In the 2016 sports biopic Dangal, a memorable scene had Mahavir Phogat, played by Aamir Khan, prepare chicken for his two daughters who he was training to be wrestlers, much to the chagrin of his vegetarian wife. Samjha kar, wrestlers ko protein chahiye hota hai, explains Mahavir, Varna teri chhoriyan kamzor pehelwan banengi. This notion has existed for a long time that in order to be physically fit or train for any sport, you need to eat meat. However, over the last twelve months, two of Indias most famous and successful sportspersons Virat Kohli and Sunil Chhetri have gone against this traditional wisdom. Both represent, and lead, India internationally and are considered to be among the fittest athletes globally. Yet both of them have completely shifted to vegan and vegetarian diets. And they are not alone. Kohli and Chhetri are among a growing tribe of elite athletes across the globe, who all have gone vegan over the last few years.It is a myth that only animal protein is good for athleticsChhetri, the captain of the Indian football team, revealed last month that he had switched to a vegan diet. I have become vegan. I dont consume dairy or meat. It has helped me a lot in terms of recovery and digestion, the 35-year-old said in an interview to the All India Football Federation website. His cricketing counterpart, Virat Kohli, had turned semi-vegan in June last year, in that he does take dairy products occasionally, but has given up meat. Being a vegetarian has made me realise what I have believed all these years regarding diet was a myth. Ive never felt better in my life after I turned vegetarian, the world No 1 batsman wrote on Twitter in October.Sports nutritionists agree that vegan diets are enough to sustain an athlete and provide enough nutrition for their rigorous lifestyle. Delhi-based nutritionist Tapasya Mundhra says, A vegan diet can sustain you. It is a myth that only animal protein is good for athletics. A vegan diet has almost all the nutrients required by athletes. Some even argue that veganism helps improve ones performance. Sunil Chhetri believes vegan diet has helped his digestion. Mr Universe bodybuilder Barny du Plessis said that he had more energy and fewer aches and pains after turning vegan. Sports nutrition is about complete nutrition requirements for ones performance and vegan diet can provide that. In fact, vegan diet is less inflammatory, so it helps with performance, says Delhi-based sports nutritionist Lovneet Batra, who works with several vegan and vegetarian athletes.Its important to take the right supplementsHowever, the science does not back these claims. Mr India 2016 runner-up and fitness coach Viren Barman argues, I personally feel veganism is largely moralistic, wherein you do not want to consume animals or animal products. However, if you are doing that to enhance your performance, there is just no science to support that. Science is very new when it comes to this and there are still a lot of flaws in the theories suggested by advocates of veganism.

In fact, nutritionists warn that complete reliance on vegan diet can cause deficiencies, unless the athletes take proper supplements. Tapasya explains, You should be careful with the supplementation, because any disciplinary diet plan, including vegan, tends to lack certain essential vitamins and minerals. With vegan, you need to take supplements of Vitamins B12 and D3 as well as Omega 3. Tennis star Venus Williams, who had to turn vegan after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in 2017, said that she found it difficult to compete when on the diet. That way of eating was hard to maintain for long periods of time. At times, you just need something more substantial after a workout, she told a magazine earlier this year.

Not eating meat is an ethical choice, it doesnt have anything to do with performanceFor many fitness gurus and enthusiasts, the shift to vegan diet is more of an ethical issue than a performance-related one. Fitness entrepreneur Jitendra Chouksey says, I dont eat meat but thats an ethical choice. It does not have anything to do with performance. It is a fact that animal protein is slightly better than plant-based protein when it comes to metrics like bioavailability. But if you take a sufficient amount of plant-based protein, it offsets the need for animal-based protein. Your performance depends on a number of other factors, including your outlook and training.

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Top athletes go vegan but experts advise caution - Times of India