3 Reasons Why Olympic Athletes are Turning Vegan

According to experts, a vegan diet will give athletes’ higher endurance, faster recovery from injury and long term health benefits.

No wonder many Olympic athletes like Carl Lewis and Bode Miller swear by veganism. You don’t have to blindly follow in their footsteps (unless you want to of course). Before swearing off meat forever and pledging your life to the cause, take five minutes to know exactly why your favourite athletes are switching sides.

That way you won’t end up hating your new diet and binging on KFC instead.

Alright, let’s begin!

Are you a marathoner? Long-distance swimmer? Basketball player? That last mile, last lap or last quarter of the game might make you feel like your lungs are burning up. At that moment, you would consider giving up anything in exchange for more stamina. So... have you considered giving up meat and dairy?

Research suggests that having a healthy and balanced vegan diet is actually better for endurance athletes than a meatier and dairy-rich diet. It has something to do with the carbon, hydrogen and oxygen molecules which are a bit different in plant-based food. If you want to know more about it, just click here.

Now this seems a little unbelievable. I mean, isn’t meat supposed to have protein which will help you recover from injury?

Well, apparently researchers think otherwise. There is a difference in the type of proteins we obtain from plants and what we get from animals. Meat is not something humans need (biologically speaking) to recover. A variety of plant-based protein will actually give you a range of different amino acids that would help you recover faster. It is also no secret that meat is harder to digest.

If you are a professional athlete you know that the money will keep rolling in only as long as you are fit. And not just any kind of fit, you have to be at the top of your game.

Even if you are the ordinary Joe or Jane, staying healthy is somewhere on your list. That is why this particular reason is the most important.

There is evidence to support that veganism not only reduces risk of heart problems and chronic diseases but also fights diabetes and cancer! Those are some insane advantages of being vegan.

In a recent interview with The Huffington Post, Olympic snowboarder Hannah Tater said that knowing about the terrible conditions in the meat industry made her switch over to veganism. And she hasn’t looked back since.

The Olympic athlete and philanthropist also says that she feels like her mental and emotional health has improved as well as her physical health.

Psychologically speaking, just knowing that you have made a difference to the world would not only boost your self-esteem, but also lead to you feeling happier and like you have ‘accomplished more’.

Maybe that is what Hannah was talking about.

Now you can go ahead and swear off meat and dairy. That would be a smart informed decision! Go ahead and enjoy your plant-based KFC, it apparently tastes even better!