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Lewis Hamilton has always used his social media to promote a healthy lifestyle for his followers. A few years ago, he switched to a plant-based diet and hasn’t gone back ever since. NBA superstar Kyrie Irving has advocated vegan diets as well ever since he switched to one during the 2017-18 season and felt an improvement in his on-court performance. The two athletes’ lifestyles got a shout-out recently as a 42-year-old athlete who’s been vegan for 20 years achieved a remarkable feat.

The benefits of veganism have converted many doubters. Among them is the popular podcast host and fitness enthusiast, Joe Rogan. Having witnessed performances of athletes like Lewis and Kyrie, and learning from subject experts, Joe in his podcast once admitted to changing his stance on veganism. Later, legendary former bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger, also a vegan, lauded Joe for keeping an open mind.

In the latest, British athlete Lisa Gawthorne won the duathlon event at the European Championships for her country. Popular vegan advocate’s Twitter account, Plant Based News, congratulated Lisa on her feat. However, one user trashed the tweet, citing an apparent lack of good-tasting vegan food.

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Cleverly countering the argument, Plant Based News replied, Considering vegans make up a small % of the general population, but represent a decent amount of high-level athletes (Lewis Hamilton, Venus Williams, Colin Kaepernick, Kyrie Irving, Scott Jurek, Jermain Defoe, David Haye, Barny du Plessis, Hannah Teter, Chris Smalling, Kendrick Farris, etc) it’s actually very impressive. You’ve never had mashed potatoes? Pasta? Fruit salad? Watermelon? Seems like a pretty limited diet.”

Hamilton is not the only one in his household to benefit from a vegan diet. He once narrated how his dog, Roscoe, was as active as a puppy despite being a 9-year-old since switching to a diet of quinoa and vegetables.

When Kyrie Irving experienced an improvement in his game since switching to a vegan diet

One of the biggest arguments that run against veganism is the apparent lack of protein in their meals. However, Lewis has admitted to having a leaner muscle mass since switching. Going by some of his pictures, we are sure not many would argue against it. Irving too found the diet to be a revelation for him.

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In a 2017 interview with NBA Countdown, he told, “I had to get away from that (animal-based diet). So my energy is up. My body feels amazing. I don’t plan on changing anything in my diet,” he added. “It’s working out great so far.”

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Kyrie’s head coach Brad Stevens agreed to have seen a positive change in his game as well. “He’s had great energy all year,” he told. “The nutrition side is huge.”

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Watch This Story: New Lewis Hamilton F1 documentary coming to Apple TV+

Many arguments and counterarguments come from both sides. Let us hope to see some better research in nutritional science to clear the air around the doubts.

Written by

Nischay Rathore

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Nischay Rathore is a senior Formula 1 writer at EssentiallySports with an impressive portfolio of over 850 published articles. With a keen eye for sports and a passion for Formula 1, soccer, and tennis Nischay has embarked on a journey in sports journalism. As a long-time Formula 1 fan, Nischay enjoys reflecting on races from the sport’s past.
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Edited by

Varunkumaar Chelladurai