plant based lifestyles are growing in popularity these days, but in the not too distant past, they were heavily mocked in the world of fitness and endurance. luckily, there were those who decided to give it a go, and now world-renowned athletes and fitness moguls have proved by their own trial and error that being vegan does not equate to being a waif.

you may be thinking only the lean in athletics can be vegan, like scott jurek, possibly the world’s most renowned ultrarunner! he’s been vegan since 1997 and still crushed his marathon competitions. sure, be he wasn’t bulking up. perhaps not, but good luck beating his endurance!

need proof about veganism and muscle development? take a look at patrik baboumian, how carried the title of germany’s strongest man! he chose a vegetarian lifestyle in 2006 and switched to full vegan in 2011. his muscles have certainly not deteriorated.

have you checked out the guns on mac danzig? he went vegan in 2004 and went on to win the king of the cage lightweight championship in 2005, the ultimate fighter six competition in 2007 and took the knockout of the night in a fight against joe stephenson in 2010. how’s that for vegan power?

still not convinced?

here’s one to blow your mind, david carter! that’s right. the defensive lineman who has 29 tackles and 1 sack with teams including the chicago bears, jacksonville jaguars, arizona cardinals and the dallas cowboys! he’s a prominent vegan athlete who is sure to change your mind about an animal-free diet and athletic training.

do you think it’s different for women?

not so. even non-tennis people know the names serena and venus williams. they are regular olympic gold medal winners and grand slam women’s singles title earners. they are also both vegan powerhouses and have been since 2011!

what about a growing girl coming into her strength? take a look at tia blanco, only 19 and a repetitive winner of the women’s gold medalist in the world surfing games. she has been a vegan activist since 2013, and this dietary change has not diminished her skill or athleticism in any way!

so what exactly are they eating when animal products are off the plate? everything else of course! the body only needs 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight to maintain strength building and endurance. if you’re diet consists of legumes, tofu, tempeh and seitan, nuts and seeds, quinoa, spelt, amaranth and high protein vegetables like kale, broccoli and sprouts, you’ll have no problem reaching your protein requirements and perhaps a little extra.

in fact, these athletes are saying it’s carbs that need the extra attention on a vegan diet. in this case, you want to load up on rice, oats, sweet potatoes, beets, squashes and all those perfectly balanced carb and protein beans.

finally, you can fill in the blanks with amazing snacks. check out i won! organics amazing delicious selection of pea protein vegan and vegetarian chips all with 12 grams of protein in every bag!