Over the years, more and more basketball players are choosing to become vegan. The frantic pace of the NBA and its 82 games per season do not prevent certain athletes from adopting this diet; even better, some claim that this choice helps them go the distance. Focus on these players who have abandoned animal proteins.
Veganism is a total exclusion of animal products and animal by-products. It is a diet trend but it is also an ideological movement which advocates, among other things, a return to nature and the protection of animals. It’s a societal choice. The definition is signed by Dr Corinne Chicheportiche-Ayache, nutritionist, because it was necessary to choose one.
Many athletes have proven for years that different diets do not prevent performance. For example, Novak Djokovic has dominated tennis for almost two decades “despite” a gluten-free diet. And in the NBA, lately, more and more players are becoming vegan for multiple reasons.
Spotlight on the testimony of five stars of the Great League: why did they make this choice? What has veganism brought them? What does their new regime consist of? Here we go!
Kyrie Irving
The Mavericks guard spoke to ESPN and to Bleacher Report few years ago :
“I followed a plant-based diet and turned away from all animal meat. I had to do it to regain my energy, I feel very good in my body. […] I think we can put that in the success column. I wanted to eat healthier. It was also a desire to be lighter this year to relieve my joints and feet. I’m getting old, you know what I mean?”
“I feel amazing. My energy, my sleeping habits, my intellect and everything that arouses me now, I am very aware of. I’m a lot more aware now that I’m not eating GMOs, pesticides and all the stuff they put in our food.”
“It’s a commitment to yourself. I feel like this is the best way for me. I can’t speak for others, but I feel good and I love it”.
Kyrie Irving has given little information about his diet, but his investment is indisputable. When he refused to be vaccinated at the time of the COVID epidemic, the leader’s entourage declared, to the New York Postthat a plant-based vaccine could have changed his mind.
Chris Paul
The Warriors leader spoke on the subject during an interview for GQ :
“When I started eating vegan it was for performance reasons, but once I saw how my body had changed and how I felt, it was for life. A few years ago, I probably wouldn’t have even gone out to run with my kids and all the other activities because my body would have been sore. Now, by constantly lifting weights and making sure my body is always ready, I have changed my lifestyle.”
“There are so many different foods you can eat. I eat pancakes all the time. Many people don’t realize that the only difference between vegan pancakes and regular pancakes is the eggs. Breakfast usually includes JustEgg scrambled eggs with veggies, Beyond Meat sausage patties, a piece of fruit, and my vitamins. Lunch consists of a salad, a bowl of sautéed vegetables with rice, and a protein shake. For dinner, my chef prepares meals that provide me with the nutrients I need to perform well the next day. I eat a variety of beans, grains and vegetables. What struck me the most when I adopted a plant-based diet was that it opened me up to the diversity of foods that we can eat.”
Chris Paul is also investing financially in this cause since most of his investments are made with vegan food brands.
“One of the things that excites me most about these different health and wellness investments is the dissemination of knowledge – you don’t know what you don’t know. I was lucky to be surrounded by people much smarter than me. When it comes to health and wellness, the one thing you can’t buy is health. We can buy cars, houses, clothes and jewelry, but not health. The only way to become more informed about health and wellness is to communicate with each other and learn about things that are not necessarily taught in school and many times are not taught in black communities. I was fortunate to be able to find this information at 34 and I continue to learn.”
Cade Cunningham
The 2021 Draft No. 1 spoke to Marc J. Spears about his veganismAndscape :
“I have a chef at the moment who has been great for me, so I’m at home and eating out a lot. Pasta. I ate hamburgers [végétariens] [lundi] evening. I like most comfort foods. She makes them vegan and very good. I can eat comfort food, everyday food, and because she makes it vegan, I don’t have to worry about anything when I’m home. I can’t ask for anything else. She makes macaroni and cheese. Pizzas. She does everything.”
“As a vegan, I no longer want to eat meat. I’m at the point where it’s almost repulsive. I did a lot of research on veganism. At this point I’ve heard so many things that are downsides rather than upsides about meat that it doesn’t really appeal to me anymore. In fact, it’s crazy. I feel like I could eat less now that I’m vegan. My stomach has shrunk a bit and I don’t need as much food anymore, simply because my body can use all the food it consumes.”
At the time of his high school career at Montverde, the Pistons leader was “only” vegetarian but had already tried veganism. He said he thought this diet was affecting his performance.
“I’m vegetarian right now, but I was vegan for a while. At first I wondered why everyone was vegan. I started looking into it, and it made sense to me. It was right before the Atlantic Division EYBL session (high school event) where I was playing my best basketball, so I told myself I would never stop, and I spent the whole summer being vegan. Then I moved back to Montverde and there weren’t enough food choices to be vegan, so I became vegetarian.”
DeAndre Jordan
The reigning champion center wasted no time when he became vegan, as he explained on the show Cooking Clean :
“One day I said to myself: ‘This is what I’m going to do’. Once you are well informed about what you put in your body and the origin of proteins, [devenir végan] was an easy decision for me to make. And also, environmentally, to be able to take care of the planet – not only for ourselves, but also for our children and their children and so on – I just wanted to be able to have an impact on improving our environment .”
He started a vegan cooking show and is also heavily invested in vegan food brands.
“For lunch I have a protein shake right after training, then a small salad and some Beyond Meat which is very tasty, it’s a big part of my diet. For dinner, a big salad with tons of veggies and pasta, with sauce and veggies or sometimes I add Beyond Meat, like a Bolognese sauce. I might also eat a waffle with peanut butter in the morning or a gluten-free pizza for dinner. I also love cookies.”
JaVale McGee
The Kings interior also gave an interview to GQ to explain his new regime:
“I went vegan for a few months, just to lose weight immediately. It wasn’t for the moral aspect at the time. It was more because once you are vegan, you lose bad fats very quickly. It went well. I was losing weight and getting fitter, as you can see, and I felt really good.”
“I just looked at all the pros and cons of what this would mean for me, and the pros outweighed the cons. I tried, and it works for me. It’s an adaptation, but it’s not that big of a deal once you stop thinking about all the things you won’t be able to eat anymore. We feel really good, lighter. We have much more energy throughout the day. For me, it’s a good thing from that point of view.”
“For breakfast I have oatmeal, avocado toast and a milkshake. For lunch, it’s usually a salad with sunflower seeds, cucumbers, celery and lots of vegetables. Dinner is usually pasta with mushrooms.”
Other examples:
- Damian Lillard tried it and had to stop because he was losing too much weight. According to CJ McCollum, the Bucks point guard still eats vegan 80% of the time.
- Jaylen Brown is a vegetarian and has never eaten red meat or pork in his life. Her ultimate goal is to become vegan, but that’s not the case yet.
- Bismack Biyombo is not vegan either, but does not eat meat and follows a strict diet very close to veganism.
- John Salley is one of the biggest figures in veganism in the NBA. According to JaVale McGee, it’s even a raw veganwhich means that he does not reheat his dishes.
- Garrett Temple, Al Jefferson, Enes Kanter, and Wilson Chandler are also vegans. Jahill Okafor was there for eight months.
Source texte : ESPN / GQ / Cooking Clean / Andscape / Real GM / Forbes / Ecosports / PETA / Great Vegan Athletes / SC Student Media / Bleacher Report
2024-01-18 17:32:19
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