Entering his 11th season in the NFL, Brandon Mebane decided to make a change.
After watching a series of food-documentaries that according to Mebane "all had something special" about them, Mebane decided to make the switch to a more plant-based diet. Although he said it's been harder to maintain during camp, he chose to implement the change to take control of his health and also put that new education to work.
"I wanted to look at education on the body, foods and for my kids, also," Mebane said. "The other thing is that after football, (my health) is very important (to get this weight off). During football, I wanted to try something to help my stamina so I can play longer on the field, not fatigue as quick and try to make more plays."
One of those documentaries that was the impetus for the change was What the Health? As Mebane explained on his blog last month, when he watched it, he was stunned.
"I used to think that big football players like ya boy needed meat to play effectively. However, the documentary has a number of vegan world class athletes who were at the top of their game. It was surprising to learn that we can get all the protein we need from vegetables. I haven't completely given up meat, but eating less of it has given me a new found energy. I even weigh less than I did last season. I feel explosive!"
Mebane eats three meals a day and considers his snacks "off and on." Out of those three meals, only one will contain meat. For him, it doesn't matter which meal is the meat one as he chooses it based on his mood that day and how he's feeling.
He does have a current weakness though – cookies at the training camp hotel.
"(During) lunch and dinner, I'm always putting salad on my plate along with some fruit. Then it's going around and freestyling and seeing what is around and try to figure it out."
Although the switch may seem hard, Mebane mentioned that it was actually the opposite. If it keeps him healthy and helps his game, then he's all for it.
"It wasn't hard. Once you educate yourself on meat, you have a new mindset. You have a mindset of what you put into your body and what's good for your body."
