Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving鈥攐ne of the best players on one of the NBA鈥檚 best teams鈥攔ecently made the switch to a vegan diet. So did Portland Trailblazers all-star point guard Damian Lillard and other NBA notables Jahlil Okafor and Al Jefferson. And that鈥檚 just in the NBA. Climber Steph Davis, ultrarunners Scott Jurek and Rich Roll, snowboarder Hannah Teter, and former track and field star Carl Lewis have all gone totally plant-powered for at least some period of time during their career.
They鈥檒l tell you that going plant-based has helped them , as well as provided them with and . If that鈥檚 the case, should veganism be your next performance diet? Well, that depends on your goals.
Unless you鈥檙e already watching what you eat, veganism will probably help you lose weight, says , an Ohio-based biochemist and sports nutritionist who regularly works with professional athletes. Lillard, for example, says that prior to going vegan, he ate whatever he wanted, a method that put him at a slightly heavier weight than he wanted. He made the switch to 鈥減lay lighter鈥 and be 鈥渆asier on [his] joints and feet,鈥 according to an . Now, on a plant-based diet, Lillard鈥檚 choice has him , with the dominating stats to prove it.
鈥淚t shouldn鈥檛 be shocking that when you switch from eating to tofu and kale, you lose weight,鈥 says . suggests that most omnivores eat a greater number of calories per day鈥攗p to 600 more, in fact鈥攖han vegans, who gravitate toward filling, low-calorie foods like vegetables and grains and avoid calorie-dense, animal-based foods.
Such weight loss may indeed be easier on your joints and give way to new, higher limits for your athletic ability. 鈥淏asketball is a game of sprinting, cutting, and jumping, and any excess weight on your body, even if it鈥檚 muscle, increases the cost of the impact you make with the ground,鈥 says , a physical therapist who has consulted for various NBA teams. 鈥淚f you lose weight but keep your strength and quickness, the physical cost of playing the game becomes less expensive.鈥 This same rule applies to any sport that involves frequent moderate- to high-impact contact with the ground, like running or skiing.
Many staples of the American diet鈥攃akes, burgers, pizza, wings, fries鈥斺渕ight make you feel a bit sluggish鈥 if eaten regularly, says Kashey. So it鈥檚 not totally surprising that once they cut those things out, Irving and others see leaner body composition and more energy, both of which lead to noticeably better performance. Perhaps, then, it鈥檚 more about which foods these athletes are now avoiding rather than what they鈥檙e adding that makes the most difference.
That鈥檚 what Bill Willis, a nutrition researcher at Ohio State University, believes. He thinks cutting out overprocessed animal products might be the game changer, not necessarily eliminating things like meat, cheese, and eggs altogether.
In short: The vegan diet is not the only way to see significant improvement. If your primary goal is to lose weight, suggests you can do that eating anything you want, so long as you eat fewer calories than you鈥檙e burning. But top-tier athletes aren鈥檛 just looking for a weight-loss strategy. They also want something that keeps them fuller for longer, ups their energy levels, improves recovery, and, overall, takes their abilities to the next level. Well-sourced animal products with little to no processing can still play a key role in achieving those goals.
That鈥檚 especially true for strength and power athletes, because building muscle on a vegan diet can be tough. Without very careful planning, vegans generally eat less protein than their omnivore counterparts, and the plant proteins they do eat aren鈥檛 as bioavailable as animal proteins, meaning the body can鈥檛 put them to use as easily, says Willis. A few other hurdles: One reports that vegans face deficiencies in essential micronutrients like vitamins B12 and D, calcium, and omega-3s.
Bottom line: While you鈥檙e likely to see performance benefits from a switch to veganism, especially those that relate to being a few pounds lighter, it鈥檚 not a panacea to being faster, stronger, leaner, and better than you鈥檝e ever been before. That aside, going the plant-based route is a smart choice for general health. Vegans live longer and have a lower risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you can rule out that people are increasing their health from a plant-only diet,鈥 says Willis. Just be sure to approach the diet intelligently. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just replace animal products with a bunch of sloppy carbs,鈥 says Willis. Oreos, Pop-Tarts, Lay鈥檚 Barbecue Chips, and Burger King french fries, for example, are all vegan.