Vegan Athletes Reach Peak Performance

Plant-based foods prove their mettle as well-known athletes go vegan and reach peak performance levels.

- Anna Baness

What do tennis superstar Martina Navratilova, Ironman triathlete Dr Ruth Heidrich, climber Steph Davis and multiple marathon runner Fiona Oakes all have in common? They’ve all achieved amazing things in their individual sports but, along with a growing number of other top athletes, they have also all renounced meat and dairy in favour of a vegan diet and claim that it has been responsible for their peak performance. Is it just a fad or could adopting a similar way of eating be the change that helps you reach your health and fitness aspirations of 2015?

The sceptics among you may think that this sounds too simple to be true. If merely giving up meat and dairy made you feel healthier and fitter and helped you achieve a strong toned body then wouldn’t everyone be doing it and reaping the benefits?

VEGAN VIEWPOINTS 

If it were that simple then yes, maybe they would, but a vegan diet isn’t necessarily any healthier than a meat-based diet. As Steph Davis says, ‘It’s important to remember that being vegan doesn’t just mean eating your regular diet and cutting out meat and animal products. The majority of people are not in the habit of eating a simple, whole foods diet, avoiding refined, processed grains and sugars. Even more than veganism itself, this is the foundation of my eating style.’

Replace wisely