Plant Powered

Triathletes, cyclists, and hardcore Ashtangis are among the new crop of athletes proving that a vegan diet can be a winning one.

By Rachel Seligman

When Scott Jurek, 32, of Seattle fuels up for a 50-mile ultramarathon, he reaches for a smoothie made with pears, bananas, apples, spirulina, and avocado. A mighty bowl of pasta, sauced with garlic and olive oil and brimming with fresh veggies, is the night-before-racing favorite of professional cyclist Christine Vardaros, 36, of Mill Valley, California. Triathlete Ruth Heidrich, 71, of Honolulu opts for a salad of greens with papaya, mango, bananas, and berries before setting out for a competition.

One thing you won't find on these athletes' grocery lists is meat, eggs, or dairy products. Jurek, Vardaros, and Heidrich are vegan. And if you think a vegan diet would compromise their physically demanding pursuits, just check out their performances: Jurek holds the course record in the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile trail race through rugged terrain. Vardaros is ranked no. 32 in the world in cycling, and Heidrich has won 900 medals in running events.

These folks are taking athleticism to the extreme—and, to some ways of thinking, they take their diets there too. Vegans don't eat fish, meat, poultry, or any food that relies on animals to produce it, including dairy products and eggs. Some consider honey taboo as well. They're part of a small but growing group: 2.8 percent of U.S. residents say they are vegetarian, and around half of those are vegan, according to a 2003 Harris Interactive survey sponsored by the nonprofit Vegetarian Resource Group.

One reason for the growing interest in veganism is the evidence that a low-fat, plant-based diet, combined with yoga and meditation, can reverse heart disease and slow down, stop, or perhaps reverse prostate and breast cancers, according to heart health guru Dean Ornish, M.D., a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco.

A diet low in fat and cholesterol needs less processing by the body, so it's easier to bounce back from hard workouts or illness, Ornish says.

Great Performances

Kathy McCrary, 41, of Olympia, Washington, who does a two-hour Ashtanga Yoga practice six days a week, says the yogic principle of ahimsa, or nonharming, naturally led her to veganism. "I feel by not contributing to animal agriculture, I'm not harming myself, not harming animals, and not harming the environment," she says.

Instead, she's enjoying a diet rich in satisfying nuts, grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables; her favorite lunch is a hearty African soup made with garbanzo beans, sweet potatoes, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, almond butter, and seasonings. "The nutrient-dense plant-based foods I eat give me incredible energy," McCrary says. "I feel light and strong as I lift my body again and again."

Jurek dropped animal products from his diet after reading Mad Cowboy, by Howard Lyman, the former cattle rancher whose portrayal of factory farming inspired Oprah Winfrey to say she was "stopped cold from eating another hamburger," sparking a lawsuit from the beef industry. Jurek finds that a vegan diet, when coupled with yoga and meditation, helps link his training to his spirituality. "I need to be balanced on all levels, including the nutritional level," he says. "A vegan diet is a very clean and nonviolent way of eating, and I feel it nourishes my physical self, just as asana does."

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