The Real Reason Adam Richman Went Vegan
Adam Richman, the star of The Travel Channel's Man v. Food, is likely one of the last people on the planet anyone would expect to go vegan. As host of the television show, he often ate meat — a lot of it.
After demolishing food challenges such as the ominously-named quadruple coronary bypass burger, a 74-ounce steak (via YouTube), and dozens of brisket sliders (via YouTube), it seems unlikely that anyone so associated with meat would swear it off — but a few years after his tenure on the show ended, Richman had a surprising announcement.
In 2015, he told a British newspaper that he had been vegan for three months (via The Independent). The decision didn't come out of nowhere, though — Richman did it as part of a training regimen to prepare himself for a charity soccer game in which he'd been invited to participate.
Is Adam Richman's veganism a permanent move?
Richman, a lifelong soccer fan, said that he was so honored that he cried when he was asked to take part in the game (via The Independent). He said that the choice to cut animal products out of his diet was solely to prepare for the soccer game and to get in better shape.
"Now does that mean I'm not going to have a steak? No I absolutely will when I want to, but it's just about picking and choosing my spots, and when I want to have that cow and I wanna have that bacon, I'm going to make it count, I'm going to make it great quality," he told reporters. While Richman didn't score during the game, his team did win 4 to 2 (via ITV).
His comment that he wants the meat he consumes to be of great quality complimented another statement he made in the interview in which he said that the world's movement towards a pesticide-free, cage-free, non-GMO food system is a "wonderful" thing.