Veg Athletes

[pradtf]

a lot of people don't know that many top athletes are veg - some strict vegetarian and some lacto/ovo/pesca/pollo veg (which really isn't vegetarian, but their primary consumption is plant-based).

their example should put to rest any weird notions that you need to eat corpses to be strong.

below is a list of some well-known personalities with more to follow in subsequent posts.

special note:
check out veghaven's own super-athlete ricardo moreira

in friendship,
prad


Hank Aaron (home run champion in major league baseball)
Andreas Cahling (body builder)
Chris Campbell (1980 world champion wrestler)
Sally Eastall (Marathon runner - UK No 2)
Sally Hibberd (British Women's Mountain Bike Champion)
Billie Jean King (tennis champion)
Chris Evert (tennis champion)
Martina Navratilova (tennis champion)
Silken Laumann (Olympic rower)
Killer Kowalski (wrestler)
Jack LaLanne (Fitness guru)
Donnie LaLonde (Former Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.)
Katherine Monbiot (world champion arm wrestler and nutritionist)
Edwin Moses (longtime world hurdling champion)
Carl Lewis (world record for 100m)
Bill Pearl (Bodybuilder, Mr America)
Anthony Peeler (NBA Grizzlies basketball player)
Jacques Vaughn (All American point guard, #1-ranked Univ of KS Jayhawks)
John Salley (only 4x NBA champ in history)
Brendan Brazier (winner of the Canadian 50km Ultramarathon Championships)
Scott Jurek (winner of 246k spartathon)

[pradtf]

here is an answer session by Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc. (Certified Personal Trainer/Fitness Counselor, Health Advocate) which explains some of this as well as provides another list of veg aths (some repetition exists).


in friendship,
prad

http://vegweb.com/cgi/faq/smartfaq.cgi?answer=1004192561&id=100...

I'm a teen athlete - Do I "need" things from meat because of my age?

Question: I'm 16 and want to become a vegetarian but my grandparents don't agree with this choice. They said it was because I'm a athlete and there are certain things I need from meat. I know of many adult athletes that are vegetarians and it doesn't affect their performance. Do I "need" things from meat because of my age? Thank you, Frankie

Answer: No, I do not believe that you need meat to be an athlete at any age. While heavy physical activity may require you to increase your daily protein intake, it does not have to come from meat. There are hundreds of top athletes from all over the world that have shown their performance has not been hindered in any way by adopting a vegetarian diet. Many of these athletic champions have discovered that eating meat decreased their strength and stamina. In fact, in 1978 the Journal of the American Medical Association warned athletes (and non-athletes) against taking protein supplements, stating "Protein does not increase strength. Indeed, it often makes greater energy to digest and metabolize the excess protein." Meat protein is one the most difficult foods for the body to metabolize, taking sometimes up to 3 days to digest. Vegetable protein, on the other hand, usually only takes between 25 and 30 hours to pass through the body's gastrointestinal tract. Excess animal protein intake can break down in the colon into toxic substances, some of which are absorbed in the bloodstream. Meat is also high in saturated fats and cholesterol. Protein from vegetable sources like soy (tempeh, tofu, textured soy protein, etc.), seitan (wheat gluten), beans, legumes, seeds and nuts are virtually free of saturated fat and contain no cholesterol. The body will absorb and assimilate the nutrients from vegetable proteins more easily than with animal proteins. Additionally, soy's protein is complete, equal to that of meat but without the negative side effects. Diets high in animal protein can have a detrimental impact on the kidneys and pancreas; increase the risk for heart attack and stroke; lower resistance to cancer, and contribute to the development of osteoporosis, diabetes and kidney stones.

As more athletes become vegetarian, the myth of the need for meat is coming to light. If you are still unsure about how vegetarian diets can improve athletic performance, just look at this list of top athletes.

