FALSE While plenty of vegan athletes and bodybuilders share their diets online, some elite sports people find they need to add animal products to their previously strict plant-based regimes. Venus Williams calls herself a “chegan” (cheating vegan) and Novak Djokovic reportedly started eating fish to help his muscles recover after elbow surgery . “Protein is something vegans need to think about” says Reena Sharma , AKA the Vegan Dietitian , who has been vegan for six years.
“But most people in the west, vegan or not, exceed their protein requirements anyway.” Plant-based foods don’t usually contain all nine essential amino acids – the building blocks for muscle growth, which also play a role in immune, digestion, hormone and neurological systems. “But combined with other plant foods – like a peanut butter sandwich or hummus with pitta – they can.
” TRUE But we’re also designed to eat plants. “Humans have been omnivores since the beginning of time because we can digest both plants and animals,” says Sharma. “However, we don’t have typical carnivore features such as sharp teeth and claws, potentially indicating we are more suited to plants.
” FALSE “Once, that probably was true,” says Dr Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food ...
and Why Can’t We Stop? “Now, it’s very often not. A vegan diet can be very healthy. If we compare two meals prepared in a domestic setting with fresh in.
