Adriano’s a vegan bodybuilder. Yes, you read that right ... it’s not a missed steak

MORE and more Darwin athletes are shunning thick T-bone steaks and embracing a fully vegan diet, say trainers

MORE and more Darwin athletes are shunning thick T-bone steaks and embracing a fully vegan diet, say trainers.

Vegan athlete Adriano ‘Ady’ Di Pierro ditched meat at the start of 2019 as part of a fitness challenge.

“I’d always eaten clean, but I tried getting cleaner,” he said.

Ady said it was a common misconception that vegans weren’t as strong or fit as meat eaters.

Vegan athlete Adriano 'Ady' Di Pierro ... ‘I’d always eaten clean, but I tried getting cleaner’. Picture: Keri Megelus.

Ady said he was fitter — and felt healthier — than ever before.

“I’m now training seven days a week, intensity level hasn’t dropped, and I try to lift as heavy as possible,” he said.

“Going vegan hasn’t been holding me back.”

Ady isn’t the only Aussie embracing legumes.

Market research firm Euromonitor International found Australia was the third fastest growing vegan market in the world — trailing behind the United Arab Emirates and China.

The firm predicted by 2020, Australia’s packaged vegan food market would be worth a staggering $215 million.

This year, F45 released its first-ever vegan meal plan, embracing the growing trend.

F45’s global nutritionist Lyn Green said the demand for vegan friendly meal plans was high in their community.

F45 Darwin trainer Owen Hingston said in the last seven years, the number of vegan athletes had grown.

“They can lift just as heavy as everyone else,” he said.

For anyone looking to swap the beef for the beans, Mr Hingston advised people did their research, started off slow and eased their way into it.