5 world-class rugby players who chose to follow a vegan diet

Thursday, 23 September 2021 at 11:45

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byRugby Rucker

As an elite-level athlete, nutrition plays an extremely important role in the development of a rugby player, and not just rugby, preparation for any particular sport needs to be starting from the kitchen.

Sources of lean protein and muscle recovery are known to be coming from the most obvious foods such as eggs or lean meat.

However, in recent years, athletes are now switching to the producers in the food chain, by approaching the idea of becoming a vegan.

With this, it becomes extremely difficult for an athlete to find their sources of protein and recover every ounce of damaged muscle that they have in their bodies.

1. Mirco Bergamasco

The former Italian international turned vegan thanks to is Iranian wife Safavi Ati. The couple now run a vegan restaurant in Podova called 'Doodyzbar'.

2. Darren Dawidiuk

The former Gloucester hooker put himself on a vegan diet and upped his fitness work to prepare himself for cancer treatment in 2017. He's since been declared cancer-free after a six-month battle with the disease.

3. Ben Cohen

The former wingers life has been saved by his plant-based diet, according to girlfriend. Kristina Rihanoff, who is a professional dancer, has claimed that a vegan diet has saved his boyfriend's life, who nearly died over the summer after contracting glandular fever.

Speaking on TV talk show 'Lorraine' today, Rihanoff revelead that they are both plant-based now, after Cohen's health scare.

4. Nick Blevins

The centre - who adopted a plant-based diet in 2015 - has now launched
a dairy alternative brand with hopes 'to change the world' with fiancé and fellow rugby star Michele Helmeczi. The pair's dairy-free brand, Beetroot Nutrition, offers a series of vegan cheeses and
yogurts. He also represented Canada at the 2015 & 2019 Rugby World Cups.

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5. Ellis Genge

After watching the Game Changers movie on athletes, such as Djokovic, Paul and Hamilton, switching over to a vegan diet, Genge decided to look into it more and consult the nutritionist and doctors at Leicester. The prop now follows a vegan diet two days a week.

Genge has only made the diet alteration in the past year so it would be interesting to hear more from the prop about it in the coming months to see if he is getting the full benefits of stepping away from the full carnivore diet.