The spotlight
Eat a plant-based diet one of the most impactful actions a person can take to reduce their personal contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. A broader cultural shift toward plants in some of the most meat-eating countries could lead to more efficient land use, less pressure on water systems and reductions in methane, the powerful greenhouse gas that makes cows famous. Still, it is easier said than done. On an individual level, people can have all kinds of reasons for clinging to animal products—including the concern that cutting them out will lead to nutritional deficiencies.
But one group of people is challenging the idea that a plant-based diet can’t be completely sufficient: the puffy vegans from powerlifting, strength athletics and personal training circles. My colleague Joseph Winters wrote a feature last week exploring the stories of some of these stereotype-shattering athletes.
While it’s hard to put definitive numbers on the growth of veganism, Winters said, proxies indicate that the diet is gaining in popularity overall — the plant-based meat market has grown tremendously in recent years, as has the prevalence of vegan restaurants and sign-ups. for “Veganuary” challenges (go vegan for the month of January).
“It’s definitely more normalized,” Winters said, adding that he had a lot of fun finding media coverage of vegan athletes from decades ago. A 1974 magazine article he cited in the piece exemplified the scrutiny that vegan and vegetarian athletes often received; in describing the performance of NBA player Bill Walton, the article noted, “The vegetarian tiger played as if he had been eating red meat all week.”
“I think it would be very strange if outlets covered vegan athletes like that these days,” Winters said. “Enough athletes have proven that you can eliminate animal foods from your diet and still perform at a high level.”
In fact, one of the nutritionists he spoke to said that intense athletes are the least of your worries when it comes to switching to a vegan diet. Because they’re already hyper-aware of protein and micronutrients like iron and B12, they should have little trouble getting those things from plants instead of animal products. In contrast, “regular Joe” vegans can run the risk of being deficient if they don’t account for the protein and micronutrients lost by cutting out meat, dairy, and eggs. But another medical source cited by Winters said that most people don’t need to worry about their daily protein requirements as long as they eat a diverse diet without too many processed foods — whether those foods come from plants or animals.
“Personally, I think that Americans’ obsession with protein is misplaced, and I was very concerned that I would feed it with this article,” Winters said. What Americans are more likely to lack is fiber – and eating more plants can help with that. (In fact, although this detail didn’t make the final piece, one of the vegan athletes Winters spoke to eats banana and orange slices with the peels still on, for an extra dose of fiber and micronutrients.)
In general, the athletes Winters spoke to did not choose this diet to maximize their physical fitness—although many of them perform at the top of their chosen fields. “They are mostly vegan out of concern for animals and the environment,” he said. “They also have this other part of their identity that is focused on being an athlete, and they want to show that they don’t have to give up that part of themselves. They can have both at the same time.”
Vegan power trainers are just one small niche of the population, but, Winters said, they’re contributing to a shift in what people think veganism looks like. It’s something he also thinks about personally, as a vegan marathon runner and cyclist.
“As a thin man, I often worry that people think, ‘Oh, this is what happens to you when you go vegan,'” he joked. “But then I feel like I have good race times, which I can pull out when people doubt my athletic ability — and say, ‘Look, you can still run somewhat fast on a vegan diet.'” (Let the record show that this is her half marathon time is 73 minutes – much faster than somewhat.)
We’ve excerpted Winters’ piece on bloated vegans below. Check out the full story on the Grist site.
– Claire Elise Thompson
Meet the Dipped Vegan Strength Athletes Who Defy Stereotypes (Excerpt)
Over the past two years, Gigi Balsamico has won first place at more than a dozen strongman competitions in the eastern United States: Maidens of Might, Rebel Queen, War of the North, Third Monkey Throwdown. These events typically involve six to eight weightlifting challenges in which competitors are scored based on criteria such as the amount of weight they can handle and how many repetitions they can do.
Last month, Balsamico came out at the top of her weight class Delaware’s worst. There, she hoisted four 100- to 150-pound sandbags onto her shoulders after completing six repetitions of a 315-pound deadlift. As the pièce de résistance, she harnessed herself to a Chevy Silverado — itself attached to a food truck trailer — and dragged it 40 feet in 40 seconds.
Balsamico is also a vegan of 11 years. It’s an identity she voices, out of a desire to push back against the idea that you have to eat meat to be strong. When she was a vegan-curious teenager, it gnawed at her that giving up animal products might mean sacrificing sports.
“I thought I was going to shrivel up to nothing,” Balsamico told Grist. Her Italian, sports-loving family has always eaten meat and dairy. “That’s what I was always told, that you would basically get so thin and die.”
But Balsamico’s love of animals forced her to question these concerns. As a child, caring for neglected horses at a family friend’s farm made her wonder why people don’t see all animals as beautiful, each with its own unique personality. Horses, cows, sheep, dogs: “It was so clear to me that there was no difference,” she said.
Meanwhile, veganism was at the beginning of a surge in popularity – concerns about the brutal conditions of factory farmingas well as the impact of animal agriculture on the climate and environment, helped bring the marginalized diet closer to the mainstream. Although estimates vary, peer-reviewed research suggests that the chickens, cows, pigs, and other animals that humans raise for meat and dairy contribute up to 20 percent of the planet’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Balsamico eliminated all animal products from her diet at age 14, justifying the decision to her parents in a “39-minute PowerPoint” about the health benefits of plant-based eating. Weightlifting came a few years later, mostly out of curiosity: “I just wanted to see if I could do it,” she said. And she could—in 2022, she began winning first place for her age and weight class in every strongman competition she entered, achieving a streak she has yet to break.
“I haven’t had meat in 11 years of my life, and I can lift 700 pounds on my back,” she told Grist. Balsamico now coaches other aspiring athletes at a gym in Pittsburgh, and is affiliated with an international team of vegan strength competitors called Plant Building.
Balsamico and her teammates are just a few of the many plant-based athletes using their “swollen” bodies and competition results for social change, showing on social media and word of mouth that you don’t have to sacrifice “gains” – snake for muscle mass gained through diet and exercise – to eat a diet that protects animals and the environment. One block of tofu at a time, they defy expectations about what’s possible without animal protein—and withstand unsolicited criticism from those who insist, against all evidence to the contrary, that “soy boys” are inherently weak.
—Joseph Winters
Read the full piece here to learn more about how endurance athletes, power builders and fitness trainers are championing a diet that’s lighter on the planet.
More exposure
A parting shot
Watch: Gigi Balsamico, one of the vegan strength athletes interviewed by Winters, pulled a Chevy Silverado and food truck trailer as part of Delaware’s Baddest, a strength competition she entered last month.
