H E A LT H & B E AU T Y | P L A N T- B A S E D D I E T
Will a plantbased diet impact your fitness goals? Reducing meat and dairy doesn’t have to dampen your training efforts - providing you do some homework. Abi Jackson talks to experts. If pursuing fitness goals, and eating more plant-based, are both high on your agenda, you might be wondering how well the two fit together. Veganism among athletes has been a hot topic lately. Last year’s Netflix documentary, The Game Changers, saw Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton and nutritional scientists tackle ‘misconceptions’ around meat-heavy diets being essential for strength and performance.
Various sports stars have also highlighted their own plant-based (or low-meat and dairy, as the case may be) regimes. Tennis ace Venus Williams switched to a raw vegan diet for health reasons - although she’s since said she now includes occasional animal products alongside being largely veggie. Footballer Jermain Defoe is “virtually vegan”, while a number of elite endurance athletes follow plant-based plans. With pressure to reduce animal-product consumption greater than ever too, where does this sit with our fitness efforts? Busting the meat myth It’s easy to see how iron and protein-rich meaty diets became synonymous with athletic prowess, but we haven’t always been such committed carnivores.
APRIL 20
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