Gaining more and more fans around the world, veganism has also become popular among competitive athletes.
Do you remember the vegan day of Tia Clair Toomey?
Let it be for ideological reasons or to improve athletic health and performance, Sports legends like Lionel Messi and Lewis Hamilton have already revealed that they have adopted a plant-based diet.
Sports nutritionist Alan Nagaoka, who works with high-performance athletes, says the non-consumption of products of animal origin requires greater care in food, especially to maintain adequate levels of nutrients, which are more easily found in the animal kingdom.
On the other hand, this extra attention tends to generate benefits which, according to Alan, are not necessarily linked to veganism, but to a greater commitment to quality food.
Generally these athletes have one increased food awareness, which can positively contribute to sport, as well as bringing other health benefits, such as an improved lipid profile.
Index
The vegetarian and vegan diet
One of the Pros of a vegetarian diet is attention to foods in nature (fruit, vegetables, legumes and oil seeds), which increase antioxidant and anti-inflammatory intake and can positively affect performance.
The sports nutritionist also points out that theimpact of a strictly plant-based diet can vary according to the sport practiced.
In the exercises where f are requiredforce and explosiveness, for example, the predominant amino acids in animal sources, such as leucine and creatine, require more input.
For athletes who compete in more endurance-oriented sports, such as crossfit, triathlon, road cycling, track and field, and swimming, it is important to balance the amount of fiber.
There are some vegan Olympians, but there are also those who consume food of animal origin. The most important thing is maintain a good, varied and constant diet.
Here are 7 vegan Olympic athletes
Alex Morgan - Soccer
Olympic champion for the United States football team in London 2012, Alex Morgan adopted a vegan diet in 2018.
The following year, she not only won the World Cup in France, but was also a finalist for The Best, the world's best FIFA award.
She was also named Athlete of the Year at the ESPY Awards, the most important award in American sport. The Tokyo Games are a first for the striker, who has been one of the best players on her side ever since she went vegan.
Alexey Voyevoda - Sleigh
Silver medal in team sledding in Turin 2006 and bronze in double sledding in Vancouver 2010, the Russian athlete was also world champion in 2011.
Competing at home, he won two golds at the 2014 Sochi Games, but the medals were withdrawn in 2017 after a teammate was sanctioned for doping. Months later, he was also convicted and banned from the Olympics.
In addition to sledding, Voyevoda is a black belt in judo and was European and world champion in arm wrestling in 2004.
Carl Lewis - Athletics
Owner of nine Olympic golds and one silver, the legendary Carl Lewis adopted a vegan diet in 1990, when he was 29 and already an established star.
Subsequently, he will climb the top step of the podium three more times: two in the long jump, in Barcelona-1992 and in Atlanta-1996, and in the 4x100m relay, also in Barcelona.
At the time, he attributed his good results to his diet and pointed out that the change helped him stay in optimal physical shape, resulting in improvements in his performance.
Chris Paul - Basketball
Two-time Olympic champion Chris Paul, who was part of the American Dream Team in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, adopted veganism as a lifestyle in 2019 following his Olympic glories.
After breaking his personal bests in the 2018-2019 season with the Houston Rockets, the newly turned point guard Vegan he got to his best physical form playing for the Phoenix Suns.
Since then, he has improved his numbers and joined the NBA team, the North American sports league, in 2020 and 2021. He was also chosen for the All-Star Game in both years.
Kyrie Irving - Basketball
Kyrie Irving is yet another NBA star who has adopted a strictly plant-based diet. The change took place in 2016, the same year he was Olympic champion with the US Dream Team and North American league champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Two years later, he attributed his performance gains in the field to veganism, citing mainly the gains in energy and stamina.
Serena and Venus Williams - Tennis
American and world tennis legends, the Williams sisters are vegan. After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Sjögren's Syndrome in 2011, Venus adopted a vegan and raw food diet, but she later returned to jars of some cooked vegetables such as potatoes, rice and lentils.
SUBSCRIBE HERE TO THE TELEGRAM CHANNEL
