The plant-based diet trend has become so pronounced that a forthcoming set of UEFA guidelines on nutrition will include a section dedicated to 'vegan and special diets'.
TOM WILLIAMS: ‘Veganism is on the rise in top-level football. Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin and Roma loanee Chris Smalling are among the players to have adopted fully vegan diets in recent years, while England internationals Fabian Delph, Jack Wilshere and Jermain Defoe have spoken about the benefits of eliminating red meat and dairy from their meals. No less a figure than Lionel Messi has also cut down on meat consumption, along with his Argentina colleague Sergio Aguero.
The trend has become so pronounced that a forthcoming set of UEFA guidelines on nutrition will include a section dedicated to “vegan and special diets,” a source told Bleacher Report. At the elite level, performance nutritionists at leading clubs have noticed that more and more players are showing an interest in plant-based eating.
“A lot of athletes are coming forward saying they want to be vegan,” says Ed Tooley, a performance nutritionist who has worked with a number of Premier League clubs. “It’s a bit of a hot topic. In the last couple of months, it’s really increased”… Richard Allison works with Bellerin in his role as performance nutritionist at Arsenal and says the changes the Spain international has made to his diet have had a positive impact on his overall wellbeing…
There are compelling ethical reasons for becoming vegan, not least from the perspective of animal welfare and the negative impact that some forms of meat and dairy farming can have on the environment. Bellerin says that his motivations for adopting a vegan lifestyle are at least partly ethical, telling The Players’ Tribune: “I strongly believe that what we do to the Earth, we get it paid back”…
There is scientific evidence that suggests adopting a vegetarian diet can reduce the amount of inflammation a person suffers from, and players who go vegan say it shortens the time it takes for their bodies to recover after training sessions and matches. A plant-based diet can also help players who suffer from digestive illnesses, such as former Norwich City captain Russell Martin, who went vegan in 2014 after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis’. SOURCE…
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