This story was originally published byGrist.
Last month, Balsamico came out at the top of her weight class atDelawares Baddest.
Balsamico is also a vegan of 11 years.
© Lily Lambie-Kiernan / Grist
I thought I was going to shrivel away to nothing, Balsamico told Grist.
Her Italian, sports-loving family had always eaten meat and dairy.
Thats what was always said to me, that you would basically get so skinny and die.
Gigi Balsamico pulls a Chevy Silverado and food truck trailer as part of the 2024 Delaware’s Baddest strongman competition. Courtesy of Gigi Balsamico
But Balsamicos love for animals compelled her to question these concerns.
Veganism is a tougher sell for strength athletes, who have higher protein needs than the average population.
They just need to consume extra protein compared to omnivores, Johnston said.
Gigi Balsamico, a strongman athlete on the vegan team PlantBuilt, has been meat-free for over 11 years. Courtesy of Gigi Balsamico
Most serious athletes know this, she added.
There are a lot of pro athletes who are vegan and they perform just as well as the nonvegans.
(It may be, however, that this relationshiponly applies to animal protein.)
Katie Chetcuti is a vegan fitness coach who uses plant-based protein power to supplement her diet. Courtesy of Katie Chetcuti
For someone who weighs 200 pounds, that would be 136 to 200 grams of protein per day.
Those foods both play a prominent role in the diets of the vegan athletes Grist spoke to.
(Americans are much more likely to bedeficient in fiberthan in protein.)
Ashley Kitchens of the PlantBuilt team of vegan athletes lifts a barbell during a strength competition. Courtesy of Ashley Kitchens
But others center their diets around plant-based products designed to taste like meat.
I can do more pushups and pull-ups, Im leaner, Im more cut.
But better performance and aesthetics are often seen as side benefits.
Bradie Crandall competes in a strongman competition. Courtesy of Bradie Crandall
Some learned about the brutal conditions animals face in factory farms, and said they didnt want to contribute.
Crandall said veganism wasnt even a choice for him.
I wanted to be able to sleep at night, he said.
Vegan athlete Robert Rogers works out in his backyard in Richmond, California. Courtest of Robert Rogers
Id been spending all day working in the lab to reduce CO2 emissions.
To then go home and eat meat just didnt feel right.
He believes others would feel the same way if given the right information.
Bradie Crandall says he felt ethically compelled to ditch animal foods after learning about their contribution to climate change. Despite winning strength competitions, he says people still question his choice to go vegan. Courtesy of Bradie Crandall
I want to make that very clear to them.
And when he was performing well, it was in spite of his diet.
The same goes for modern vegan athletes.
Vegan athletes are under a microscope, Crandall said.
Foods like salad and Jell-O were seen as dainty and understood to be womens cuisine.
A separate analysis from 2022 described how Australian men perceive plant-based burgers as a symbol of eliminated freedom.
Balsamico said shes resilient in the face of unkind online conduct.
I dont want people to ever feel that Im pushing stuff on them, she said.
Not that theres no alignment between those vegans and the plant-based strength athletes of Instagram.
I definitely have my moments of being a crazy vegan, Chetcuti said.
Ill show you slaughterhouse videos, I have them on my phone if you want to see them.
But overall, her theory of change is less about shocking people into action than leading by example.
This article originally appeared inGristathttps://grist.org/arts-culture/meet-the-jacked-vegan-strength-athletes-defying-stereotypes/.
Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
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