Meet David Carter, Pro Football Player, Competitive Powerlifter, and Vegan

David Carter sure doesn’t look like the weak stereotype that many perceive those on a vegan diet to be. This 300-pound athlete is the defensive lineman for the Oakland Raiders in the NFL, and he does not eat any animal products. He is 26-years-old, has a height of 6-6 and can bench 470 and squat 660 pounds.

Carter grew up eating meat and believed it was necessary to eat it in order to be big and strong. “Every coach, trainer, nutritionist, and doctor all pointed me in the direction of animal products,” he wrote on his blog. “From protein shakes to weight gainers there was no other alternative, so I did as I was told and followed the standard athlete’s diet regimen. Whey protein, raw eggs, gallons of milk, and casein were in just about every supplement I took.”

So why did he make a healthier change? “One night my wife and I were watching Forks Over Knives and I realized that all the effort I was putting in to get big and strong for football was actually killing me,” he wrote. So, he started eating vegan!

Carter is awesome for showing the world that you can thrive and be strong enough to play football with the biggest of meat eaters. He played college football at U.C.L.A. and was drafted in 2011, making this season his fourth year in the NFL. Now, he is in the process of launching his personal website, The 300 Pound Vegan, where you can read posts about his vegan diet and catch up on news relating to the athlete. The site plans to allows readers to make a difference by submitting donations.

“I have always seen the benefits of being vegan, but I never thought I could have a plant-based diet and keep weight on for football,” Carter wrote on his blog. “After being vegan for only two months I can honestly say that being vegan is not the only most efficient way to be full body strong, it’s also the most humane; everyone wins.”

Images’ source: The 300 Pound Vegan