Houston Texans running back Arian Foster is the
latest pro athlete to begin eating vegan - eating only plant-based
food to the exclusion of meat and dairy. And we're talking about
eating vegan, not eating a vegan.
The exceptional NFL star made the public announcement via his
Twitter account on the evening of July 5, 2012 tweeting,
"Officially a vegan now. We'll see how this goes. But
week one down. So far, so good. Feels wonderful."
Apparently since then, Foster has become a fan of the vegan
documentary Forks Over Knives by tweeting just a couple days later
on July 7, 2012, "Thank you! And yes I have, great film. RT
@ForksOverKnives: Good luck @ArianFoster w/ #vegan #diet! Have
you seen Forks Over Knives?"
Foster is the latest professional athlete to publicly announce
their change from eating meat and dairy to eating only plant-based
foods. It could be the evolution of man or the influence of good
science or the explosion of interest in the Engine 2 Diet which has
manly men changing over to a healthier way of eating.
In fact the list of vegan and vegetarian athletes is growing and
many are at the top of their game. We wrote a few months ago about
Lance Armstrong's conversion to eating mostly vegan and how it is
benefiting him. Brendan Brazier is a professional Ironman
triathlete who promotes his Vega superfood powder combination which
is vegan and he has had a strong hand in devising its formulation
to get the highest quality nutrient dense food available.
Keith Holmes is a championship middleweight boxer who credits
his eating vegan for being an integral part of his success. Scott
Jurek is a Badwater ultramarathoner record holder and even wrote a
book about his running and his veganism. No one would mistake Jon
Hinds, founder of the Monkey Bar Gym and strength consultant to the
NBA and NFL as being a wuss, but he is a hardcore vegan and
wouldn't think of eating any other way to gain the strength or
physique he desires. Mike Tyson is another vegan who could knock
your lights out and could not be mistaken for the myth vegan men
are weak, skinny and without muscle.
There are hundreds more individuals who make their living by their
looks, talents and/or strength who credit their eating vegan as a
main component of their overall health. Some do it to help cure
their cancer, like Larry Hagman. Others change over to eating vegan
because they view eating animals is repulsive to them. Many do it
based on the building science that eating dairy and meat may not be
the healthiest way for them to live.
Arian Foster got some blowback for his Twitter announcement with
people stating how badly it was going to affect his career now that
he's not eating meat and dairy, to which Foster tweeted, "People
feel so strong about meat and milk. I wish they felt this strong
about peace."