Saturday, July 7, 2012

Another Pro Athlete Goes Vegan...Should We?


Vegan Arian Foster
(Bonus weekend post! I will do weekend posts when/if I find something interesting to share...such as this! Otherwise, see you Monday!)
ArianFoster, prominent running back for the Houston Texans and millionaire (yes, his being a millionaire is relevant), recently announced his decision to go vegan. It caught my attention because I have read quite a bit about the health benefits of leaving meat and other animals based products out of my diet (vegans eat absolutely nothing made from animals or animal by products – no beef, chicken, fish, dairy, eggs, or even honey). I have toyed with the idea myself, as it certainly fits within my three rules of eating – see my post from yesterday), but have not committed 100% yet. It got me wondering…
Tony Gonzalez
A few Christmas's ago Katie (my beautiful wife) bought me Tony Gonzalez's book The All-Pro Diet. Tony Gonzalez, Pro NFL football player since 1997, eats a strictly vegan diet and is in impeccable shape (see for yourself),  frequently contributing to his football teams. I enjoyed his book, which contained recipes, workout routines and some other life tips (which I enjoyed the least, probably as they were a bit trite), but couldn't help but immediately notice the extravagant and pricey food items in his recipes.  And I wondered if his decision to go vegan had something to do with some of these items (vegan approved food items can be more expensive - but not always. I have found some gems...including Monday's upcoming Sloppy Joe recipe). 
  I think I would like to go vegan. But I haven’t. I do eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but I am a long way from being a vegan (I eat free range chickens humanely raised without drugs, and the eggs they produce. And I love honey in my oatmeal.). I think it’s partially due to the cost of going vegan. It’s a bit easier for guys like Tony Gonzalez and Arian Foster to float that kind of grocery bill…but not so much for others of us. But I wonder if there are other, subterranean reasons I haven’t gone vegan. Maybe I’m lazy. Perhaps I don’t really trust that eliminating meat altogether from my diet is the best thing. Who knows?
What about you? Are you vegan? Would you like to go vegan? Why or why not? 

3 comments:

  1. Vegan is something that I think could be incredibly amazing for my diet, but it's a huge stretch right now. I love meat. Love it, love it, love it. I grew up eating a regular meat and potatoes diet, which is why I think I like it so much. Now? I try to increase my portion of veggies and decrease my portion of meat to balance it out, but I'm not ready to give up that meat fully.

    I think vegan is a great idea. I don't think I'm ready for it yet.

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  2. Completing my first full week of being vegan. I have to say - it's not that much different in eating. Oats instead of eggs (Ryan - try using pure organic syrup in your oatmeal or raw agave - delightful!), almond milk instead of regular milk and lots of fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch and wonderful produce from our CSA for dinner. I have started to find loads of recipes for tacos, hearty root vegetables on the grill, sweet potatoes and salsa/salad mixes that are utterly delightful. So good and NOT expensive (actually, I am more convinced than ever if you spend time making it yourself, rather than buy packaged vegan or organic options, it is actually a more cost-effective way to eat!) My vegan lifestyle will continue until the 21st...after that, I probably won't continue at 100%, but it has impacted my perception and eating habits for sure!

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