WWE Heavyweight Wrestler is Vegan Because He "Gives a Damn"

WWE professional wrestler Austin Aries went vegan back in 2011 after adopting a vegetarian diet in 2000.

When asked in a recent interview about the reasons he was vegan he replied:

”There are so many ways to answer that, right? Long answer: Because of health reasons and benefits, environmental benefits, and the compassion aspect of the animals. Short answer: Because I give a damn! When it comes to the food industry and the realities of what I was eating, the more I learned the more I kept looking for info.“

Aries packs 202 pounds (92kg) on his 5-foot-9-inch frame and knows first-hand we don't need to eat animal protein to build muscle:

“You can can build muscle and be plant based. Not only myself, but there are guys much bigger and stronger than me that follow plant based diets. You don’t need animal proteins to build muscle; you need quality nutrients and amino acids. Those are often easier and cheaper in plant based products. There’s a misconception that it’s expensive to eat healthy. Not true. It’s expensive to eat conveniently. You just have to make smart choices and put a little work in the kitchen.”

And at 38 years old Aries still feels good performing as a professional wrestler:

“I think for my age I feel good, especially considering what I do for a living. If you think about it, as a society we put more emphasis on our outsides than our insides. I live a healthy lifestyle overall so it’s part of the way in which I take care of myself. The knowledge of food and what you put in your body is very important.”

With a new study helping to confirm plant protein is a better choice for building muscle than animal protein, we expect many more athletes to make the compassionate choice and ditch meat and dairy. Particularly for those that care about their long term health, as plant-proteins have been found to be more more heart-healthy than animal protein. Many fitness enthusiasts are already ditching whey and choosing plant-based protein powders instead.

As more companies get on board and release vegan products, like Muscle Milk, who recently released a new line of vegan products, going vegan is getting more convenient than ever before.