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<\/p>\nOne of the greatest myths \u2013 if not the greatest, that covers the vegan diet, is the protein myth.<\/p>\n
People are under the impression that those who do not eat meat cannot be equally strong to those who do due to the insufficient protein intake from plant-based foods.<\/p>\n
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As with most issues, this, too, is a result of misinformation. Such ignorance creates huge obstacles in promoting education and leads to narrow-mindedness. <\/strong>Unfortunately, everyone thinks they know all there is to know about plant-based diets and spread false information, which results in the perpetuation of misinformation.<\/p>\n It is quite common from the moment someone declares he is on a vegan diet, for people around him to suddenly transform into nutrition or evolutionary biology experts and go on a rampage, giving advice on how to protect one\u2019s self from the imminent sicknesses and weaknesses to which a plant-based diet will eventually lead.<\/p>\n What is true and what is false?<\/strong><\/p>\n Firstly, we have to mention that the average omnivore who lives in the western world, more than likely intakes more protein that he actually needs, due to the consumption of animal products and by-products.<\/p>\n Most Americans, for example, consume foods that provide them with more than twice the protein a single human needs<\/a>.<\/p>\n The only truth regarding the difference between animal and plant protein is that plant protein does not have the same absorption rate as animal protein. This difference is only of 0.1! That means that there is 10% reduced bioavailability, meaning that if someone needs 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight as an omnivore, when he goes vegan, he will need 0.88 grams. This difference is miniscule, while the overall benefits of going on a plant-based diet makes the scales tip noticeably towards the plant based diet, as Giannis Mavridis, a sports nutritionist, in his speech on \u201cVegan Diet and Athletic Soundness: the path to optimizing performance<\/a>\u201d is explaining (Unfortunately it has no English subtitles otherwise we would suggest you to watch it, because of its richness in detail).<\/p>\n While waiting for J. Cameron\u2019s (producer of the \u201cTitanic\u201d and vegan activist) \u201cThe Game Changers\u201d documentary, which will debut on February 2018, we have decided to mention some of the top vegan athletes, so as to make it more obvious that veganism and athleticism are two completely compatible concepts.<\/p>\n We have chosen to introduce male and female athletes of various sports (with different dietary requirements) who follow a vegan diet, so that we can debunk the myth once and for all, as they all have some great achievements on their records like earning gold medals, breaking Guinness records etc. Some are veg(etari)ans since birth, while others made the change at some point during their lives\u2026<\/p>\n Frank Medrano<\/strong> ate meat for 30 years, but has gone vegan since 2014<\/strong>. Along with his two friends, Noel Polanco and Dan Attanasio, they run the Vegan Calisthen-X page, through which they inspire and advise the world about veganism and calisthenics. Watch the following video, which speaks for itself:<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ethosandempathy.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/toys.png?resize=387%2C218&ssl=1\")
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