Community
Print
Defender for London-based soccer team Arsenal, Héctor Bellerín, claims that a plant-based diet is helping him improve
his performance – and is hoping to influence others.
Telling
his story to Sports News 9, he said: “This is a way for people to see that you
can be an athlete and do it, and that can open doors for other people.”
Experiment turned long term
The 23-year-old says has been eating a ‘more-or-less’ vegan
diet since the start of the season – and that he started to see results after
just three weeks.
He said: “At the beginning I wanted to try it for a couple
of weeks to detox my body and stuff, but I just felt so great after it that
I’ve been doing it for six months now.”
Benefits
Now Bellerín credits his plant-based diet for a series of improvements
to his health and fitness.
He said: “For me the most important thing is that
inflammation in my body after games and the speed that my body recovers
compared to before.”
He also credits a plant-based diet for increased energy – a
significant perk in the context of professional sport.
He said: “I was
waking up in the mornings and had so much energy whereas before I used to be
that person who would snooze the alarm five times before they got out of bed.”
More
than performance
Despite
his teammates making fun of the change, Bellerín remains undeterred,
acknowledging that diet is part of a much bigger picture.
He said: “It doesn’t just make a difference in your body but I strongly believe that
with what we’re doing to the earth paying back the earth too.”
