Meet five inspiring female athletes who are breaking the mold by fueling their adventures with a 100% plant-based diet.
1. TIA BLANCO
Professional surfer and two-time International Surfing Association (ISA) gold medalist Tia Blanco is also an outspoken vegan. Tia recently shared her “why” the Veganuary: “First and foremost, I am vegan for the animals…feeling amazing physically from the diet is just an added bonus! As a competitive athlete, I feel like I am in the best shape of my life right now and I have been vegan for almost 8 years now! I sleep well at night knowing I am operating at peak performance without harming any innocent lives to get me where I want to be.”
3. STEPH DAVIS
Steph Davis is the definition of fearless; not only is she one of the world’s leading climbers, she also is a BASE jumper and wingsuit flyer. But one thing that she does find scary is factory farming. “I find so many positive benefits from being vegan—as an athlete, I see food as performance fuel, so that’s a top reason for me to choose the cleanest, healthiest food. I also believe that all creatures have the right to a natural life, and I don’t want to support factory farming with my consumer choices. I also want to do my best to reduce my impact on the planet–I would encourage everyone to take a little time to research the effects of the meat industry on soil, air and water. Aside from all of that, I love eating and creating delicious food and never having to worry at all about my weight!”
3. Jahina Malik
Jehina Malik is an award-winning body builder and personal trainer who made history as the 1st ever vegan-since-birth International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness professional, Women’s Bodybuilding Division. When asked by Plantbuilt about the biggest advantage of being a vegan athlete, Jehina replied, “For me it’s breaking all the stereotypes and barriers that vegans can’t bodybuild.”
4. Morgan Mitchell
Olympic sprinter Morgan Mitchell credits her vegan diet with making her faster. In the documentary The Game Changers Mitchell said, “Being vegan has helped me immensely. I don’t feel sluggish like I did when I was eating meat, and my recovery from training really took off. It felt like an overall cleanse for my body, and I started seeing greater results on the track.”
5. LeiLani Munter
A vegan, environmentalist behind the wheel of a race car? Leilani Munter may be an anomaly, but’s she’s working to change that through her advocacy. She told Veganuary, “Being vegan is one of the easiest ways to make a positive change in the world, and everyone has a choice to participate three times a day.”
