Arnold Schwarzenegger is renowned around the world for his bulging muscles, from his success in his bodybuilding days to characters he played on the big screen. He’s now saying you should eat less meat, which has caused quite a reaction with some people calling him a hypocrite.
Arnie now claims to be a vegan and he made the switch from meat to a plant based diet for both health and environmental reasons.
He was advised by his doctors to eliminate meat from his diet, which he has slowly done over time and now says he feels fantastic!
“I’m slowly coming off meat, and I can tell you, I feel fantastic.” ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
One of the main concerns people have about coming off meat, apart from obviously enjoying how good it tastes, is whether they will be able to maintain or build muscle. If you’re training or doing bodybuilding, surely a meat heavy diet is essential if you want to build muscle mass?
According to Arnie, meat isn’t necessary to become a bodybuilder or build muscle because there are plenty of bodybuilders who currently don’t eat meat and it doesn’t affect your strength. He also stresses that meat isn’t your only protein source and there are a variety of ways to get enough protein in your diet without eating meat.
When Arnie was in his prime and at his biggest back in the 70’s and 80’s he probably did have a diet heavy in meat. There was far less research and scientific know how about the best foods for building muscle, so the focus was likely to be on eating as much protein from the most obvious sources. Times have changed and there has been loads of research done about building muscle, the different sources of protein, and the harmful effects of a meat heavy diet.
“If they tell you to eat more meat to be strong, don’t buy it” ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
There are many health reasons why doctors may have advised Arnold Schwarzenegger to reduce meat and adopt a plant based diet. Its no secret that Arnie was diagnosed with a heart defect years ago and more recently underwent surgery to replace a pulmonic valve. Heart health is likely to be the main reason he decided to switch to a plant based diet, as research shows that a meat heavy diet can lead to high cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease.
So if eating meat can increase your risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease then maybe you should take Arnie’s advice. You don’t have to completely cut out meat but maybe by reducing the amount of meat and eating more plant based foods you can help reduce the chances of any serious illness.
If you want to experience the benefits of a plant based diet but want to maintain your level of protein then we strongly recommend you check out Organifi’s Complete Protein. It contains loads of nutrients that you would get from a plant based diet but also provides you with a quality source of plant protein which can help build muscle and improve your overall health.