Vegan Athletes: "It changed everything"

Rich Roll

Ultra-endurance athlete and one of Men’s Fitness’ ‘25 Fittest Men in the World’ Rich Roll turned his life around on plant-based food at age 40.

"About 10 to 14 days into eating a completely wholefood plant-based diet, I realised how different it was to everything else I tried. It revitalised me like no other way of eating. I wanted to feel this way all the time. It changed everything. I had so much energy all of a sudden. I actually wanted to take care of myself. I wanted to exercise." “There's nothing that's not improved or impacted positively and significantly by living this life. My plant-based diet is what propelled me, what made me capable of doing what I did.”

Venus Williams

Generally considered one of the greatest players in women’s tennis, Venus Williams has been ranked number 1 in the world three times, and won four Olympic gold medals. Unfortunately diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome in 2011, Venus says that switching to a mostly vegan diet helped her get back to doing what she loves.

“I started for health reasons. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and I wanted to maintain my performance on the court. Once I started I fell in love with the concept of fueling your body in the best way possible. Not only does it help me on the court, but I feel like I’m doing the right thing for me.”

Peter Siddle

Aussie fast-bowler Peter Siddle is a long-time advocate of plant-based food and has even inspired a few of his fellow cricketers to try it out. He credits his partner Anna for inspiring him to eat this way and says he feels fitter and healthier than ever.

“Since giving up animal products, my body has made great gains; I haven’t been sick once, my energy has increased … but the biggest benefit has been my recovery. In between test matches, sometimes we only have three days to recover, and the opportunity to recover quicker has increased a lot. Being health conscious is always a good thing and after hearing all the stories about the cruelty in the meat and dairy industries, it changed my mind very quickly and made it a pretty easy decision in the end.”