In a recent feature, fitness magazine Shape spotlighted vegan bodybuilding couple Marcela Torres and Derek Tresize, who have set out to dispel the stereotype that building muscle must rely on animal products by entering (and winning!) body building competitions. Torres began bodybuilding after the birth of their first child and thanks her vegan diet for helping her drop from 20 percent to 12 percent body fat. Similarly, Tresize credited his plant-based diet for helping him drop from 12 percent to 7 percent body fat in one month. While they occasionally indulge in some vegan processed products, the couple relies mostly on whole foods. Furthermore, Torres says that “one of the greatest benefits of a vegan diet is how affordable staple items like rice, potatoes, and beans are, especially if you buy them in bulk.” Vegan bodybuilders, including Mr. Universe Barny Du Plessis, continue to break through the meat-centric stereotypes associated with high power athletes.

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