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There are major athletes following a plant-based diet who are keeping it a secret to hang on to their advantage, according to The Game Changers producer James Wilks.
James Wilks (who wrote and produced the movie with Joseph Pace) made the comments while discussing the film – which is directed by Oscar-winner Louie Psihoyos and executive produced by Oscar-winner James Cameron – during an exclusive interview with Plant Based News founder Klaus Mitchell.
Vegan stigma
“I think because of the stigma against veganism, there’s a lot of people we have spoken to who have had a hard time coming out about it – it’s almost like they are in the closet,” Wilks said.
He added that the film has helped some people speak out about it, saying: “We’ve had people – celebrities, famous musicians – saying ‘our whole band is plant-based and has been for years, but we don’t want to come out yet, but when your film comes out we’ll start telling people’.”
Athletic advantage
Then Wilks revealed another reason some sportspeople have kept quiet about their diets. “There were some athletes we approached who have been eating this way for a long time and don’t want to tell anybody…they didn’t want to give away their advantage.
“Some said ‘I don’t want to let this out until it’s really mainstream, I’d rather keep this advantage.”
While he didn’t disclose any individual athlete’s names, Wilks revealed that the athletes came from sports leagues, including the NFL and the NBL, saying ‘there are some pretty major athletes who are eating this way and just don’t want to announce it’.
