2014's Mr. Universe, Barny du Plessis, has posed in front of the camera for PETA in a bid to highlight " The world's strongest animals are plant-eaters: gorillas, buffaloes, elephants and me".
Vegan Power!
Du Plessis has been a bodybuilder for most of his life and once thought that meat and eggs were the only foods to help build muscle.
When his health issues started to mount- he decided to remove meat from his diet and replace it with protein packed plant based meals.
Since the switch his health has massively improved and he is more than happy with this new physique.
With his bodybuilding vegan fiancé Josie Keck, he competes at an elite level as the world's first professional vegan bodybuilder.
In an exclusive PETA interview, he said, "Since becoming a vegan my training has been amazing. I wake up feeling good, I've got more energy, my recovery's really good and I've got no aches and pains. Best of all, I'm not contributing to the suffering of animals."
Vegans are less likely to develop heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer and obesity than their meat eating neighbours.
Every person who goes vegan saves the lives of approximately 100 animals that would ordinarily be killed in factory farms, slaughter houses or on the decks of fishing boats.
Du Plessis joins a growing list of athletes - including Germany's Strongest Man, Patrik Baboumian; American Ninja Warrior veteran Tim Shieff; football great Phil Neville and many others - who have teamed up with PETA (whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to eat") to promote healthy and humane meat-free meals.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.
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