The Ashes Menu: Vegan Diet a Winning Formula for Athletes
From in the ring and on the track, vegan athletes are proving that people don’t need dairy products and meat to compete. Meat-free athletes include mixed martial arts fighters Jake Shields and Mac Danzig and ultra-endurance racers Rich Roll and Brendan Brazier, amongst many others. And it seems vegan diets are even spreading to cricket pitches.
Peter Siddle, the Australian bowler, has recently ditched meat from his diet: “I did a lot of research, read up on a lot of other athletes and people around the world who live like that, trying to learn from other people’s stories.”
So with the trend toward choosing a healthy vegan diet, it is no surprise that the leaked menu for the England cricket team’s Ashes tour was chockfull of healthy vegan options.
The menu was shared online and can be seen at The Sydney Morning Herald‘s website. While it isn’t all vegan, it does give compassionate eaters on the team lots to choose from. It includes animal-free mains, entrées, breakfasts and desserts that will make your mouth water. Recipes include quinoa and cranberry breakfast bars, a grilled aubergine with red pepper, red onion and basil purée, thai peanut tofu, red lentil and coconut soup, a courgette and coconut chilli and a delicious-sounding chocolate and sesame ganache.
We went ahead and cooked just a few of our favourite-sounding vegan items from the menu and put them to the test!
After sampling the vegan options in the menu, we’ll be cheering on England in the Ashes knowing full well that the players who chose these items at tea break will have all the strength and stamina that they need to leave sluggish meat-eaters in the dust. To learn about how a well-rounded vegan diet is packed full of the essential nutrients that any athlete, or anyone else, needs, download our free vegan starter kit.
