Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is dealing with an injured foot and it could be a few weeks before he returns to action. However, his diet could be the reason he is not healing as fast as he should. Brendan Marks of the Charlotte Observer took a look at Newton being a vegan, which is something he started in February. He spoke to nutritionist and strength/conditioning coach, Chris Howard, who claimed Newton was at his best when he was eating lean protein.
“Go back to 2015 Cam, badass Cam. He was a pescatarian,” Howard said. “Salmon, shrimp, you get a lot of good fats and complete proteins. In fact, (fish) is one of the best protein sources there is. Now you take away the most valuable part of that (diet), and … there’s just no way around it: He can’t recover as well with less nutrients, with less calories and with less muscle mass. It’s just not going to happen.”
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In one of his vlog episodes, Newton explained why he made the move from his pescatarian diet, which is something he began in 2015.
“I’m a constant work in progress. I always try to tap into something that’s going to better me, whether as an athlete, as a parent, as a person. So this offseason, I was like man, I want to try something different,” Newton said. “I’m loving how I’m feeling.”
The article goes on how vegan athletes can succeed and how they can get the protein they need to remain healthy. One thing Newton will have to watch for is losing muscle mass which will limit his ability to rehab his injured foot.
“If he’s losing muscle mass while trying to recover … that’s not a conducive environment at all,” Howard said. “You want all hands on deck, nutritionally, to repair that muscle. I understand how much rehab he’s doing, but when you have less nutrients — specifically protein — to rebuild that, you’re putting yourself behind the eight ball.”
It was recently reported that Newton is looking to avoid surgery on his foot but it’s unknown if when he’ll return. In the meantime, the Panthers are going with Kyle Allen as their starting QB. Last week, Allen made his first start of the year and threw for four touchdowns in the Panthers’ 38-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
