Plant-based pro athletes challenge teammates and competitors to go vegan

From vegworldmag.com

Top athletes are challenging their teammates and competitors to go plant-based for a week in The Very Good Athlete Challenge by plant-based meat company The Very Good Butchers.  

Athletes go plant-based for a variety of reasons, such as increasing stamina while training and competing, faster recovery, staying lean, and improved mental clarity and focus. The hit Netflix documentary The Game Changers featured dozens of athletes fuelled by plant protein who credited their competitive edge to their diets.  

Participants in The Very Good Athlete Challenge are:  

Hannah Teter, Olympic gold and silver medallist in snowboarding, three-time Olympian, seven-time XGames medallist, World Cup champion 

Meagan Duhamel, Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medallist in figure skating, two-time World Champion, seven-time Canadian Champion 

Heather Mitt, three-time Olympic gold medallist, U.S. Women’s Soccer, World Cup silver medallist 

Sonya Looney, World Champion professional mountain biker 

Georges “The Rock” Laraque, 13 seasons in the National Hockey League  

TJ Galiardi, 10 seasons in National Hockey League, 2008 Rookie of the Year 

Jehina Malik, IFBB professional bodybuilder with three first-place wins 

Andrew Poje, world champion ice dancer and three-time Canadian national champion 

Indi Cowie, professional soccer freestyler and FIFA Street world champion with three Guinness world records 

“I started eating a plant-based diet in 2008 and saw benefits right away, such as being able to train and recover with more intensity than ever. I was competing at my sport’s highest levels in my thirties, and I had no injuries at all, which is unheard of.” said Duhamel. “I appreciated having the chance to share these benefits through this challenge, and share some very good food.”  

“We hope the challenge can break down the common stereotype that vegan diets cannot support active lifestyles,” said Mitchell Scott, CEO of The Very Good Butchers. “These high-performance athletes prove that if this can work for them, it can work for anyone.” 


Fans can follow along on social media as omnivore athletes follow their new diet with the hashtag #VeryGoodAthleteChallenge, and can challenge their favourite athletes by tagging @theverygoodbutchers.  


The Very Good Butchers uses whole-foods ingredients such as beans and mushrooms to craft its burgers (21 grams of protein per serving), sausages (24 grams), and steaks (22 grams). Products are currently sold in Canadian grocery stores and via e-commerce in the U.S. individually or by subscription box. Athletes were provided with a “Big Box of (Plant-Based) Meat” but were not compensated by The Very Good Butchers.  

Nutritional consultations were provided by Matt Ruscigno, MPH, RD, coauthor of Plant-Based Sports Nutrition: Expert fueling strategies for training, recovery, and performance, No Meat Athlete, and Appetite for Reduction. 


About The Very Good Food Company 

The Very Good Food Company Inc. is an emerging plant-based food technology company. Its mission is to use progressive food technology to create plant-based meat and other food products that are delicious while maintaining a wholesome nutritional profile. For more information visit https://www.verygoodbutchers.com. 

https://vegworldmag.com/plant-based-pro-athletes-challenge-teammates-and-competitors-to-go-vegan/