10 Incredibly Fit Bodies of Vegan Athletes
Some athletes turn to steak, chicken, and fish to build muscle. However, for others, their go-to sources of protein are plant-based and they forgo animal products altogether. The thing is, eating vegan does not mean you’re not consuming sufficient protein! Vegans obtain protein from foods such as lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, nuts, and seeds. In fact, these 10 incredibly fit athletes who are vegan prove just how their diets are—from surfers, to Olympic sprinters, to tennis stars, and more.
1. Tia Blanco
Professional surfer Tia Blanco became vegan at the age of 15 or 16. She told Forks Over Knives, “I grew up eating vegetarian with my whole family. My mom turned vegetarian when she was 12 years old purely because she loved animals. When I was 15 or 16, we all went vegan—for the animals and our health. The diet also benefits the environment immensely. The vegan lifestyle aligns with all of my core values, and I truly feel better physically and mentally as a vegan.”
Growing up, lentil soup was one of her go-to meals. In fact, when she’s competing, she said, “I always crave red lentils!”
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2. Lewis Hamilton
Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton feels that being vegan has changed his body completely. He told Men’s Health, “I have more energy; I’m so much more productive. I wake up feeling way better, clearer in thought and fresher in my body. I recover quicker; I sleep better. My skin cleared up. I have fewer allergies. There are just so many impacts. I’m physically in better shape than I’ve ever been, and I’m more successful than ever right now, and my plant-based programme has played such a big role in that.”
3. Alex Morgan
Retired pro soccer player and gold medalist Alex Morgan also follows the vegan diet, and she has an incredibly fit physique. She reportedly went vegan in 2017 after participating in a companion animal campaign with her rescue pup for PETA.
Alex shared some of her go-to meals with MindBodyGreen, saying, “It’s important that I work with my nutritionist to come up with the best recipes and meals to make sure I’m getting the best nutrients for my body to recover. [I need to eat in a way so my body is] optimal and ready for my games and training. So I eat a lot of grain bowls with rice and chickpeas, black beans, or lentils. In the morning I usually have a yogurt or a protein smoothie.”
4. Morgan Mitchell
Australian Olympic runner Morgan Mitchell has been vegan for the past 11 years. What prompted her change in diet was concerns about animal cruelty and the environment.
“My now ex boyfriend had watched a few documentaries and showed me them and said we should go vegan. I dropped everything instantly and did it. It was this weird light bulb moment… I haven’t looked back since,” she told Great Vegan Athletes.
Some of her favorite foods? Morgan shared with Vegetarian Times, “I love eating things like a spiced tofu burger with chili tofu, vegan cheese, spinach, pickles, diced mushrooms. Air fries on the side! … I eat two to three rice cakes with peanut butter, or avocado, Vegemite, and chili flakes.”
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5. Hannah Teter
Snowboarder Hannah Teter totally “feels like a new athlete” since she switched to a vegan diet. What inspired her? A documentary called Earthlings.
“I had no idea how intense and how horrible factory farms are. I have such a love for animals that I can’t justify having their heads cut off for me, and the slavery of the dairy industry motivates me to go more vegan,” Hannah told The Huffington Post, as reported by The Beet
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6. Venus Williams
Legendary tennis star Venus Williams assumed a vegan diet for health reasons. Venus was diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome in 2011, an autoimmune disease and made some essential lifestyle changes.
She talked about her journey to Health Magazine, as reported by Vegan Food & Living: “I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and I wanted to maintain my performance on the court. Once I started, I fell in love with the concept of fueling your body in the best way possible [through raw, vegan food]. Not only does it help me on the court, but I feel like I’m doing the right thing for me.”
7. Joe Holder
Joe Holder is constantly crushing his fitness game. He’s a Nike master trainer and the founder of The Ocho System. Oh—and he’s incredibly ripped.
Joe chatted about his vegan diet to Men’s Journal, saying, “My biggest focus is on actually eating enough, since the amount of calories I need is high and I’m fairly active. I take carbohydrates well, so I don’t fear them or limit them in any way, except in terms of processed foods. Also make sure to chew my food, especially with digestion of dark leafy greens, and drink enough water.”
Some of his go-to meals include a fresh smoothie with red oak leaf lettuce for breakfast, a protein-packed breakfast bowl for lunch, another smoothie with dandelion greens for snack, and a curried chickpea, sweet potato, and Brussels sprouts dinner.
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8. Scott Jurek
Iconic ultramarathoner Scott Jurek likes to mix things up when it comes to his vegan diet. He shared some of his go-to’s with No Meat Athlete.
“I eat a good mix. My whole emphasis now, over the years, like everybody or a lot of people, transitioned slowly, didn’t do a lot of the meat-analogs or faux-meats, but it was all about calorie intake at first. And then as time went on, I started to incorporate more quality, and that’s one of my big recommendations for so many people. For me, right now, it’s all about eating as many whole foods as I can in their original state. It incorporates a fair amount of raw food, although I do incorporate legumes and grains, obviously some of the cooked vegetables that I grew up on, although again, it was one vegetable around the meat and potato plate,” Scott told the outlet.
9. Dotsie Bausch
A vegan diet really helps cyclist Dotsie Bausch put the pedal to the metal—quite literally.
She shared, via OMD for The Planet, “I could breathe better during training and literally ride circles around my teammates who were many years my junior. What’s more, my recovery time decreased immensely. I didn’t have to spend nearly as much time resting from the grueling workouts as I used to, which meant I could train more often and get stronger, faster.”
10. Kane Richardson
Australian international cricket player Kane Richardson eats a ton of tofu and legumes. He told BBC, “Even before I turned vegetarian, I always loved eating tofu and didn’t really enjoy meat so I probably should have done it when I was a kid! That’s the main thing I base meals around. Then I can dress it up in a sandwich or however I want to have it. But I do eat a lot, that’s for sure.”
