- NFL star Cam Newton is resuming his vegan lifestyle with a new ad campaign for PETA.
- He said that even as an elite athlete, he didn’t need animal products to get enough protein and nutrients to perform well and build muscle.
- Newton credits the plant-based diet for improving his health, though critics question whether it has slowed his recovery and performance.
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NFL star Cam Newton has been vegan since March 2019, when he began a meatless lifestyle to help his body recover from his injuries.
Just over a year later, Newton says the dietary change has become permanent and has improved his health, including during intense recovery from a shoulder injury in 2018 that required surgery.
“I have seen such a remarkable change in the way my body responds to the food I eat,” said Newton, New England Patriots quarterback and former 2015 Carolina Panthers MVP, in an interview with the animal rights organization PETA, for a new “Built like a Vegan” advertising campaign, released on July 20.
Initially, the football star’s vegan conversion was somewhat controversial, with some commentators believing it could have slowed his recovery, affected his performance and made him more prone to injury. After his regime change, Newton had a rough start to the 2019 season, although he later explained that he suffered from a foot injury.
Before becoming a fully vegan, Newton was a pescatarian, avoiding red meat but eating fish, shrimp, and other animal products.
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Many professional athletes get all of their protein from plants, including Venus Williams, Alex Morgan and Colin Kaepernick
In the ad, Newton said people often ask him how he gets enough protein and nutrients from a plant-based diet. He said he had no difficulty finding healthy sources of nutrients without animal products.
Newton is among a long list of other top star athletes who swear by a plant-based diet, including tennis legend Venus Williams, United States Women’s National Team football star Alex Morgan , NBA player Kyrie Irving, UFC fighter Nate Diaz and his NFL colleagues. like Colin Kaepernick, Griff Whalen, and Tom Brady (who is mostly plant-based, but not strictly vegan).
“Some of the strongest species on this earth are vegetarians,” Newton said in a 2019 video blog, documenting his first month as a vegan. “When you look at the gorillas, when you look at the elephants, they get their source of protein in plants and I do the same. I love how I feel.”
Newton also shared a recipe for his favorite meatless burger on a pretzel bun, rich in pickles and gravy.
“I don’t want people to think you can’t love vegan food or that there isn’t great tasting vegan food,” Newton said.
For people new to vegans or planning to switch to a plant-based diet, Newton said, “Eat on time. If you can eat on time, you won’t miss or think anything different, and all. will go well.”
Read more:
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