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Plant-based pioneer Rip Esselstyn has set a new World Record in swimming – and he credits his vegan diet.
Esselstyn, the host of the Plant-Strong podcast and founder of the Engine 2 diet, set the record in the Men’s 55 – 59 age group 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:21.72.
The athlete described the record as a ‘big, scary, intimidating goal out there in front of me’ – that he was able to conquer, and says that plant-strong eating propelled him to achieve this World Record, beating the previous record set in 2015.
‘Whole food, plant-based diet’
“A whole food, plant-based diet is definitely the key to maintaining a lifetime of peak performance. Plants are the cleanest burning fuel. They reduce inflammation, shorten recovery time and improve cardiovascular function,” Esselstyn, who is an executive producer on documentary The Game Changers, told Plant Based News.
“I am certain that my ability to catch a World Record at this stage of my life is 100 percent directly tied to how I eat. One, plants really are in so many ways the fountain of youth. Two, plants allow me to be at my optimal racing weight for moving very rapidly and efficiently through the water.
“Three, plants help me train consistently harder during workouts where I am intentionally breaking myself down, and rebuild strength and endurance to get faster and fitter during my recovery phase. Four, plants allow the 65,000 miles of my vessels to bound with nitric oxide, one of the best vasodilators (they allow the vessels to dilate open).
“This equates to more blood flow to all my working muscles when I am putting forth maximum effort. Plants are a smart, clean, strong fuel! Plant-strong forever!”
