It’s a Veggie Affair: Cricketers who are Vegetarians
You had me at ‘No meat please’!
Albert Einstein famously quoted, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth, as much as the evolution to a Vegetarian diet”. In the recent years, there has been a gradual shift towards adopting a Vegetarian diet lifestyle, which has been seen in the sporting world too.
Indian cricketers are known for their strong physique and high endurance in which their regime and diet plays a pivotal role. Many athletes give credit to the vegetarian diet which either they have followed since childhood or in the aftermath of a health condition. If you are looking to embrace vegetarianism, these cricketers will certainly motivate you to follow their footsteps. Although the subject is debatable, supporters of a vegetarian diet have vouched for enhanced fitness levels, leaner bodies and increased metabolism rates, which is the pre-requisite for any player to sustain their journey.
Being a vegetarian is not highly appreciated by a staunch meat-lover, but they often forget that people eat meat and think they will become strong as an ox, forgetting that the ox eats grass. If you proudly say, ‘the food on the plate is grown, not born’ – you are possibly on the path adopted by several stalwarts in recent times. Some of the notable players who actively promote a meat-free and plant-based diet include:
- Virat Kohli: An ardent lover of the meaty dishes, the pioneer of Indian cricket turned vegetarian in 2018 after a self-admitted health related incident. He also claims to be actively working towards adopting a ‘Vegan’ diet, a level ahead than the current lifestyle.
- Shikhar Dhawan: A hardcore non-vegetarian, the now retired Indian opener embraced a complete vegetarian dietary lifestyle in 2018, following the teachings of notable spiritual gurus – Sister Shivani and Sadhguru.
- Ravichandran Ashwin: The recently retired Test cricket legend, Ashwin hails from the Brahmin community and has been a vegetarian since his birth. He attributes his professional longevity and fitness to the clean, meat-free diet that kept his health in check and spanned his career with minimal injuries.
- Cheteshwar Pujara: Regarded widely as a stalwart of Indian Test Cricket, Pujara is a strict vegetarian since birth and often credits his achievements to his fitness and plant-based non-spicy food. Infact, he is one of the prominent advocates of vegetarianism as a lifestyle choice.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Reportedly, hailing from a vegetarian family, the fast-bowler and IPL veteran has been a staunch vegetarian since childhood. The Indian pacer believes a healthy, non-meat diet has worked for him and helped him recuperate faster, minimizing his post-match recovery time.
There are many other popular cricketers too, who took to a vegetarian diet and realized its benefits on their holistic fitness and career performance, thereby inspiring their beloved fans too.
‘Keep Calm and Be Vegetarian’ is thy mantra for the increasing list of players this year.
