Copyright Men's Journal
When most people picture an NFL defensive end, they imagine a towering wall of muscle built on steak, chicken and protein shakes. Deatrich Wise Jr. fits the first part—at 6 feet 5 inches and nearly 290 pounds, the Washington Commander squats more than 500 pounds and spends his Sundays collecting double-teams and pushing around some of the strongest men in football. But here’s the twist: Wise doesn’t eat meat, fish, eggs or dairy. The nine-year NFL veteran follows a strict vegan diet. “I play one of the league’s most brutal positions fueled entirely by plants,” he says. Want trending news, op-eds, and top stories straight to your inbox? Sign up for our Daily newsletter. Spending part of his childhood living in Texas, Wise was surrounded by barbecue culture and Southern cooking. “I loved all of it: ribs, brisket—everything barbecue, and all different cuts of meat. I was also really big on pasta. I loved baked ziti and things like chicken pot pie…burgers, hot dogs, you name it,” he says. In college, Wise continued to eat the same way: “Pancakes, eggs, sausage, whatever meat friends hauled back from hunting. I really liked it all.” However, after suffering an injury in college, Wise began searching for ways to accelerate his recovery, in addition to physical therapy. “I tried to find ways to get back on the field quicker. I looked into food and different things to eat that would lessen inflammation and speed up my recovery,” he says. “I had read that meat caused inflammation in the body, so I started to cut out pork and red meat. I really felt that it helped to speed things up. When I got to the league [NFL], I was only eating chicken and fish for a couple of years. Then, in the fall of 2018, I started transitioning to vegan.” The decision to make the complete transition to a strict plant-based diet was a combination of minimizing inflammation for faster recoveries and ethical concerns about the meat industry as a whole. “I like to say I’m a conscious eater. I wanted to know how food gets to my plate, how it’s raised, and what goes into it,” Wise shares. “What I learned was alarming to me, and I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I didn’t want to support an industry that was handling the animals they fed to people, which I wasn’t OK with, and I didn’t want to put it in my body.” So, What Does Fueling an NFL Body With Plants Actually Look Like? “It’s a mix of whole foods and planning,” Wise says. “I eat pumpkin seeds for zinc, walnuts and chia seeds for omega-3s. Chickpeas, black beans, quinoa, oats, and legumes for protein.” Leafy greens, such as kale and spinach, are also staples due to their ability to cleanse the body and aid in recovery. “Beets are great because they open up the blood vessels,” he adds. To fight inflammation, “I use turmeric with black pepper—that combination activates it. For recovery after hard days, cherry juice is a go-to. I also supplement with creatine, since that doesn’t come from plants. And then there’s fruit—bananas, mangoes, watermelon—those all give me energy.” Not everyone was supportive of Wise’s decision to go all-in as a vegan. “Most of my teammates were shocked,” Wise says, with a laugh. “A lot of guys thought I’d drop weight or wouldn’t recover as fast. But the opposite happened—I got stronger, gained muscle, and my recovery was better than ever.” Even his NFL nutritionist had doubts. “He was concerned that I would lose muscle or too much weight, so we made a bet. I said if I lost too much muscle, I’d start eating eggs again. Eggs are a great source of nutrition, and I told him I’d go back [to eating eggs] if I had to.” Wise didn’t lose the bet. “I came back and had gained nearly 30 pounds of muscle and was at around 12-percent body fat. I weighed in at around 290. My strength improved—I was squatting like 545 pounds. I get my blood tested every day, and everything was perfect.” His teammates noticed his transformation and began closely monitoring his diet. “Guys watch my plate in the cafeteria. Some started adding chia seeds to smoothies and more greens to their trays. When they see it working, they get curious.” Wise has advice for anyone who is vegan-curious or considering reducing their overall meat intake. “Do your research. Find out where you get your protein—lentils, beans, quinoa, seeds. Learn what foods help you recover—greens, beets, cherry juice for inflammation,” he says. “Don’t forget about omega-3s from walnuts and chia. Supplement creatine and B12. And get enough sleep.” He claims the biggest myth about a plant-based diet is that you need meat to build muscle or perform. “Most of the things that give animals, pigs, chickens, cows their protein, are the same things I’m eating now—plants, vegetables, grains. Everyone always asks: ‘Where do you get protein?’ or ‘How can you get enough protein?’ My answer is always, ‘your protein eats my protein.'” Wise adds, “I’m living proof: I play one of the most physical positions in the league, and do it all on plants. That should tell you everything you need to know.”
