Veganism in Sports: Steak vs Soybeans
18.6 seconds left in overtime in Dallas. Boston Celtic Kyrie Irving steps to the free throw line. He takes a deep breath. The crowd rhythmically chants “MVP… MVP… MVP…” as he knocks down the first free throw. He gets the ball back from the referee, composes himself again and makes the second one to finish the game with a season-high 47 points and extend the Celtics win streak to 16 games.
Irving is just one example of the latest wave that is sweeping through the NBA and the sports world, alike: The vegan athlete.
One of the latest ways that some athletes are trying to get the most from their bodies is by turning to a vegan diet. This diet consists of plant-based foods and doesn’t include any animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, etc.).
“This season, I’ve been on more of a plant-based diet,” Irving said in an ESPN interview back in October. “My energy is up. My body feels amazing. [It’s about] just understanding what the diet is like for me and what’s beneficial for me for having the highest energy out here and being able to sustain it at a very high level.”
Wilson Chandler, another professional basketball player, also recognizes the improvement in his game performance and overall health after switching to a plant-based diet.
“Eating a vegan diet has changed my everyday living. I sleep better. I wake up in a better mood. I recover faster. I’m not so inflamed, not so achey. I feel better overall in everything I do. I can take in more information easier. My mind is just open,” Wilson explained in a Q&A with Highsnobiety.
Florida Gulf Coast University’s soccer star, Dylan Sacramento, is another athlete who’s decided to make the change to a more plant-based diet.
Going into his senior season in 2017 and the seasons before that, Sacramento struggled with injuries. Him wanting to minimize that and increase overall performance was his prime motivation for making the switch.
“Not eating animal products allows your blood to flow a lot smoother through your body,” Sacramento explained. “That’s a big deal in terms of recovery as an athlete. That was a main driving factor for me.”
Sacramento’s diet consists of mainly beans, chickpeas, quinoa and nuts among other things. He maintains, as he calls it, a “gorilla diet”. Without a doubt, Sacramento says he has noticed a difference in his performance on the field.
“My energy levels are higher. I feel lighter when I’m playing,” Sacramento said. He doesn’t work out as much as he used to, yet he doesn’t feel like he’s lost any strength.
Sacramento admits that, even though making the change to a vegan diet has worked wonders for him as an athlete, the change didn’t come without challenges. Getting creative with his food was difficult at first and the culture of team dinners also didn’t help. He recalls trips to the pizzeria after games being the worst.
“I had to explain to coaches: ‘Look, I’m not eating cheese. I’m not eating anything like that. Is there an alternative that we can do for me?’ Sacramento said. “A lot of the time, there wasn’t.”
To avoid pitfalls like that, Sacramento says he makes it a point to keep snacks with him and pack his own food for road trips. His love for cooking has made his plant-based diet pretty simple.
“I like to make energy balls. You can throw in dates, peanut butter, nuts, anything really and blend them up. The dates make them stick together pretty well, and I like to roll them into balls. Just those alone have a crap load of protein and are really good for you,” Sacramento explains.
Vegan diets are usually high in fiber, so that can lead to bloating and gas if an athlete consumes high-fiber foods immediately before competing or exercising. Sacramento understands this and accounts for it in his pregame consumption.
His game day diet usually consists of pancakes made with protein powder, mashed up bananas and other fruits for breakfast, along with a big salad loaded with nuts and seeds approximately three hours before kickoff.
Despite popular belief that a vegan diet is one that is lacking protein and other essential nutrients, a plant-based diet can actually work very well for athletes and competitors. As a matter of fact, vegan diets tend to be higher in carbohydrates, which is the primary fuel for athletes. There are also many good protein sources for vegan athletes such as brown rice, nuts, pasta, tofu, soy milk, and beans among other foods.
Sacramento understands that there are misconceptions about plant-based diets and that some athletes might be on the fence, but he still stands by the diet and would recommend it to others.
“People say you can’t get protein from eating plants, but that’s false and stems from being uneducated,” he said. “I think we actually overconsume protein. When I was eating animal products, I was eating more food, but it was less nutritious for me. Whereas now, I may be eating less, but I’m eating foods that are full calories, and my body’s putting them to full use and I can surely see the benefits in that.”
Though he fully supports a vegan diet, he has no problem admitting that he has moments where he breaks his diet and falls victim to the occasional pizza slice or cake.
“I’m not perfect. I’m Portuguese. We have really great food and desserts,” Sacramento said. “Now that I’m out of season, I have cheated a little bit and I’ve had some stuff.”
He understands that switching to a plant-based diet isn’t easy and says that it’s okay to slip up every now and then. Just like with everything else, no one is perfect.
“I 99% stick to the diet, but the odd time if I’m going to eat a little bit of shrimp or a dessert, it’s not the end of the world for me,” Sacramento says with a chuckle.
As veganism continues to gain traction and society continues to learn more about it, we may see more and more athletes turn to plant-based diets in search of ways to help them become the best competitors that they can be.
We could see a revolution of competitors trading in the grilled chicken for soybeans. Who would’ve thought?
