Cam Newton and Hannibal Buress walk into a vegan restaurant, and leave with a Ziploc bag of magic mushrooms and new perspectives.
Wait, what?
It's true. Newton and his friend, Buress, a comedian, shot an episode of the quarterback's vlog over lunch one afternoon this past offseason, live from the patio of Los Angeles vegan restaurant Gracias Madre. The episode _ appropriately titled 'Yo! This Vegan?' _ features the pair trying flash-fried cauliflower in a cashew cheese sauce, with barbecue jackfruit carnitas tacos that easily could pass for pulled pork.
Only, Newton doesn't eat pork _ or any kind of animal byproduct. He has been vegan since February, his latest attempt at maximizing his physical performance and honing his body. Or, as he said in a recent news conference, getting "vegan strong."
While Buress jokingly gave Newton a baggie of psychedelic mushrooms at the start of the episode, it's Newton's response to that "gift" that bears a little more analysis. The encounter is hilarious, but months later, Newton's words carry more significance:
"Every time a person thinks a person is vegan," he said, shaking the bag, "they just think that you eat stuff like this all day."
Newton's diet would normally be his business. But after two underwhelming performances to begin the 2019 season, coupled with a lingering mid-left foot sprain that will cost him at least two games, it bears further examination.
The Observer spoke to several sports nutritionists, dietitians and trainers about Newton's plant-based diet, and they all came to the same conclusion:
What Newton is eating _ or rather, isn't _ may be contributing to his on-field struggles and his body's ability to recovery from injury.
"Go back to 2015 Cam, badass Cam. He was a pescatarian," said Chris Howard, a certified nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach from Waxhaw. "Salmon, shrimp, you get a lot of good fats and complete proteins. In fact, (fish) is one of the best protein sources there is.
"Now you take away the most valuable part of that (diet), and ... there's just no way around it: He can't recover as well with less nutrients, with less calories and with less muscle mass. It's just not going to happen."
