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The 300-Pound Vegan: David Carter
At 300 pounds and 6 feet 5 inches tall, David Carter towers over almost everyone he meets.
Indeed, Carter is no ordinary vegan. He’s a former NFL player who is using his athletic build and celebrity to erase the stigma that many have about plant-based diets.
“The Weight Loss Champion” Chuck Carroll took The Exam Room on the road and sat down with Carter at the Urban Vegan Kitchen in New York City. It was supposed to be a 15-minute interview, but they wound up talking for nearly 45 minutes about the vegan revolution in professional sports. Carter firmly believes that had he adopted a plant-based diet as a rookie he would still be suiting up and taking the field Sunday afternoons in the fall. He’s certain that being vegan would have reduced the toll injuries took on his body, and the wear and tear sustained during his career would have been far less. Now he’s turning his attention to helping those players who are also paying a steep price for years of hard hits on the gridiron.
The native of South Central Los Angeles is also working to end so-called “food deserts” in underprivileged areas. Instead of fast-food restaurants on every corner, Carter is pushing for an abundance of high quality fresh fruits and vegetables to be readily available. Because with healthier food comes better nutrition. And with better nutrition comes fewer cases of diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and countless other ailments. Chronic disease will be replaced by a healthier higher quality life.
