Now, this man has already written history by breaking three world records in weight lifting. After moving from Iran to Germany at the age of seven, the child of Armenian parents started to work out since he has always had the desire to be strong in order not only to defend himself but also to protect others as he puts it. In the beginning of his career, just like so many other professional weight lifters he was addicted to animal protein and even drank 10 liters of milk a day. However, later he became vegetarian before going eventually vegan afterwards. Read on to learn more about this so likely man, Patrik Baboumian, who virtually has smashed all stereotypes that are so often associated with vegans.
“If you ever assumed vegans all come in one size — skinny — think again.
Meet Patrik Baboumian, a German bodybuilder who is smashing soy-based stereotypes.“I’m probably the most unthinkable vegan on the planet for several reasons,” says Baboumian, who’s built like Popeye and has broken several powerlifting world records.His passion for bodybuilding stems from a childhood spent in Iran during the 1980s with the backdrop of war with neighboring Iraq.“I always had that desire of being strong and being able to protect myself, being able to protect others,” he recalls.
Plant power
His family moved to Germany when he was seven years old and it was here that he would begin his journey to weightlifting success.By the time the gentle giant became “Germany’s Strongest Man” in 2011 he was already a vegetarian. But he really started going from strength to strength when he chose the vegan lifestyle, which meant refusing to eat any food that came from animals.“I got heavier, I got stronger, I won the European championship title in powerlifting, I broke three world records so everything was going perfect … my blood pressure went down, and my recovery time was so much faster so I could train more.”The lean green lifting machine decided to use his success to raise awareness about veganism, and how it could help save the planet’s environment.“We have areas in the world where there is not enough food for people and I think it’s obscene to use all these resources we have to produce something your body doesn’t actually need,” says Baboumian.
‘Huge impact’
According to the United Nations’ World Food Program there are almost 800 million people going hungry in the world today, yet livestock alone are given enough grain to feed 3.5 billion people.
It’s not just grains that are going to animals, they also place a huge burden on water resources. 15,500 liters of water is needed to produce just one kilo of beef, whereas one kilo of potatoes uses 250 liters.Deforestation is another issue — the World Bank estimating that animal agriculture is responsible for up to 91% of the Amazon’s destruction.”
All nuts no meat!
Mark Cabrera
Tracy Nicole
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