The SAS ditches meat to prevent food poisoning, while one-third of new recruits are already vegetarian or vegan.
Did you think the SAS needed meat to endure their gruelling training? Think again.
The Mirror revealed that the Special Air Service (SAS) has gone plant-based to avoid food poisoning while out on operations in hotter climates.
A source said: “The last thing you want on operations is food poisoning and experience has shown that is less likely to happen with a plant-based diet.”
Moreover, one-third of recruits are reportedly vegetarian or vegan, with the diet choices more popular with younger draftees.
The soldiers in the special force burn up to 3,500 calories a day, which means they must be bulking up on carby grains and plant proteins.
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‘Predominantly vegetarian lifestyle’
Ant Middleton, host and chief instructor on SAS: Who Dares Wins, seems to be a convert to a more plant-based diet himself.
The ex-soldier said: “I start the day with fresh vegetable juice, eat plenty of protein, and avoid dairy. I went vegan for a year and have since stuck to a predominantly vegetarian lifestyle.”
And it appears that Middleton isn’t the only one. A source told The Mirror: “Guys started coming back from a six-month tour of duty where they haven’t eaten meat and have decided to stick with a veggie diet.”
They do say it takes 21 days to break a habit!
Middleton previously said while appearing on Good Morning Britain that he wouldn’t go vegan because he is “too much of a meat-eater” and a “bit of a caveman”. However, it seems his attitude to plant-based eating has completely changed, and the ex-soldier now realises you can get all the protein you need on a vegan diet.
Trying to increase your protein intake to feel healthier and stronger?
Here is our Seven-Day High-Protein Vegan Meal Plan.
