Veganuary: 5 Women’s Soccer Players Who Swear by a Vegan Diet
Being a Soccerista takes a lot of work on the field but also a lot off the field. Eating right can help you gain strength and endurance quicker and also help with recovery and getting a good night’s sleep. Check out some pro players who swear by a vegan diet.
Toni Pressley
Vegan since 2016, Pressley credits a lot of the good in her life to this lifestyle. Pressley is the only player in NWSL history to return to the game after a breast cancer diagnosis, which she received in 2019. She cited going vegan as a massive help in her health and performance on the pitch.
Along with her Pride teammate, Ali Riley, Pressley hosted a limited series cooking show called Girls Gone Veg. Their show talks about health, wellness, life journeys, and so much more with some familiar socceristas like Pressley’s fiancé, Marta.
Alex Morgan
Morgan is probably the most well-known vegan player in the game right now. Morgan has been living a vegan lifestyle since 2017, and her reasons have more to do with the health of others, specifically her dog.
After partnering with PETA, Morgan stated: “I even adopted a vegan diet because it didn’t feel fair to have a dog I adore and yet eat meat all the time.” So what started as an act of kindness for animals everywhere has become a choice that this USWNT player swears by for athletes who want to play harder and hurt less.
Jenny Beattie
We don’t know precisely when or why this Scottish defender took up a vegan diet, but it’s clearly working. Much like Pressley, Beattie also received a recent breast cancer diagnosis. In 2020 she underwent surgery to remove a lump and began treatment to kill any remaining cancer cells.
Still, even during treatment, Beattie continued to play for her club team, Arsenal, and show up for the Scotland National Team.
Chloe Arthur
Our second Scottish defender on this list, Arthur, doesn’t miss her old ways. A choice that is ethical and nutritious through her vegan diet, Arthur has said, “Whatever you have, I will probably eat the same, just I replace the meat with a different protein… Why slaughter animals when you can get all the nutritious meals without having to do that?”
Much like the rest of the Socceristas on this list, Arthur has noticed improved recovery and fewer injuries.
Honorable mention: Ali Riley
While the New Zealand captain and current Angel City defender isn’t completely 100% a vegan (yet), she does a stellar job of promoting the lifestyle. A self-identified flexitarian—a semi-vegetarian diet where folks only eat meat once or twice a week—Riley talks a lot about the benefits of going plant-based. Her food blog is full of vegetarian/vegan recipes and ways to veganize other recipes.
Featured image via @USWNT on Twitter
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