BASEBALL
Hank Aaron - All Time Baseball Home Run Champion
Jim Kaat - Baseball Player

FOOTBALL
Joe Namath - Pro Football player (NY Jets)
Lawrence Phillips - Pro Football player (49ers)
Desmond Howard - Football Player (Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars)

BASKETBALL
B. J. Armstrong - Basketball Star
Bill Walton - Basketball Player

OLYMPICS
Carl Lewis - Olympic Track Star (vegan)
Paavo Nurmi - 20 World Records and 9 Olympic Medals in distance running
Edwin Moses - Olympic champion
Leroy Burrell - Olympic champion
Murray Rose - Olympic swimmer

BODYBUILDING
Stan Price - World Record holder in the Bench Press
Andreas Cahling - Mr. International Body Building Champion
Roy Hilligan - Mr. America Body Building Champion
Bill Pearl - Bodybuilder, Mr. America and Mr. Universe
Bill Manetti - Power Lifting Champion
Pat Reeves - Power Lifter (vegan)
Jack LaLanne - Fitness Guru (vegan)


WRESTLING
Chris Campbell - 1980 World Champion Wrestler
Killer Kowalski - Wrestler

TRIATHLON AND MARATHON RUNNING
Dave Scott - 6-time winner of the Ironman Triathlon
Sixto Linares - World Record holder in the 24-hour Triathlon
Lucy Stephens - Triathlete (vegan)
Debbie Lawrence - 5k record holder
Ruth Heidrich - 3 time Ironman, marathoner and age-group record holder (vegan)
Sally Eastall - Marathon runner (vegan)

MARTIAL ARTS
Ridgely Abele - 8-Time National Champion in Karate

TENNIS
Bille Jean King - Tennis Champion
Martina Navratilova - Tennis Champion (vegan)
Peter Burwash - Tennis Champion (vegan)

SKATEBOARDING
Brad Staba - Pro Skateboarder
Andrew Reynolds - Pro Skateboarder
Brian Sumner - Pro Skateboarder
Brian Anderson - Pro Skateboarder
Sergei Trudnowski - Pro Skateboarder
Rick Mc Crank - Pro Skateboarder
Ed Templeton - Pro Skateboarder
Jamie Thomas - Pro Skateboarder
Geoff Rowley - Pro Skateboarder
Steve Berra - Pro Skateboarder
Laban Pheidas - Pro Skateboarder

SKATING
Sorya Bonali - Ice Skater
Joanna Conway - Ice Skater

To find out other famous vegetarians from all walks of life, go to http://www.famousveggie.com/peoplenew.cfm, and to find more vegetarian and vegan athletes, go to http://veggie.org/veggie/famous.veg.athletes.shtml.

[L∃N∀]

wow! i have only two of them on my list - may i use this information on my site?
(the second link is dead, i afraid)

[pradtf]

please do by all means!
i've email the registrant of veggie.org about the dead link, so perhaps something will be done about it.

in friendship,
prad

[Cari]

lets not forget Mac Danzig, who won the Ultimate Fighter last season. Vegan Baby!!

[pradtf]

this article is about nfl star tony gonzales the kansas city chiefs tight-end:
The 247 lb. Vegan
the term 'vegan' seems to be somewhat improperly applied, but the article is still a good one with info on other veg athletes.

in friendship,
prad

[pradtf]

here is an excellent site for vegan athletes not surprisingly called:

Vegan Athlete

the site has some very interesting links to articles such as:

Vegetarian Diet for Exercise and Athletic Training and Performing - Andrews University Nutrition Department
Vegan Bodybuilding.com
Vegan Cycling
Carl Lewis on Being Vegan
Vegan Triathlete - no age barrier

as well as links to ultra runners Brendan Brazier and Scott Jurek

in friendship,
prad

[Angela]

This is really inspiring, I love to run cross country and alot of people have doubted my ability but I was the second best female runner on my team, these people make me proud.

[pradtf]

and you do the same for all veggies angela!!

i think it would be good if some more of veghaven's athletes appeared here.

i know christy is also a long-distance runner, Jenn and bigG (above) are both allrounders with a particular interest in soccer, while deb ozarko (who is not on veghaven anymore) is a longtime triathlete.

there are many more on this site.

in friendship,
prad

[pradtf]

there are a couple more you can add to the list from this article:

Meat Is Out at Fielder’s Plate

in friendship,
prad

[Cari]

I brought in an article to my philosophy class about this because some guy said that athletic guys need to eat meat, so I shot him down the next class by talking about a vegan gold medalists whos name I now forget. It's good to have this knowledge as people are constantly inquiring about protein intake for vegans, as though that is our biggest concern anyway. They should be asking, "how do you deal with people now that you are standing outside of the herd?" That's the most difficult aspect of veganism, personally :)

[pradtf]

on the otherhand, being outside the herd may be one of the best things about being vegan.
not only are you not rushing off the edge of a cliff with the others, but you give them all something else (beyond straightdown!) to look towards.

in friendship,
prad

[Cari]

oh I would not like to be part of the herd, certainly not! I just meant that it can be lonely :)