Plant Fuelled Sporting Successes: How do Vegan Athletes Fare?
Sales of meat-free foods are forecasted to rise for the foreseeable, with the potential to reach £658 million by 2021. Although it’s important to understand that veganism is not a trend and instead of a lifestyle choice, the brand also noted that there was a 94% increase in healthy food ordered at the time. For sporting athletes, lifestyle is essential for performance and veganism is an increasingly popular option for some of the biggest names in the field. Join Traidcraft and take a look at how successful a plant-based diet has proven for those who are under constant pressure to perform.
Venus Williams
From taking up tennis as a hobby at the age of 14, Venus Williams became the first African American woman to become World No.1 in the Open Era in 2002. Her career is a force to be reckoned with, and she has remained unshaken by many opponents; but in 2011, Venus was diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome and pulled out of the U.S Open later that year to recoup. As a result, she made the switch to follow a raw, plant-based diet and she slowly began playing again. She has regularly stated in interviews that making the lifestyle change was the sole reason that she could take to the court again, and she is often pictured armed with a carton of milk substitute in between sets.
She has praised her dietary choices multiple times, saying: “I fell in love with the concept of fuelling your body in the best way possible”, and she has stressed the importance of dismissing the common misconception that vegan diets are insufficient in providing enough nutrients for athletes. Protein is often a key focus for those in sport, and many people believe that the protein content of a plant-based diet cannot compete with meat products. However, some of the best vegan-friendly protein-dense options include tofu, lentils, almonds, spirulina and chia seeds.
Jermain Defoe
Documentaries have become a major source for spreading awareness about the impacts of meat consumption, and there are many examples available on popular streaming services nowadays. One person to make the conversion to veganism in light of one of these programs is Jermain Defoe, an English professional footballer playing for a string of successful teams including Tottenham Hotspur. In a recent interview, he confessed that his lifestyle change came as a result of watching ‘What The Health’ on streaming service Netflix, an expose of the cruelty and environmental consequences of a carnivorous diet. While many footballers retire before they hit their mid-30’s, Jermain is 36 and still actively playing the beautiful game for Scottish Premiership team Rangers F.C.
Defoe has been open with the press about how he believes that his dietary choices have impacted his performance on the pitch, and in 2018 he said “Now I feel like I’ve got more energy. I feel completely different – I’m able to train every day, I don’t get injuries, it’s helped with my game. That, for me, is the most important thing”, demonstrating a whole host of benefits from excluding dairy and animal products. With 57 caps for his country and 162 goals in the English Premier League, Defoe is a great model for any aspiring vegan athletes.
Forest Green Rovers
You’ll struggle to find anything other than meat-free alternatives in the Forest Green Rovers stadium, as the League Two club is the only vegan football club in the UK. Meat has been ‘benched’ within the ground, and the players must adhere to a veggie diet to don a Forest Green Rovers shirt. In terms of performance, they are currently topping League Two after a triumphant promotion in 2017. They cite their reasoning for implementing veganism into the club as environmentally linked, with the damaging consequences of livestock farming a key motivator behind the meat-free squad. They have also recently qualified for the 2019 English Football League play-offs, which could see them soar into the next tier up, League One.
Dale Vince, the club chairman, is also a green energy pioneer as the founder of Ecotricity, and he introduced veganism onto the pitch at Forest Green Rovers in 2014. On the topic, he has said “Personally, I’m a vegan and have very strong views on the environment, animal welfare and human health”, and these concerns have been transformed in a sport setting as Forest Green Rovers set their sights on promotion glory.
So how do vegan athletes fare against their meat-eating opponents? Veganism has been subjected to a lot of criticism for a variety of reasons, but we could be underestimating it as a valid way to fuel our bodies. However, consumption as a whole is changing, with a surge in the popularity of organic, fair trade products, as well as a rise in the availability of food which meets certain allergies and intolerances. As these plant-based victories show, there is a substantial amount of bodily fuel that can be derived from following a plant-only diet, and perhaps athletes should try the switch themselves in order to determine the benefits.