Athletes you probably didn't know were vegan

It’s that time of year again when people look to make healthy changes to their diet and lifestyle. Thanks to campaigns such as Veganuary, where people avoid animal products for the month of January, going vegan is undoubtedly a big one at this time of year.

For many though, it’s not just a fad diet or cool trend – it’s a way of life! Anyone who has seen 'The Gamechangers' knows that pro athletes aren’t strangers to plant-based lifestyles, and in a lot of cases, they attribute it to their success and longevity. Here are 15 athletes who swear by their vegan lifestyle.

One of the most high-profile vegan athletes out there, Lewis Hamilton moved to a wholly plant-based lifestyle in 2017 for environmental reasons. He believes in the cause so much he even co-founded the vegan fast food chain Neat Burger in 2019.

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving went vegan after seeing the documentary What The Health. As well as for health reasons, Irving also attributes his diet to his improved on-court performance. 

Asked in 2017 by Nike how he's able to dribble a basketball so fast, he responded "Simple. Plant-based diet."

US three-time Olympic gold-winning snowboarder Hannah Teter has been vegan since around 2016, and credits it with improving her athletic performance and recovery time. 'My plant-based diet has opened up more doors to being an athlete. It’s a whole other level that I’m elevating to." she told thebeet.com in 2022.

Nate Diaz has been a vegan since 18 and attributes his plant-based diet to his longevity in the fighting game. He told Men’s Journal in 2016 that eating vegan is “savvy and animalistic” and that “eating meat slows you down”.

He identifies as a raw vegan, meaning as well as avoiding all animal products, all his meals consist of uncooked ingredients.

Not only does champion bodybuilder Jehina Malik manage to get impressive gains without the usual bodybuilding diet of chicken and yogurt, she's never eaten any animal products in her life. A vegan since birth, Malk grew up in a family that grew all their own organic food and is a firm believer in the nutritional power of plants. She swears by high-protein foods such as tempeh, tofu and cashews to aid her muscle growth and recovery.

Both Serena Williams and her sister Venus are vegans. Venus adopted the lifestyle in 2011 when she was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes pain, swelling and fatigue. 

She told The Beet in 2022 she never felt better after the change in diet, and her results inspired her sister Serena to go plant-based in 2012. Serena even developed her own line of vegan leather in 2020. 

While he is probably more known for his racial and civil rights activism, Colin Kaepernick is also a vegan campaigner. Kaepernick and his long-time girlfriend adopted a vegan lifestyle in 2018 to help recover from injuries and surgeries, they told MTV2.

Jack Wilshere’s playing career was plagued with injuries, but he did find benefits from eating a wholly plant-based diet. The former Arsenal midfielder told The Evening Standard that it most notably helped him maintain a lean physique and improved his stamina.

Germany’s Strongest Man, Patrik Baboumian was previously a big meat eater but ended up changing his ways in 2005. He started out as a vegetarian before moving to a strict vegan diet in 2011, mostly for ethical reasons.

Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic was inspired to go vegan after noticing slumps in his stamina. He told Forbes that once he adopted the lifestyle, he immediately noticed an improvement, as well as reduced inflammation and improved recovery.

He even opened his own vegan restaurant in Monte Carlo called Equavita in 2016.

Surfer Tia Blanco is a leading promoter of the vegan lifestyle, which she has been a devotee to since 2013, adopting at age 12. While she is a believer in the health benefits of the diet, she was initially inspired due to cut out all animal products for ethical reasons.

Former heavyweight champion David Haye adopted a wholly plant-based diet in 2014 in order to improve his healing time after battling a shoulder injury. He then found it improved his training, telling The Sun "[Apes are] 20 times stronger than humans and they don't rely on a meat-based diet”

Speaking of David Haye, former Barcelona FC right-back Hector Bellerin was inspired to adopt a vegan lifestyle after talking with the champion boxer. His initial motivation was to reduce the inflammation in his body and improve his recovery time but has since become passionate about veganism as an environmental cause.

Fabian Delph has been outspoken about his love for the vegan diet, even dedicating sections of his book, Soccology, to it. The former Manchester City midfielder said he noticed improved strength and recovery once he went wholly plant-based.