..Prince Fielder is now a WHAT?

[HCYanks]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=720531

Try this: Prince Fielder is a vegetarian.

That 6-foot, 260-pound build is powered by wheatgrass, soy and tofu nowadays. No meat. Not even fish.

It wasn't always this way. Fielder used to enjoy a stacked burger or a juicy steak as much as any carnivore, but a few weeks ago he received a book from his wife, Chanel, that changed his outlook on what he puts in his massive frame. The book described how certain animals are treated and slaughtered for food.

The youngest player to hit 50 home runs in a season was grossed out, so much so that he made his last meaty meal a salmon filet before quitting the animal game on Feb. 3. He has even dabbled in a vegan lifestyle but admits that might be pushing things a little.

"After reading that, (meat) just didn't sound good to me anymore," Fielder said. "It grossed me out a little bit. It's not a diet thing or anything like that. I don't miss it at all."

I still think he breaks down a goes on a Baconator bender by mid-May.

[HMFFL]

Why not, once he hits 50 homers again?

[trwi7]

He's a vegetarian and growing dreadlocks. Prince Fielder is turning into a hippie.

[Pats19andO]

^ Hopefully he doesnt take a page out of Josh Hamitons book

[hermes]

is there any way this can last
i mean i've heard of what they do to animals too, but i'm not giving up meat for it

[Bleeding Green]

Is this a smart thing to do for him? Surely he needs a lot of protein. Yeah, you can consume protein without eating meat but it's a far bigger pain in the ass.

[Basketball Jesus]

Is this a smart thing to do for him? Surely he needs a lot of protein. Yeah, you can consume protein without eating meat but it's a far bigger pain in the ass.

Isn

[Chach]

Soy isn't a complete protein, it's missing a few amino acids that humans need. Meat has all the essential amino acids in it but cooking can break down some of the amino acids and a lot of meat comes with extra fat to worry about.

It takes planning but it's really not that hard to give up meat and get enough protein in your diet IF you have the money because it isn't cheap. He can hire a nutritionist and use his millions to buy what he needs and he is set. If average joes like us that would find it more difficult. He should be fine. mahalo
~Chach~

[Geddy]

with all the meds out there, who needs meat?

[TheUrbanZealot]

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Isn

[TheUrbanZealot]

Soy isn't a complete protein, it's missing a few amino acids that humans need. Meat has all the essential amino acids in it but cooking can break down some of the amino acids and a lot of meat comes with extra fat to worry about.

It takes planning but it's really not that hard to give up meat and get enough protein in your diet IF you have the money because it isn't cheap. He can hire a nutritionist and use his millions to buy what he needs and he is set. If average joes like us that would find it more difficult. He should be fine. mahalo
~Chach~

The whole "complete protein" issue is a total myth. People like bill pearl and andreas cahling won mr universe titles as VEGANS. You don't need to worry so much about the "planning" as you do about where your protein comes from in the 1st place. Even greens contain protein. The reality is if you just eat the right foods (veggies, legumes, sprouts, nuts, etc) your body can assimilate all of the necessary aminos to function more than aptly. They don't have to be eaten at the same time, they don't have to be consumed in mass quantity.

Protein from plant sources is typically 25-50% more digestible than that of animal sources....

[Chach]

I've done some research after this story hit and now I am curious as to why soy isn't a bigger part of of athlete's diets. From what I've read, there is concern about your estrogen levels rising and while I've seen some confirmation that this can happen, you need to eat MASSIVE amounts of soy and soy products to have this happen. When I was hitting the gym pretty hard, I used to mix my whey protein with soy milk to get extra protein into my system right away.

I'm not saying this is impossible, far from it. But the fact of the matter is a lot of the "complete proteins" out there are animal based. If you know what you are doing, talk to a nutritionist or do a little research, you can EASILY cut animals out of your diet and still meet your protein intake. But Prince Fielder is a professional athlete. He is going to be needing in excess of 200 grams of protein every day because of the physical toll his body takes. It's a lot easier if you take complete proteins because all the amino acids are there and can do their work right away. He has to mix and match nuts and legumes and what not to to get all of the essential amino acids into his system, at a level high enough for him to perform. And what happens when he goes on the road? It's a lot easier to find a hamburger versus quinoa (another plant based complete protein). He can make it happen but to perform on the level that he is expected to without the aid of meat, it's going to take a lot of work and planning. Allowing for dairy products (like whey and casein) will make his life a lot easier. That's all I'm saying. mahalo
~Chach~

[cb4_89]

its not healthy to eat too much protein anyway.

[TheUrbanZealot]

its not healthy to eat too much protein anyway.

Very underrated, great point. Too much protein creates an excess of uric acid ... It's better to eat a little bit of protein that is highly digestible. Of course, the exception is if you are trying to be muscle-bound, but even then it can be rather dangerous...

[Buck You]

Only Real Gm can turn a thread about Prince Fielder giving up meat into a protein debate.

[Da Schwab]

I guess Prince is trading in his celebratory 'Home Run Ham' for a Tofurkey.

Looks like the Brewers will also have to put a Tofu Dog in the weiner race, too.

[trwi7]

Looks like the Brewers will also have to put a Tofu Dog in the weiner race, too.

Why? The fans won't associate with that. We only like good food.

[Worm Guts]

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Very underrated, great point. Too much protein creates an excess of uric acid ... It's better to eat a little bit of protein that is highly digestible. Of course, the exception is if you are trying to be muscle-bound, but even then it can be rather dangerous...

Actually it's an irrelevant point. Nobody is suggesting that he eat more protein than he had been as meat eater. The question is if he'll eat enough protein as a vegetarian to maintain his muscle mass. It's not a difficult thing to do, but he will have to think about it a little more.

[TheUrbanZealot]

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Actually it's an irrelevant point. Nobody is suggesting that he eat more protein than he had been as meat eater. The question is if he'll eat enough protein as a vegetarian to maintain his muscle mass. It's not a difficult thing to do, but he will have to think about it a little more.

Actually, the poster was talking in general terms, so it is a very relevant point. Too much protein can be a bad thing, period. I think he/she was implying that protein is a bit overrated in relation to it's importance w/ performance.

[Chach]

We are not talking about normal people, we are talking about athletes. Yes, the point is a good point when discussing the dietary habits of you or I but in terms of a high performance athlete, what you or I ingest is irrelevant. Because Prince is going to be spending several hours a day lifting weights/stretching/running/swinging a large piece of wood, he is going to create million of micro-tears in his muscles and he is going to need protein to repair those. Getting the 60-80 grams that would be normal or safe for you or I is going to leave him considerably sore in the morning and will continue to compound the situation. I lift for maybe 5 hours a week and if I don't get over 100 grams of protein a day, especially on the days I lift, I am sore as hell the next day. It's certainly not the only factor (sleep, stretching, alcohol) but protein intake is one of the top priorities for an athlete like Prince.

The new PED of choice in baseball isn't HGH. It's too expensive, less effective, and too hard to get ahold of. Today, the new drug is insulin because it is easily obtainable (because of diabetes) and it does WONDERS for the body in terms of recovery and hypertrophy. Weight lifters are using it more and more now too. It helps pack on muscle during the off-season and helps a player recover during the season to keep them from really falling down exhausted come August/September. But in order for that insulin to do any good for a player, he is going to need the protein in his system to synthesize the amino acids into muscle fibers. Protein intake is a big part of staying healthy in sports. mahalo
~Chach~