Image Credits - Men's Health
Is Lewis Hamilton a vegan? The Briton is one of the fittest Formula 1 drivers in the world, but fans are curious to know whether he is a vegan or not.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has always stressed that he needs to remain in pristine condition in order to compete in Formula 1. The English driver has one of the best nutrition diets in the world as well in order to maintain that incredible core.
However, several fans have begun to wonder whether Hamilton is a vegan. Vegans are those who abstain from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals.
Last year, Hamilton spoke to Men’s Health and declared that he is a vegan and has been following veganism since 2018. The Mercedes superstar also claimed that his plant-based diet has helped him improve as a driver and person.
“Ever since I became a vegan, I have more energy; I’m so much more productive, I wake up feeling way better, clearer in thought and fresher in my body. I recover quicker; I sleep better. My skin cleared up. I have fewer allergies. There are just so many impacts it has had on my life.” said Hamilton.
Hamilton also went on to admit that the only regret he had was that he didn’t turn into a vegan sooner. When he arrived in Formula 1 at the tender age of 22, Hamilton’s diet was fuelled by meats. However, all that changed four years ago.
By his own admission, Hamilton stated that he eased into veganism, “You’ve just got to taper off things: stop eating chocolate, stop eating dairy and then slowly stop eating meat and stop eating fish. Go pescatarian for a while. That’s what I did…and I don’t miss a single thing.“
“I think it became a huge turning point in my life. The only regret I have is that I didn’t start this diet earlier. It has completely changed my fricking life. I’m physically in better shape than I’ve ever been, and I’m more successful than ever right now, and my plant-based programme has played such a big role in that,” Hamilton concluded.
Hamilton has won seven world titles and three of them have come after he turned vegan in 2018. This year, he has struggled to get to grips with his new car but still managed a 3rd place finish at the Bahrain GP in the opening race of the season.
On the current grid of Formula 1 drivers, Hamilton remains the only one who continues to follow a vegan diet. However, four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel also attempted to become a vegan. The German had followed a six-week plant-based diet in 2018.
Vettel revealed that he tried veganism for a while as he was hoping to help the environment and make a small effort toward preventing global warming. “It lasted about six weeks and I learned a lot from it. I have studied the subject intensively and there is no real diet. Everyone is different, and everybody reacts differently,” he said. However, Vettel confirmed that he now prefers to eat more vegetables and avoids eating meat on a regular basis, “But I now eat less meat and pay more attention to the quality of the products, which is relatively easy in Switzerland. There are now also more vegetables on my plate.” he concluded.
Despite Vettel and Hamilton’s claims on going vegan potentially turns out to be a better solution for the environment, other drivers including Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Romain Grosjean opposed those claims. While Raikkonen and Grosjean have retired from the sport, Verstappen continues to perform at the best of his level. The Dutchman won the Drivers’ Championship last year and currently leads the standings in 2022 as well.
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