So much misinformation, 1 animal protiens and fats are NOT good for the human body as it is harder to break down than plant proteins and fats. As a vegan Arian will eat more, may gain slightly a little more weight (mainly muscle and not fat), and will be leaner. Alot of you guys are in here saying red meat is good for you have no idea what you're talking about in the long run gout will make you change your mind. This is coming from someone who was a vegan for a year
The sweeping generalizations and false blanket statements people are making in this thread are pretty comical. A balanced diet and moderation are what is important, no matter whether you are vegan, pastafarian, or whatever. Arian will be fine, FFS.
Tim Bradley eats vegan during the months he trains leading up to a fight. Looks like he didn't have much trouble maintaining muscle mass.
Apart from a botched attempt to go off my diet for about a month 2 years back, I've been vegan for 19 years and vegetarian for 25. I changed my diet for ethical reasons not for reasons of health. Those ethical reasons are not as important to me as they were 25 years ago and I don't judge others for their diets. And I was actually the picture of an unhealthy person, diet-excluded, as I was a heavy drinker, smoker and drug abuser during all but the last few years. There are serious dangers in a strict vegan diet, mostly to do with vitamins and vitamin absorption. It also becomes considerably more difficult to maintain a healthily balanced diet. The protein thing is overrated, by the way. There are many good vegan proteins and that isn't the issue. The issue is getting what your body needs as a vegan in a society that does not regularly provide vegans the options they need to stay healthy. I expect any athlete eats on the road a lot. This will present a problem for sure. Dry garden salads aren't going to prep you for a game very well. Nor are a side of fries (which may or may not be fried in lard or beef tallow). I expect a vegan diet + fish and also maybe + eggs would be most healthy. But his motivation doesn't seem to be purely concerned with health. If one has a good nutritionist and is vigilant about maintaining a balanced diet and getting regular bloodwork to keep vitamins in a good range (esp. B-12), and I know he has these things available to him, good for him. And he will be absolutely fine. The more people that choose a cruelty free diet, the more tenable that diet will become for each of us who do so as it will make more sense for people to create and make available food products that are both vegan and healthy.
Good info. As for the road thing, it's not that big of a deal in the NFL. They only travel 10 times a year and usually it is the day before games -- I'm sure Arian or the team can have food delivered or make some arrangements with the hotel where they eat.
LOL that's a really smart argument! I can't believe I didn't realize he was smaller than Arian. He was obviously 200 lbs before starting the vegan diet. What an idiot I am!
It's not how much food you eat - it's how much food you absorb. Cutting out animal products takes a lot of stress off your stomach and makes your digestive system more efficient all around. Meat is important to eat growing up, but after a certain age when your hormones have stabilized (18-22+), it's easily replaceable. Grains like quionia and fermented vegetables provide all the amino acids you can ask for. And any athlete is going to take some kind of multivitamin and cod liver to make sure he gets the necessary Vit A and D. I find issues with vitamin deficiencies are more related to people with low testosterone/estrogen levels who sit indoors all day - not their actual diet.
(Can't believe I'm replying to a Ronny post.) Just wanted to echo the sentiment regarding staying indoors and not getting sunlight, especially for vegans, some of whom will not properly absorb the necessary Vitamin D through supplements. I am a night owl, I used to spend all my waking hours in theatre rehearsals, then in bars, then in speakeasies and I used to sleep all day. My circadian rhythms haven't much recovered so it's hard for me to get sunlight. I also have issues with depression that make the sun, especially the Houston sun, especially the Houston summer sun, difficult for me. It's an endurance test at my age (43) and at my very low level of energy, both resulting from vitamin deficiencies and more from depression, I rarely win the test. (I am aware, by the way, that the more I do it the more I'll have the energy for it and the less depressed I'll be. That awareness does make it more common for me to do it but it does not make it easier to do it.) I finally had my vitamin levels checked for the first time about four months ago. My D was severely deficient. I believe a normal level is like 30-110 units of [some unit of measurement whose name I can't remember] and anything under 20 is considered severely deficient. My level was a >4, which was the lowest of which my doctor had ever heard. He put me on about 1,000 or 1,500 units a week of prescription Vit D. I took either 500 or 750 twice a week. I did this for three months. My B-12 was a 270 and what's considered normal in the U.S. (but not elsewhere) is 200-1,100. So mine was very low by American standards but still fell within the normal range. It's notable that in other countries, as high as 500 is what's required to not be tagged deficient. By those standards a measurement of 270 is quite low. I had also learned that there were all sorts of issues with B-12 absorption and that the only fool-proof method of getting it (apart from animal products) was an intravenous shot. I had also been told this typically gives one a burst of energy and a commensurate lifting of depression. I found this to be the case and I told my doctor I'd like to do it regularly. He told me that was fine, that it couldn't harm me, and to let him know when I noticed a marked drop in energy and then we'd know how often I should take the shot. At two weeks I did so I went back then for another. I've had one more since then (about a month ago) and when I go back I'll get my own kit and start stabbing myself in the thigh with it, though that sounds rather unpleasant. I don't like needles. Not a big deal, I'll get over it right away, I just don't like them. For one thing, they are pointy objects that put holes in my skin and I don't like anything that does that. So I did the full regimen of prescription D and I did three boosts of B-12 intravenously and then I went and got my blood work done again. My doctor had told me that if we saw ANY improvement in the D he would be happy. He told me he knew the B-12 would go up a little at least. Got my tests back yesterday. I am happy to report that I measured a 55 in Vitamin D and a 421 in B-12. But if you're a vegan, and apparently if you're also a night-fly, you have to mind this stuff for sure. I'm lucky to be as physically healthy as I am since I've led a rather hedonistic life. Suffice to say that in addition to poking my thigh every two weeks I'll be spending more time in the sun. I have a dog and he makes it fun anyway. And I'm sure he likes playing in the day more than when we do it at night.
