SAS recruits go plant-based to avoid food poisoning

Read Time:   |  28th December 2020


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The SAS ditches meat to prevent food poisoning, while one-third of new recruits are already vegetarian or vegan.

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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.

‘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.

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