoke exclusively with thediscerningbrute.com about why he thinks this trend is happening in his sport:
I think the league is so competitive that many of the guys are looking for any edge they can find, including nutrition. Better nutrition allows us to recover faster, train harder and longer, and ultimately become better athletes. There are many different opinions on the best dietary methods for athletes, and tons of false or partial truths out there, so it can be very difficult to wade through all that to find out what the real facts and research support... Today things are slowly changing with the resources we have online, and also in books and documentaries. I think the real evidence is starting to get some exposure and word is spreading.
Griff is not alone in his experience with the physical rewards of a vegan diet. The Detroit Lion's running back, Theo Riddick, was interviewed in The Detroit News regarding his switch after suffering a wrist injury.
“I turned vegan over the summer. I’ve noticed a difference just with my energy level. I’m not a junk-food type of eater. I’m like a smoothie guy; I do a lot of fruit and throw my kale and all my protein in there and that’s how I get everything.” - The Detroit News
Two Washington Redskins players have also gone vegan; offensive tackle Trent Williams and guard Arie Kouandjio. In an interview with NFL.com Williams said:
"I just wanted to find ways to improve at healthy living, and hopefully it will help me with longevity in my career." - NFL.com
Williams is encouraging others to try it, too, like New Orleans Saints running back, Adrian Peterson, with whom he co-owns O Athletic Gym in Houston. Peterson admitted to being tempted to make the switch himself. He was interviewed by NOLA.com as saying that his diet is about 85% plant-based now. Time will tell if he joins the ranks and gets from aspiring-vegan to 100%. He said:
"I've always been kind of leery about processed food, so I've always kind of (avoided) it. But once I watched the documentary [What The Health] after I heard about it from Trent, I watched it, and it just kind of puts it in your face. I was just like, it's time to really kind of change some things up." - NOLA.com
Filmmaker Santino Panico, whose film "From The Ground Up" - which takes a in-depth look at vegetarian and vegan athletes across a spectrum of sports, has spent time with many of these elite athletes, and has gotten to know how they think. I asked Panico for his opinion on this, and he said a trend like this "several years ago would have seemed impossible".
"Inflammation is an athlete's worst enemy, especially if that athlete is an NFL player. So these players are seeing research showing that plant-based diets reduce inflammation while diets heavy in meat and animal products cause inflammation."
Panico also explained that "the culture of the NFL tends to lean towards machismo and food is tied to that."
"Players believe they need meat to be strong and masculine," he said. "But now even that is being proven wrong".
This all begs the question, if a plant-based diet is good enough for athletes in some of the most physically demanding sports, isn't it sufficient for average people?