Former Sun Devils DL Lawrence Guy Speaks About Being Vegan

Yes, the mammoth of a man and NFL player is still as bad ass as they come.

Current New England Patriots and former Arizona State Sun Devils defensive lineman Lawrence Guy has never been average. That happens when you're 6-foot-4 and weigh over 300 pounds as a veteran who's been in the NFL since 2012. 

Going against the grain is always something Guy has done. As a seventh-round pick entering the league, the chances of making an NFL roster aren't high. Guy spent his first two seasons with the Green Bay Packers prior to playing on three teams in three years, as he had stays with the Colts, Chargers and Ravens. 

Guy has been with the Patriots since 2017, earning two four-year deals with the team, the most recent coming this past March to the tune of an $11.5 million extension. 

Guy has been classified as many things, mostly as a Super Bowl champion and vital interior piece to New England's defense. While the aforementioned honors do indeed hold true as he continues to go against the grain, his grains include a lot of cauliflower in them. 

Guy Speaks to GQ

The former Sun Devil was featured on GQ earlier this month and spoke about his vegan lifestyle while playing one of the most physically demanding sports on the planet. 

"I started going plant-based a couple years ago. Every offseason I wanted to truly help my body fully recover. My wife and I started taking out heavy red-meat products and my body felt better, my joints felt better. I never really drank milk. Then we started taking out chicken. Then you go to the fish," said Guy to GQ. 

"We didn't cut it down immediately. I needed to make sure I slowly worked myself into this. When people jump straight into it, you get the headaches and you start losing too much. We did it over the years, constantly going towards a more plant-based diet."

There's a lot of debate in the fitness and lifestyle world when it comes to working out, being a vegan and the nutrients needed to make everything full circle. Guy says a typical eating day is as follows:

"If it's gonna be a workout day, I'll have pancakes or some cauliflower hash browns, something hearty. From there I go to a workout. After the workout, I drink a green smoothie or have an acai bowl. I have little snacks here and there after that. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, anything to keep my energy up. We have a bunch of apples. Apples give you so much energy," said Guy.

"For dinner, my wife creates some type of unique meal. Last year everything was about cauliflower. She'd make cauliflower rice, she had cauliflower pizza, lasagna, those cauliflower hash browns. Last night, it's gonna sound weird, we had a cauliflower hummus grilled pizza. The cauliflower crust, hummus on top, and grilled veggies on top of that."

Benefits

Guy believes the benefits are great, and says a few of his teammates are even vegan.

"You're not as bloated. You're running and your knees don't hurt as much. You stop waking up in the morning feeling groggy," said Guy. "Many people say they wake up after a hearty meal and feel bad and sick. I never wake up after eating a whole bunch of food and say, 'Man, I feel terrible that I ate that last night.' You feel energized. When you take all the heartier stuff out and put the plant-based in, you don't have to overwork to digest everything."

While the debate between vegans and steak aficionados continues, the Patriots may consider leaking their vegan taco recipe if Guy continues to play at an extremely high level.