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There has been a recent trend in the NFL, and Arizona Cardinals’ running back David Johnson is the latest to convert to a plant-based diet.

Apparently, popular Netflix documentaries “What the Health” and “Fork Over Knives” had some influence on Johnson’s decision to adopt a plant-based diet.

Johnson quickly realized that his new diet was causing significant weight loss. He reported to camp at 223 pounds, which is lighter than he was in the past. But running back is a grueling position and with Johnson being a work-horse back, he needed to maintain his target weight, so he added some meat-based protein back into his diet.

But, after cutting most meat from his diet, he has noticed he has significant increase in energy.

Like Johnson, many other NFL players have joined the movement after watching the popular Netflix documentary, notably QB Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, to name a few.

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We as Americans are conditioned to eat meat and programmed to think that meat is the only way to get quality protein. Now, by weeding out meat, how does Johnson get the necessary calories to sustain full NFL season?

According to ESPN staff write Josh Weinfuss, Johnson eats nuts between meals to help increase the necessary calories to maintain his weight.

Could this be a trend? If Johnson has another spectacular season on this new diet, could more and more NFL players adopt a plant-based diet? Will this be a fad that comes in goes or could we really see a change in the eating habits? Only time will tell.