Famous Vegans - Mac Danzig

Mac Danzig, 2006.

Mac Danzig

Born January 2, 1980. He is an American mixed martial (MMA) artist. He competes as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). His titles include MMA national amateur MMA champion, Gladiator Challenge lightweight champion, IFC lightweight champion, 5 time King of the Cage world lightweight champion, The Ultimate Fighter season six winner.

Before he started fighting professionally, he worked as a caretaker at an Animal Sanctuary in Pennsylvania for two years.

Mac Danzig: Testimonial for PETA

Quotes by Mac Danzig:

"This is just a sport for me. It's not about animosity and wanting to be violent."

"The animals don’t have a choice in the matter, I have a choice and the guy standing across from me in the ring, he’s got a choice too. We might beat the crap out of each other but we’re going to give each other a hug afterwards and it’s all good, it’s a sport."

"Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had a profound respect and interest in nature and animals. I guess it’s just in my blood. I grew up poor by American standards and was raised to eat whatever we could afford. I remember being 13 and seeing a truck on the interstate filled with pigs all headed to the slaughterhouse. One of them made eye contact with me for a while. It was one of the saddest moments I can remember. There was so much intelligence and spirit in him, and here he was, being sent to an awful death."

"I don’t see any reason to contribute to a really awful industry that causes too many problems. It’s horrible what the animals have to go through on a daily basis, it’s just awful–they’re born and raised in really nasty conditions and it’s better not to contribute to that whole thing. I just don’t see in this day and age a real reason to contribute to that when you can be really healthy and not eat that sort of thing and not cause a lot of suffering."

"When I was 16, I cut out beef and pork. I just got to the point where I wanted to minimize my intake of animal products."

"I cut dairy completely out of my diet in 1999. ... This was due to an allergy that I developed in my adolescent years to dairy that effected my sinuses and everything connecting to them. For a good part of my teenage years, I suffered from severe ear infections and chronic Vertigo. ... I did my research and finally found the source. A lot of people don't realize how hard milk, whey, and other dairy products are on the sinuses and respiratory system."

"The dairy industry would like you to believe that you need milk to get calcium. That notion is as oxymoronic as you can get."

"It wasn’t until I was 20 and I got a job working at an animal sanctuary in Pennsylvania called Ooh-Mah-Nee Farm that I was able to meet people who were vegan and realize how strongly some people felt about it and how many healthy alternatives to animal products there were. I experimented with a vegan diet for about a year, but once I started training full-time for fighting, I believed what certain people said and started eating chicken again because I thought that I had to have some kind of animal protein in order to be a successful athlete."

"In 2004, I got to the point where I was sick of eating chicken. It started grossing me out for some reason. I was about a month out from a fight and I decided I was going to cut out all meat. I was working with a trainer who was vegan and he helped me make the switch. I won that fight and went on a 12-fight winning streak."

"I thought I’d lose some strength or something but the only thing was I did lose weight initially, but didn’t lose any strength. The diet is actually one of the main things that help me cut to 155, I don’t think I’d be able to do it without it."

"I never subscribed to the theory that you need 1.5 or two grams of protein per pound of body weight, and when I did some research on it I found that your body can only absorb so much. I shoot for 120 grams a day, which is less than a gram per pound."

"Other people ask, "How can you do that? How can you eat like that", but it’s really not that hard, it’s just whether or not you want to do it."

"I don't spend nearly as much time doting over my diet as most people think. I know what to eat and what not to."

"One thing I consciously try and do is eat a higher amount of Alkaline-forming foods than acid-forming foods throughout each day."

"I'm going to list some regular foods that I eat a lot of. ... Brown Rice: One of my main sources of complex carbs along with Oatmeal. ... Wild Rice (actually a grass seed) is even better if you can get a hold of it. Portobello mushrooms: These are great. Good protein source, low calories, low sodium. ... I eat many of these when cutting weight. Tempeh: This is a Tofu-based food and a good source of protein and fiber... Quinoa: it's a great source of not only carbs and protein, but fiber as well. This is one of the most nutritionally complete foods out there with a full, balanced set of amino acids. Black Beans, lentils, etc."

"Vegetables: These are very necessary. I don't eat them as much as I should, but when I do, it's broccoli, peas, corn, green beans and spinach most of the time. ... The leafy greens like collards, spinach and kale are extremely good for you."

"Nuts & seeds: I find almonds are the best for me. ... Pumpkin seeds are definitely recommended... They are high in iron, which is important, because as an athlete, iron can be lost rapidly through sweat. Sunflower seeds are also pretty good and are a decent source of protein and vitamin E..."

"Vega: This is awesome. It has everything I need and it's quick and easy. Although not ideal, I could really live off of this with no problems. Full nutrition. Vega makes powdered whole food meal replacements and energy bars that I eat pretty much every day. Their meal replacement uses hemp protein and pea protein as a base."

"The Ultimate Meal : I swear by this stuff, it's a whole meal and has made up a huge part of my diet for 3 years now. It's a bit of an acquired taste, but I truly notice myself feeling better when I use it daily."

"I use brown rice protein from Nutri-Biotic brand when I'm looking for plain protein supplement. Nutri-Biotic Rice protein has an 80% protein content and all the amino acids. I also find that Rice protein is digested a lot easier than soy."

"Clif Builders Bar : As far as protein bars go, these are the best tasting and pretty addictive... There's a decent amount of sodium and calories, so they're not ideal when you're cutting weight."

"Here's an example of a typical (non-weight cutting) training day:

Breakfast: Oatmeal and soy yogurt with fruit.

Snack: almonds and dried cranberries

Lunch:
Barley salad
Sauteed zucchini and mushroom and 'garden' flavor tempeh with curry dipping sauce.

Midday:
Vega shake, Clif Builder Bar.

Snack: Tortilla chips and Guacamole

Dinner:
Brown rice pasta with fresh portabello's and eggplant and marinara sauce.

Late night:
Coconut sorbet with pineapples."

"When I’m not in training, I eat Soy Delicious ice cream and vegan chocolate chip cookies like they’re going out of style."

"I think one of the best first actions for someone who is taking baby steps towards vegetarianism is eliminating all dairy products. Too many people quit eating all meats and then overload themselves with cheese and dairy to compensate. Then they wonder why they feel worse than they did before. I say quit dairy and eat a lot of grains and vegetables, then it will become apparent soon enough that you do not need any other animal product either."

"If you truly care about animal rights and have a passion for it, take some action. Whether it’s hands-on or political, just go for it. No matter what path you choose in life or what you decide to do, you can use your voice to educate other people and help the cause."

"There's hardly anything more rewarding than helping an animal who needs it."

Quotes are from his interview with PETA2, an article he wrote about his vegan diet on Mahler's, his 2008 interview with Men's Fitness and his 2007 interview with The MMA Digest.