10 Superstar Athletes Who Don’t Eat Meat

Most people believe that to be big and strong, we need meat… red or white meat!

They believe that when it comes to body building, the best way to do so is to consume mass amounts of lean meat that’s high in protein, then turning that into body muscle.

Is that really necessary?

Below is a list of 10 superstar athletes who are vegetarian/vegan. They all excel in their own field of sport, while cutting meat out of their diet.

Look at the examples below… and there are many, many more like them. I have added 2 videos as well. The first is of famous vegetarian and vegan bodybuilders / athletes / sportsmen, and the second is…… a surprise..Do take a look…If these atheletes can win competitions/awards and keep their bodies in top shape, the rest of us have no excuses to say I need meat to survive or my body needs it. It’s more your desire for meat is great…no meat. Go vegetarian now!

Tsem Rinpoche

(Extracted from: http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2009/05/10-superstar-athletes-who-do-not-eat-meat.php)

1. Bill Pearl

Perhaps the world’s best known vegetarian bodybuilder, Bill Pearl is a four-time Mr. Universe winner. He was notorious for his bombastic strongman antics: he had a penchant for ripping license plates and bending penny spike nails. Pearl became a vegetarian at age 39–and won his last Mr. Universe title at age 41 two years later. His books on bodybuilding are still considered essential reading for aspiring bodybuilders, and his vegetarianism is an inspiration to healthy athletes everywhere.

2. Joe Namath

The legendary quarterback Joe Namath is probably the most famous vegetarian football player. Inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1985, he was also one of the best players, period. In his words, “I have been a vegetarian for a few years. Fred Dryer of the Rams has been one for ten years. It shows you don’t need meat to play football.” Namath serves as a role model for aspiring gridironers everywhere.

3. Martina Navratilova

The Czech born legend Martina Navratilova is one of the greatest tennis players of the 20th century. She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and 31 doubles titles–a record she still holds today. A vegetarian for most of her career, she’s a vocal PETA supporter.

4. Tony La Russa

Longtime vegetarian Tony La Russa is more famous for his career as a high profile manager than a baseball player–he’s one of only two Major League Baseball managers to win the World Series for teams in both the American and National Leagues. But he did stints in the major league as a player before his ascent to being one of the most accomplished managers in the history of baseball. Just goes to show that vegetarianism can be good for the mind as well as the body.

5. Robert Parish

One of the greatest NBA basketball players in history, vegetarian Robert Parish played center for the Boston Celtics alongside Larry Bird. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. Measuring over 7 feet tall, he was an imposing force on the court, yet was renowned for his versatility as well–and his high release jump shot was legendary.

6. Prince Fielder

One of the youngest vegetarian champs on our list, Prince Fielder is the first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers. He has been a strict vegetarian since early 2008–and hasn’t looked back since. His father was also a baseball player in the MLB, and they’re the only father-son duo to each have scored more than 50 home runs in their careers–and at a scant 24 years old, Prince Fielder is just getting warmed up.

7. Dave Scott

Dave Scott holds the record for most Iron Man World Championship victories ever (along with his rival Mark Allen, who managed to rack up an equal number of wins). The Iron Man competition, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26 mile marathon run, is one of the most strenuous physical feats in the world. And Scott won six of them, all while being vegetarian. He even came out of retirement at 40 to compete again, and took second place. Today, at age 55, he still participates. In other words, this is one gnarly vegetarian dude.

8. Billie Jean King

Two women vegetarian tennis stars on one list? Indeed–and both deserve it fully. Billie Jean King, a longtime vegetarian, has also been an inspiring force against sexism. Along with winning 12 Grand Slam titles and 16 Doubles titles, she’s famous for her Battle of the Sexes match, in which she defeated former men’s Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs.

9. Tony Gonzalez

A superstar tight end for the Atlanta Falcons, Tony Gonzales isn’t necessarily a strict vegetarian. He holds NFL records for most single season receptions and most touchdowns by a tight end, and most career receptions and reception yards by a tight end. And he did it during various experiments with veganism and cutting red meat out of his diet entirely. Though he eventually decided to eat chicken and fish, he still gets kudos here for giving veg a go.

10. Carl Lewis

World famous track star Carl Lewis wasn’t always a vegetarian. But he eventually went even further: he adopted a vegan diet to prepare for the World Championships in 1991, where he says he ran the best meet of his life. And he wasn’t the only one who held that opinion–after seeing the results of his race, Track & Field magazine remarked, “It had become hard to argue that he is not the greatest athlete ever to set foot on track or field.” He won ABC’s Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year in 1991 as a result. Carl Lewis earned a total of 10 Olympic medals over his career, nine of them gold medals.

Or view the video on the server at: http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Famous-Vegetarian-and-Vegan-Bodybuilders-Athletes-Sportmen.flv

Or view the video on the server at: http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/72-Year-Old-Man-Raw-Vegan-Body-Building-EveryDay.flv