With gym culture on the rise, diets are starting to overwhelmingly consist of chicken, eggs, Greek yogurt and protein powder. However, society’s growing protein craze doesn’t seem to question the expenses that come with building up muscle, whether that be for beauty, hobby or career purposes.
Eating a plant-based diet is not only better for the Earth as it utilizes less water, produces fewer greenhouse gases and boycotts the cruelty of the factory farming industry, it’s also far healthier for your body.
When most people hear the words “plant-based diet,” they often think of veganism or vegetarianism. However, this sentiment is not entirely true. While vegetarianism is a diet that excludes only the consumption of meat, poultry and animals, veganism is defined as both a diet and philosophy that omits all products that come from animals. Although both are considered plant-based diets, one does not have to fully omit animal-based products to eat a plant-based diet — their diet simply must consist mainly of plants.
Plant-based protein is packed with antioxidants, phytochemicals, minerals and vitamins that optimize blood supply and your gut biome, ultimately reducing inflammation and enhancing your body’s overall performance.
While many assume an athlete can’t possibly get all the protein they need from a plant-based diet, this is false, as the protein from meat originates from the plants animals once ate. Science shows that early humans ate mostly plants and that our bodies were designed for such a diet with our long digestive tracks and flat, square teeth, meant for breaking them down.
Plant-based protein is packed with antioxidants, phytochemicals, minerals and vitamins that optimize blood supply and your gut biome, ultimately reducing inflammation and enhancing your body’s overall performance. Meanwhile, animal proteins produce inflammatory molecules such as N-Glycolylneuraminic acid, heme iron and endotoxins, which change the bacterial biome living in the gut, causing the bacteria to produce inflammatory mediators such as trimethylamine N-oxide, all of which increase soreness and delay athlete recovery.
Aside from plant-based diets being great for maintaining body weight and reducing cortisol production, swollenness, soreness and leading to a more speedy recovery for athletes, it also helps improve blood pressure and cholesterol, along with helping the immune system in fighting off infections.
Many of the world’s best athletes are plant-based — Venus Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris Paul, Nate Diaz and more — with their diet being one of the contributing factors to their success.
In the United States, among the leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. The consumption of animal products can lead to the development of cancer, along with plaques in the coronary arteries, which leads to blocked blood flow, causing heart problems. Eating a plant-based diet reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, stroke and obesity.
Many of the world’s best athletes are plant-based — Venus Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris Paul, Nate Diaz and more — with their diet being one of the contributing factors to their success.
All while committing to a plant-based diet, Novak Djokovic is one of the most highly decorated tennis athletes, as he has spent the most time as the world number one at a whopping 428 weeks with a total of 24 Grand Slam titles. While many suspect that the 38 year old is falling behind his younger competitors, Djokovic still managed to win the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics when playing against the agile 22 year old Carlos Alcaraz, and beat 23 year old Lorenzo Musetti in this year’s Hellenic Championship. As the oldest player to be ranked among the top players in his sport, it’s safe to say that Djokovic’s plant-based diet isn’t an impediment to his strength.
Emma Ito, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’26, is a gym enthusiast, a former combat sports athlete and vegan who loves to cook her own food. She goes to the gym at least four times a week, and claims veganism has made her more conscious of the quality of her food, while helping her maintain good habits and stay healthy.
“Over the years, I have also come to enjoy eating healthier as a byproduct of being vegan … I don’t crave junk food as much as I think a normal person would … which translates to performing better and recovering better,” Ito said.
The most common sources of plant-based protein can be derived from one of the following categories: soy, legumes, nuts/seeds and whole grains. Soy products include tofu, edamame and tempeh; legumes include peas, lentils and beans (kidney, black and chickpeas); nut and seed products include peanut butter, almond butter, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, almond, peanuts, walnuts, cashews; while whole grains include quinoa and oats. Protein gathered from cow milk also can be derived from protein almond-soy milk options. And for those athletes who are obsessed with protein powder, plant-based options exist, too.
Despite the B12 deficiency that turns many off of plant-based diets, most people, meat-eating or not, are deficient in B12.
Ito says her favorite source of plant-based protein is “tofu just because it’s so easy … I make pasta sauces with silken tofu … I eat lentils, textured vegetable protein, soy curls. Chinese grocery stores have a lot of vegan alternative meats that are dried and you rehydrate them so I eat those and I make a lot of seitan with vital wheat gluten because that’s a crazy amount of protein.”
Despite the B12 deficiency that turns many off of plant-based diets, most people, meat-eating or not, are deficient in B12. In animals, optimal B12 production is only natural in the wild, when animals can consume B12-producing bacteria found in soil. In factory farming, animals are kept in unnatural conditions in which the only way they can get satisfactory B12 is through supplements. For people of all diets, the best source of B12 would be from a supplement, but it can also be found in certain plant-based sources, such as purple laver seaweed and mushrooms.
Others, especially male athletes, are concerned about estrogen levels in soy, along with its effects on testosterone levels. However, studies show that eating soy does not deplete testosterone levels, as soy contains naturally occurring plant estrogens known as phytoestrogen. Phytoestrogen does not act the same as the real estrogen, which is found in meat and dairy products, along with other added hormones.
Ito reflects on our society’s transition to a meat obsession, stating that there is more to plant-based diets than meets the eye, “its care for the planet, the animals and your body.”
At Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, Saxbys offers a Just Egg burrito with dairy-free cheese and the option to add spinach. Saxbys also offers a Cold-Brew Fit Frolatte and a Matcha Fit Frolatte, both fueled with 22 grams of plant-based protein. At Fordham’s Rose Hill campus, Marketplace’s Turmeric Tofu Scramble contains 22 grams of protein.
While it may be hard for many to make the full switch to eating a plant-based diet, you can always start by slowly replacing animal-based products with plant ones, finding a middle ground that prioritizes both the well-being of your body with the well-being of the Earth and all other sentient beings.
