Militant_Vegan_
Banned
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2016
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So much for the nay sayers
NFL veganism? David Carter, Griff Whalen have broken the mold - NFL.com
David Carter, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound defensive lineman, and his teammates are at a steakhouse, the second-most-frequented nonresidential house for NFL types after the field house.
Beefy football players order large slabs of steak. Knives cut through the buttery brown exterior and forks puncture the reddish center.
In front of Carter sits a dish of green beans, no butter.
This was a familiar scene for the now-retired Carter in his final couple of seasons as the rare vegan football player. After adopting the diet in 2014, his 300 pounds were 100 percent plant-powered, as the vegan diet prohibits the consumption of all animal products, including honey, eggs, meat and dairy.
"Socially, it kind of isolates you," Carter said. "Football is a machismo sport, which is great, but everything can't be machismo. On the field and at practice, yes, you can be machismo, but when it comes to diet, you need to have compassion for your body."
As a defensive lineman, Carter always focused on being big. A three-star recruit on Rivals.com coming out of high school, he worked his way up the depth chart at UCLA, eventually starting and earning the program's Kenneth S. Washington Award for Outstanding Senior in 2010. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, Carter never could've imagined giving up his carnivorous lifestyle, fearful of becoming weak and skinny. He drank milkshakes and chomped down meat, consuming as much protein as possible. But as the years went on, he suffered from high blood pressure and nerve damage. He couldn't feel half of his right hand and had agonizing tendonitis in most of his joints. He took painkillers but still struggled to do push-ups and even make a fist.
One night in 2014, he watched a documentary titled "Forks Over Knives" that explained how dairy and animal fats can cause inflammation in joints.
"It got me thinking, why do we need meat?" Carter said. "I need protein to be big and strong, but look at some of the largest and strongest animals in the world and none of them eat meat."
When he became a vegan, all of his ailments dissipated, and his performance at practices and in the weight room improved.
"My food is my medication now," said Carter, who played with the Cardinals in 2011 and '12 before spending time with the Cowboys, Raiders, Jaguars and Bears from 2013 through '15. Having hung up his cleats, Carter now travels the country advocating for the diet.
NFL veganism? David Carter, Griff Whalen have broken the mold - NFL.com
David Carter, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound defensive lineman, and his teammates are at a steakhouse, the second-most-frequented nonresidential house for NFL types after the field house.
Beefy football players order large slabs of steak. Knives cut through the buttery brown exterior and forks puncture the reddish center.
In front of Carter sits a dish of green beans, no butter.
This was a familiar scene for the now-retired Carter in his final couple of seasons as the rare vegan football player. After adopting the diet in 2014, his 300 pounds were 100 percent plant-powered, as the vegan diet prohibits the consumption of all animal products, including honey, eggs, meat and dairy.
"Socially, it kind of isolates you," Carter said. "Football is a machismo sport, which is great, but everything can't be machismo. On the field and at practice, yes, you can be machismo, but when it comes to diet, you need to have compassion for your body."
As a defensive lineman, Carter always focused on being big. A three-star recruit on Rivals.com coming out of high school, he worked his way up the depth chart at UCLA, eventually starting and earning the program's Kenneth S. Washington Award for Outstanding Senior in 2010. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, Carter never could've imagined giving up his carnivorous lifestyle, fearful of becoming weak and skinny. He drank milkshakes and chomped down meat, consuming as much protein as possible. But as the years went on, he suffered from high blood pressure and nerve damage. He couldn't feel half of his right hand and had agonizing tendonitis in most of his joints. He took painkillers but still struggled to do push-ups and even make a fist.
One night in 2014, he watched a documentary titled "Forks Over Knives" that explained how dairy and animal fats can cause inflammation in joints.
"It got me thinking, why do we need meat?" Carter said. "I need protein to be big and strong, but look at some of the largest and strongest animals in the world and none of them eat meat."
When he became a vegan, all of his ailments dissipated, and his performance at practices and in the weight room improved.
"My food is my medication now," said Carter, who played with the Cardinals in 2011 and '12 before spending time with the Cowboys, Raiders, Jaguars and Bears from 2013 through '15. Having hung up his cleats, Carter now travels the country advocating for the diet.
