All the websites on the Internet are telling me that Novak Djokovic is a vegan. His diet is certainly fantastic and super-healthy. It requires self-discipline which he has in abundance.
However, a recent article in The Times following his victory at The French Open tells me quite conclusively that Novak is not truly vegan because his daily diet includes salmon fillets with the skin on!
If you would like to read up on his complete daily diet you can click on this link. But his evening meal is as follows:
Dinner: kale Caesar salad (kale, fennel, quinoa and pine nuts) plus dressing (including anchovies or sardines); minestrone soup; salmon fillets (skin on) with roasted tomatoes and marinade.
You will note the inclusion of “salmon fillets” with the skin on! Vegans do not eat any flesh from any animal whether they be land-based or marine animals. Vegans only eat plant-based foods.
Benefits
It seems that processed sugars, dairy and wheat gluten and also salt and to a certain extent meat are the big no-nos for those who want to improve their diet. And cutting out meat is going to have a dramatic improvement on animal welfare. Most animal cruelty takes place on intensive farms. Remove dairy and meat from your diet and a lot of that animal cruelty would go away provided sufficient numbers alter their diet! And I’m talking about hundreds of millions of people. But in truth, in terms of animal welfare, the world can’t wait for people to become vegans.
There are many health benefits to becoming vegan. For example:
- Eating processed meat increases the chances of developing cancer.
- Research indicates that consuming animal flesh, milk and eggs can be as detrimental to our health as smoking!
- We can get all the nutrients that we need from a vegan diet.
- Vegans eat more fibre, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, folate and vitamins A and E
- Plant-based foods are packed with phytochemicals. These are powerful antioxidants found in vegetables and fruits.
- Vegans have a high concentration of antioxidant carotenoids and a higher proportion of total omega-3 fatty acids.
- Vegans have lower levels of saturated fatty acids than non-vegans. These help to improve health.
- A German study found that men on a vegetarian diet had cancer rates that were less than half of those of the general public.
- Vegans are happier than meat eaters partly because they know that they’re doing the right thing in terms of animal welfare. PETA tells us that vegans and vegetarians had better scores on depression tests and mood profiles than those who ate meat and fish.
- Vegans have a lower calorie intake compared to non-vegans. This means that they are more likely to maintain a healthy body weight (a good BMI) without having to deliberately diet.
- Veganism can help to eliminate the possibility of contracting Type II diabetes as they have lower blood sugar levels than non-vegans.
- Veganism can help with your skin. Apparently multiple studies tell us that dairy foods exacerbate acne in both men and women. Vegetables and fruits as mentioned contain antioxidants and vitamins which are good for skin health.
- A vegan diet can help to reduce symptoms of arthritis as animal-based foods are linked to inflammation.
- Probiotic plant-based foods can also boost gut bacteria which by the way has been found to help promote a good immune system.
- There is another benefit in going vegan. There will be less cows and cows produce methane; a major contributor to global warming. Going vegan will help to suppress what appears to be an inevitable process of global warming which currently humankind is unable to stop.
My thanks to PETA for the list of benefits.
