NFL Star Lawrence Guy Praises Plant-Based Diet For Prolonging His Career
The New England Patriots’ defensive tackle is the latest NFL player to embrace plant-based food and talk about its performance benefits for athletes.
Lawrence Guy (left) at training. Credit: New England Patriots/Facebook
NFL star Lawrence Guy has said his switch to a plant-based diet has improved his performance and ‘prolonged’ his athletic career.
The New England Patriots’ defensive tackle has played 10 seasons in the NFL, and credits this longevity to his primarily vegan lifestyle.
"You get beat up on this field every day. Your body needs nutrition more than ever to recover. What's the best way to do that? I think it's plant-based. All you're doing is prolonging your career in a certain way."
Talking to ESPN, Guy explained that he first began trying out plant-based foods back in 2012.
"I've been eating vegan in the offseason for many years”, he told the sports publication. "To me, it's an aspect of replacing things with a healthier way of living. It has helped me fully recover and just flush the body out”.
He says that eating lots of meat would cause him to bloat. But that problem went away after Guy made the switch to plant-protein.
Explaining the nutritional benefits behind the decision, Guy explains,
"protein from chicken, fish, cows or bison, your body has to break that down. But when it comes to these vegetables and grains, the body doesn't need to break down as much and as hard, so it constantly gets all the nutrition from it."
Guy is not the first NFL player to talk about the benefits of a plant-based diet. Cam Newton, the New England Patriots’ 245-pound quarterback, embraced a plant-based diet back in 2019 and said that the diet helps accelerate his recovery and makes him “feel like a rookie again”.
Other notable plant-based athletes include tennis ace Novak Djokovic, F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, NBA star Enes Kanter, NFL icon Colin Kaepernick, and tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams.
Want to try the benefits of a plant-based diet? You’ll be helping save animals, the planet, and yourself - just check out the Species Unite Vegan Guide to get started on your journey.
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