As early as the 19th century, scientists started spreading the word that vegan diets would lead to humans not being able to exercise. We would draw our energy from meat. One of the scientists was the German chemist Justus Liebig. His theory was heard all over the world. 

But already in the mid 1900s, vegetarian athletes made headlines with big wins in important competitions. One of them was the track and field athlete Carl Lewis. In 1999 he was named Sportsman of the Century. And rightly so. For he managed to claim nine Olympic victories. At the age of 30, he went from vegetarian to vegan and then set his personal best times. At an age when most competitive athletes end their careers.

Morgan Mitchell is a two-time Australian 400m champion and competed at the 2016 Olympics. While she always paid attention to a healthy diet, she only started switching to vegan during her career. Her findings:

- A significant increase in the energy level

- Iron and B12 levels were great despite the vegan diet

- Finished her season unbeaten

- Another victory at the national championships

The vegan diet increased her performance by a lot, as she was able to train more due to faster regeneration.

According to The Game Changers, there is a common misconception that we should get protein from animal meat. This is because meat is an excellent source of protein. But in fact, according to experts, animals should only act as middlemen. Let's take the cow as an example. Like us humans, it does not produce its own protein. The protein that can later be detected in its meat therefore comes from the animal's feed. And it is well known that cows do not eat meat, but are herbivores.

If anyone says vegans can't get enough protein or just the wrong protein from plant sources, they're wrong. 200 grams of lentils or a peanut butter sandwich contain just as much protein as 90 grams of beef or three large chicken eggs. According to science, it doesn't matter how you eat protein. It's the amount that matters.

That you have to eat meat to be strong is nonsense. That should be clear by now. But Patrik Baboumian is the best proof that vegans can also be strong. Because he is one of the strongest men in the world. 

If you are interested in this topic and want to learn more about vegan nutrition in sports, please let us know. Then you will get another part of this series. If you have other topic suggestions, please send them to us via email ([email protected]) and we will work on them as soon as possible. As always, here are a few suggestions for vegan meals to go along with the blog post.