simple + green

I’m a baseball fan, so this story naturally caught my eye.

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder has gone vegetarian. Prince is a big guy and with solid homerun slugging power.

Much like Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, who I noted as profiled in the Wall Street Journal last month, Fielder is a young professional athlete at the top of his game. As one of the elite first basemen in baseball, Fielder is the youngest player to hit 50 home runs in a season.

So what makes a 23-year old 6-foot, 260-pound baseball star turn away meat and go vegetarian?

Let’s just say that he did not make this decision based on health reasons.

According to the story, he did it because of a book that his wife game him, detailing practices of the meat industry.

Fielder used to enjoy a stacked burger or a juicy steak as much as any carnivore, but a few weeks ago he received a book from his wife, Chanel, that changed his outlook on what he puts in his massive frame. The book described how certain animals are treated and slaughtered for food.

The youngest player to hit 50 home runs in a season was grossed out, so much so that he made his last meaty meal a salmon filet before quitting the animal game on Feb. 3. He has even dabbled in a vegan lifestyle but admits that might be pushing things a little.

“After reading that, (meat) just didn’t sound good to me anymore,” Fielder said. “It grossed me out a little bit. It’s not a diet thing or anything like that. I don’t miss it at all.”

The change has been paying off both mentally and physically:

Fielder, who is also sporting dreadlocks in their infancy, said he has a lot more energy than he did before the new diet, and his body feels cleansed…

I’m really impressed by this! I’d like to say we’ll see much more of this. Statistics would dictate that more athletes are vegetarian that have let on.

Keep an eye out for more of these stories. And now we have someone extra to watch this upcoming season!