Canelo Alvarez Diet: When Failed Doping Tests Forced Him to Go Vegan

In Jaime Munguia, Canelo Alvarez faces one of the toughest challenges in his professional career. More than even Gennady Golovkin? Probably. Standing 6 feet tall and weighing around 167 lbs., Jaime Munguia, who is also six years younger, literally packs a punch that many consider one of the most thunderous in boxing today. Hence, the undisputed super middleweight champion is leaving no stone unturned to defend his title successfully for the fourth time. Footage of his training camp has been going viral for some time. But how does the champion manage to take his body through such a tough schedule, eventually culminating in a fight that, without breaks, lasts for nearly 36 minutes?

The answer largely lies in the dietary program the champion follows to the letter ‘T’. Canelo Alvarez has to ensure that his food intake has the right blend of carbs to keep his body through grueling training and multiple rounds of sparring sessions. At the same time, he cannot ignore the key proteins that provide him with the strength to execute those powerful body shots. By and large, he stays consistent with his dietary program. However, an incident in 2018 forced a major rethink, resulting in him adopting a whole new practice, at least for a while.

Beyond Meat: Canelo Alvarez Winning With Plants

Canelo Alvarez’s current diet plan is a healthy mix that consists of egg whites, chicken breast, juices, fresh fruits and vegetables, and protein shakes. But before he reached this space, the undisputed super middleweight champion’s food intake resembled a vegan practitioner’s menu. The change came about sometime in 2018.

The first fight of Alvarez’s trilogy with Gennady Golovkin occurred on September 16, 2017. It ended up in a split-decision draw. It led to talks about a rematch between the Mexican and the Kazakh boxer. So per the initial schedule, a fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend was agreed upon. However, in March 2018, Canelo Alvarez reportedly returned a positive result against the banned substance  ‘clenbuterol’. As a result, the May 5 rematch with Golovkin was canceled.

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According to the available sources, ‘clenbuterol’, though not a steroid, is a substance that reportedly athletes use to gain muscle mass while cutting body fat. Most of the doping agencies have issued bans against it. However, Canelo Alvarez denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the banned substance must have entered his body through contaminated meat.

Subsequently, Alvarez received a six-month suspension. The ruling was backdated to February 17 and lasted until August 17. A month after his suspension was over, on September 15, Golovkin and Alvarez met once again. However, the outcome was different from last time, with the Mexican winning by a majority decision.

But it also led him to adopt a predominantly plant-based diet. It seems he followed the program until his second career loss to Dmitry Bivol on May 7, 2022. Later, he switched back to a more wholesome food intake. Speaking with ESPN, he said, “I’m not complicated when it comes to food. I adapt quickly.” I eat [a vegan diet] all week now, and if one day the opportunity presents itself to eat red meat, chicken, or whatever, I’ll have no problem with that. But I do try to keep vegan [right now].” But a question still remains. What prompted his interest in veganism?

Per the 2022 ESPN article on the subject, it was the documentary ‘The Game Changers’ that prompted a shift in his dietary plan. The show is basically about athletes who switched over to a plant-based diet.

Fueling Victories

So according to the article, Canelo Alvarez’s eating schedule during training entails the following: for five days a week, vegan protein. But during the weekends, he consumes fish and chicken. The undisputed super middleweight champion, who follows a strict cardio and strength-conditioning program during the training camp, usually takes food three times a day with a snack to help fill in between.

His breakfast includes egg whites served alongside ham and orange juice. A protein shake follows as a mid-morning snack. For lunch, he usually eats chicken breast alongside carrots, squash, broccoli, and cauliflower. Canelo Alvarez is known to eat fresh fruits during the evening as snacks. The most interesting part of his daily dietary plan remains his dinner. It consists of only a protein shake without any carbohydrates. Additionally, as revealed in the show ‘First We Feast‘, the champion boxer seems to lean heavily towards snacks such as Doritos and the Mexican puffed wheat snack Sabritones. Not to forget the P4P great has a sweet tooth and usually winds up his meals with ‘Snickers’.

What’s your take on tomorrow’s fight? Who is your pick for the win—Alvarez or Munguia? Please share your views with us in the comments below.