Is Arnold Schwarzenegger vegan now?
Legendary bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger is well known for his impressive physique, which set new standards of conditioning in bodybuilding. But there is a surprising fact about the legend of bodybuilding that will blow your mind.
Do you know that the Terminator is vegan? It's true that Schwarzenegger has opted for veganism in recent years.
In a previous edition of Arnie's newsletter, Arnold's Pump Club, the bodybuilder confidently mentioned that he is following an 80% vegan diet. After years of eating like a monster to maintain his massive physique, the bodybuilder has changed his dietary habits completely. In a video snippet from Netflix, Arnold Schwarzenegger explained the reason behind opting for this dieting style.
The Terminator said:
"I got older and as I started reading up on it, I recognize the fact that you really don't have to get the protein from me or from animals. So you start going more in a direction of vegetarian kind of a diet. Now with doing it the right way with the right spices all of a sudden I love it much more than the meat. And you know, the cholesterol went down to around 109 It was the lowest that it ever was in my entire life." [0:19]
At the age of 76, with three heart surgeries, Arnold Schwarzenegger is aiming to control his LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol. Non-vegetarian diets are bound to have higher levels of LDL cholesterol, which may increase the risk of developing heart disease. Now the Austrian Oak is strictly on a vegetarian diet and eats a steak or a Wiener schnitzel occasionally.
The Terminator even produced a vegan film, The Game Changer, in 2018. The documentary is about athletes who chose to follow vegan diets and achieve their goals. The documentary is even getting a sequel this year.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's vegan diet
As per the fitness page Set For Set, the bodybuilder starts his day with a cup of oatmeal and a bowl of fruit, along with coffee as his breakfast. This meal contains 430 calories, 10 grams of protein, 84 grams of carbs, and 6 grams of fat.
For his lunch, Schwarzenegger eats 2 patties each of 80 ounces of plant-based ground beef along with 2 whole-grain hamburger buns with steamed broccoli as his side dish. This meal gives him 50 grams of protein along with 769 calories and 70 grams of carbs.
Now comes his post-workout meal. For this particular meal, Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a smoothie. The ingredients Arnie uses are 80 ounces of almond milk and a splash of tart cherry juice. Along with these, he adds a medium-sized banana, 2 scoops of vanilla vegan protein powder, and finally a whole egg with its shell.
The smoothie gives him 60 grams of protein and 40 grams of carbs for his workout. For the final meal, the Austrian Oak eats a light meal. He makes a cucumber salad with pumpkin seed oil. He also has vegetable soup to have enough carbs and proteins.