A naturopath told this bodybuilder to go vegan. He laughed then did it

Growing Veganis amultiplatformCBCVancouver series that explores how the business of veganism thrives in B.C.

As a bodybuilder, meat was an important staple ofRaviBohgan'sdiet. But that all changed after a bad case of food poisoning.

Bohganwas sick for six weeks and lost 18 pounds; for someone who has spent his life with a"skinny" frame, that weight loss was"devastating," he said.Afterwards,his digestion was never really the same.

"The parasites and bacteria I ingested just had a field day with my insides," he said. "It was months of not being able to digest food and just getting thinner and thinner."

After seeing numerous doctors,Bohganvisited a naturopath who suggested he consider a plant-based diet.

"I'm sorry. What's that?" he remembers asking with a laugh.

And although many includingBohgan, at one time believe the concept of a vegan bodybuilder to be an oxymoron, he decided to give it a shot.Four years later,Bohgansays his workouts have never felt better and he is on a journey to prove to others that a vegan diet can sustain a bodybuilding lifestyle.

'I felt better'

When the 5 "10", self-describedectomorph someone with a light build decided to go vegan and continue training, he says everyone told him the same thing: "you can't do it. It's not going to work."

ButBohgonthrewhimself into it both at the gym and by researching everything hecould about a plant-based diet. He says he began to immediately see results in his workouts.

He had more energy and could exercisethe same muscle group two or three times a week, without the need for a long recovery.

"I felt better. I felt really good, energy-wise. I was back in the gym," he said.

Earlier this year, he made the last-minute decision to compete in his first-ever professional bodybuilding competition, theVanProAm. After a 12-week preparation period much shorter than the bodybuilding standard of 20 or 22 weeks he was on stage competing.

Bohganfinished in the middle of a pack of ten competitors.

"I felt good about it. I looked the best I ever had," saidBohgan. And he credits a lot of his success to his plant-based diet.

Once he switched to a vegan lifestyle, he says people at the gym began to flood him with questions the same ones he hadbefore he became a vegan.

Where do you get your protein?

"Vegetarians andveganscan get enough protein," said DianaBedoya, senior lecturer at Simon Fraser University's department of biomedical physiology andkinesiology.

However, she saysvegansneed to be conscious they are finding that protein from several different plant sources.

The biggest concern forvegans, she said, is their diets tend to be lower in important essential nutrients like iron, calcium and vitamin D.

In particular,Bedoyasaysvegansare at risk of vitaminB12deficiency. VitaminB12does a lotfor the body, but its main job is to help keep nerves and blood cells healthy, as well as to aid in the creation ofDNA. Unfortunately forvegans, itis only naturally found in animal products.

Vegansdo, however, have a few options: a vitaminB12supplement made in laboratories, or fortified foods like nutritional yeast.

BohganandBedoyaboth agree a plant-based lifestyle can be a very healthy option, but stress that it needs to include a well-rounded dietfilled withwhole, minimally processed foods.

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