“The thing is he said he’s been feeling so much better,” Gisele Bündchen says on husband Tom Brady starting a plant-based diet
Get an overview of vegan statistics from around the world. See why so many people are going vegan — from athletes to celebrities to everyday people. The rise of plant-based diets is here to stay.
Diets that limit or exclude meat, dairy products, and eggs used to be on the fringe and were seen as fads. Identifying as vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based was often viewed as weird or extreme — more the domain of hippies and activists than of large numbers of everyday people.
Until recently, references to vegan eating in the mainstream media were often negative. And meat-free food options weren’t universally available or appetizing. But now, all that is changing.
Millennials are central drivers of this worldwide shift away from consuming animal products. But the plant-based movement is bigger than any one generation. Everyone from celebrities to athletes to entire companies including Google and countries as big as China are supporting the movement to eat more plant-based foods.
Plant-based eating may not be entirely mainstream yet. But it’s becoming more accepted every day. And this trend is having far-reaching impacts.
First of all, according to a forecast report by restaurant consultancy group Baum + Whiteman in New York, “plant-based” will be the food trend of 2018. The report also anticipates that plant-based foods will become the new organic.
In addition, Nestlé, the largest food company in the world, predicts that plant-based foods will continue to grow and … this trend is “here to stay.”
Another company, international delivery service Just Eat named veganism as a top consumer trend in 2018 — due to a 94% increase in “healthy food ordered.”
And similarly, according to data released by GrubHub, the top takeaway marketplace in the U.S., orders for plant-based food have reached a new high. In particular, users chose vegan food 19% more in the first half of 2017 than in the first half of 2016.
Across many sports, professional athletes are proving that a plant-based diet can fuel excellence. Athletes in everything from weightlifting and bodybuilding to ultramarathon running and tennis are being vocal about their love of plant-based eating.
Specifically, some names of plant-powered athletes include:
In a new documentary, “From The Ground Up,” ultra athlete Rich Roll shows how top athletes are powering their stellar performances with plants. You can watch the trailer below:
From The Ground Up Trailer from From The Ground Up on Vimeo.
Tom Brady, arguably the greatest football quarterback of all time, eats mostly plants. The 40-year-old, 5-time (and counting) Super Bowl champion eats organic food — 80% vegetables and whole grains and 20% lean meats, such as wild salmon.
According to him:
“Eating meals like these is what has helped me stay at the top of my game.”
Furthermore, Tom is so passionate about plant-based eating he launched Purple Carrot, a home delivery service offering nutritious, plant-based meal kits.
At least 11 players for the Tennessee Titans football team (fresh off their first playoff victory in 15 years) are following a primarily plant-based diet.
“Everybody is making plays. Everybody is healthy. Everybody is eating right,” outside linebacker Brian Orakpo told ESPN.
Likewise, defensive end Jurrell Casey talked to ESPN about his plant-based diet: “I saw how fluid my body was moving around; my body wasn’t aching anymore. I knew it was the right decision. My body heals 10 times faster.”
More and more, NBA players are going plant-based to boost their stamina and endurance.
Boston Celtics superstar and 2018 MVP candidate Kyrie Irving announced in 2017 that he went plant-based over the offseason in an attempt to improve his playing. He told ESPN’s Chauncey Billups:
“Been on more of a plant-based diet, getting away from the animals … my energy is up; my body feels amazing.”
Irving’s performance, as described by Bleacher Report, really is incredible. He has boundless energy, speed, and endurance. And in late-game situations, his numbers are “unfathomable.”
Irving even credited his skills to a “plant-based diet” in a new Nike advertisement:
Other NBA athletes who switched to a plant-based diet in the past year include Damian Lillard, Wilson Chandler, Al Jefferson, Garrett Temple, Enes Kanter, JaVale McGee, and Jahlil Okafor.
Wilson Chandler, who plays for the Denver Nuggets, has been particularly vocal about giving up meat, poultry, fish, and dairy, commenting:
“Eating a vegan diet has changed my everyday living. I sleep better, I wake up in a better mood, I recover faster, I’m not so inflamed, not so achey. I feel better overall, in everything that I do. I can take in more information easier. My mind is just open.”
Giving up meat and animal products is also a trend for a growing number of celebrities.
A long list of celebrities across the globe are living (or at least trying) the plant-based life. As an illustration, some of the many well-known names giving up animal products include Natalie Portman, Beyonce, Ellen DeGeneres, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Carrie Underwood, Ellie Goulding, Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus, Moby, Stevie Wonder, Bill Clinton, and Al Gore.
Celebrities who went plant-based in 2017 include, among others:
“I am a firm believer in eating a full plant-based, whole food diet that can expand your life length and make you an all-around happier person.”
“I never thought in a million years that I would give up meat… But it’s all about doing what feels best for your body”
Google employees get to eat free food at employee cafeterias. And lately, the meals are using more plant-based foods and less meat.
As part of a broader sustainability initiative, Google recognizes that meat consumption is an important part of its carbon footprint and that animal agriculture is a big part of our environmental crisis.
Therefore, its chefs are subtly nudging workers to eat less meat. They aren’t trying to serve all-vegetarian meals immediately, but are slowly “moving people along a continuum.”
Chefs are experimenting with plant-forward dishes. And Google has been working with Better Buying Lab — which develops strategies to help consumers buy and consume more sustainable foods — and hopes to change the landscape of restaurants beyond Google cafeterias.
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