PATRIK BABOUMIAN

This is a message to all those out there who think that you need animal products to be fit and strong. Almost two years after becoming vegan I am stronger than ever before and I am still improving day by day.

Children never say that their father is the smartest; instead they boast that he's the strongest.

When bombing is going on, you see a lot of people screaming around you and you can't do anything if you're small. You just want to break out of that and be strong.

Most people think if you are vegan you eat just green stuff, you just eat salad and lettuce and veggies the whole day... I'm eating beans, legumes, lentils and peas and rice and potatoes and a lot of things that have calories to give me the energy to do what I do.

Someone once asked me, 'How can you get as strong as an ox without eating any meat?' My answer was, 'Have you ever seen an ox eating meat?'

My strength needs no victims. My strength is my compassion.

I'm not saying everyone should go vegan in just a few days but I'm saying we should reduce the amount of animal products that we use dramatically.

I just realized that if it's really compassion that drives you, maybe it's not enough just to stop eating animals but you maybe should boycott the whole animal industry, because... it's not what you as a compassionate being would want. So actually you should go one step further and become vegan.

I'm probably the most unthinkable vegan on the planet for several reasons.

I always had that desire of being strong and being able to protect myself, being able to protect others.

I just realized that if it's really compassion that drives you, maybe it's not enough just to stop eating animals but you maybe should boycott the whole animal industry, because... it's not what you as a compassionate being would want. So actually you should go one step further and become vegan.

When bombing is going on, you see a lot of people screaming around you and you can't do anything if you're small. You just want to break out of that and be strong.

One day, I just thought, if you see a bird with a broken leg, you really have the urge to do something about it and help the bird. Then, at the same time, you go to a restaurant and eat a chicken or something. It doesn't make any sense.

Someone once asked me, 'How can you get as strong as an ox without eating any meat?' My answer was, 'Have you ever seen an ox eating meat?'

We live in a cerebral society, in which we have forgotten how fascinating strength is.

Most people think if you are vegan you eat just green stuff, you just eat salad and lettuce and veggies the whole day... I'm eating beans, legumes, lentils and peas and rice and potatoes and a lot of things that have calories to give me the energy to do what I do.

I grew like a weed, though mostly from side to side.

I felt that I was fooling myself eating meat considering my inability to kill an animal, so I just thought I'd better be honest to myself and stop eating meat.

Children never say that their father is the smartest; instead they boast that he's the strongest.

My strength needs no victims. My strength is my compassion.

I'm probably the most unthinkable vegan on the planet for several reasons.

I always had that desire of being strong and being able to protect myself, being able to protect others.

I'm not saying everyone should go vegan in just a few days but I'm saying we should reduce the amount of animal products that we use dramatically.

I got heavier, I got stronger, I won the European championship title in powerlifting, I broke three world records so everything was going perfect.

This is a message to all those out there who think that you need animal products to be fit and strong. Almost two years after becoming vegan I am stronger than ever before and I am still improving day by day.

Strength must build up, not destroy. It should outdo itself, not others who are weaker. Used without responsibility, it causes nothing but harm and death. I can lift the heaviest weights, but I can not take the responsibility off my shoulders. Because the way we use our strength defines our fate. What traces will I leave on my path into the future? Do we really have to kill in order to live? My true strength lies in not seeing weakness as weakness. My strength needs no victims. My strength is my compassion.

This is a message to all those out there who think that you need animal products to be fit and strong. Almost two years after becoming vegan I am stronger than ever before and I am still improving day by day. Don't listen to those self proclaimed nutrition gurus and the supplement industry trying to tell you that you need meat, eggs and dairy to get enough protein. There are plenty of plant-based protein sources and your body is going to thank you for stopping feeding it with dead-food. Go vegan and feel the power!

The world's strongest animals are plant eaters. Gorillas, Buffaloes, Elephants and me.