LINEMAN ANSWERS A MEATY QUESTION
Like many kids, Jordan Johnson wasn’t a huge fan of eating his vegetables.
He would sit at the dinner table stubbornly refusing to eat them in what became a common standoff between child and parent.
“I was forced to eat my vegetables,” said Johnson, who has been the starting center for the UCF football team during the past two seasons. “My mom would tell me I couldn’t leave the dinner table until I finished my vegetables.
“It was definitely a struggle. It was like pulling teeth to get me to eat my vegetables.”
Now, Johnson is singing a different tune. The Jacksonville native has embraced the vegetarian lifestyle, eating a plant-based diet while abstaining from eating meat and foods that use meat by-products. It’s a decision Johnson didn’t take lightly.
“I’ve been doing a lot of research and I’ve been trying not to use confirmation bias, which is researching things that are going to prove something that you already believe,” Johnson explained. “I’m trying to combat the things that I already believe. I’m trying to prove what I already believe. And if I can’t prove it, I’m going to ask myself, ‘Why is it I can’t prove it?’ ”
According to a recent Gallup poll, less than one in every 10 Americans is either a vegetarian or vegan, with 5 percent of citizens in the United States saying they are vegetarians and 3 percent saying they’re vegans.
Johnson made the decision to become a vegetarian a few months ago after talking with his older brother, Kaleb, who is a vegan.
“He’s been talking to me a lot, influencing me a lot. That’s my older brother and I’m not going to follow exactly in his footsteps but if he [says] something, it definitely weighs a lot more than anybody else,” Johnson said of Kaleb, who after playing several years in the NFL is now a free agent.
The change in diet is already paying off for Johnson.
“I feel amazing. I would recommend it to anybody who is thinking about it but isn’t really sure,” Johnson said. “I want to be the guy who sparks that and I want to be the catalyst for more people, more athletes thinking that they can be a plant-based athlete.
“It’s very doable and I feel like it’s not only doable, but it’s easier.”
Fellow offensive lineman Wyatt Miller is supportive of his teammate.
“He embraces it and that’s what he’s into and if he thinks it makes his body feel better, then I’m all for it,” said Miller. “Whatever makes him happy.”
Johnson said his eating habits have translated to stronger play this season.
“I feel like I recover faster. I have more energy when I’m out there on the field,” he said. “I feel like this year has been better than last year and I think I can attest it’s 100 percent [due] to me going vegetarian.”
Football players aren’t typically vegetarians, especially those who look like Johnson — a 6-foot-1, 320-pounder. But modern advances in nutrition, including those implemented at UCF’s new Garvy Nutrition Center, have been a huge help as Johnson works to change his diet without losing muscle mass or energy.
“Our training staff and strength and conditioning staff, they do a great job of providing everything that I need,” Johnson said.
Johnson plans to join his brother in becoming a vegan — declining to eat any animal-based products — once the football season is over, but he’s already embraced some of the aspects of it. He does not drink milk and he eliminated eggs from his diet several weeks ago.
“I usually have a pregame omelet every morning before the game, but I haven’t done in the last two weeks,” said Johnson, who instead has chosen to replace it with fruit, grits or even oatmeal. But he admits, “Once I go vegan, I’ll probably miss cheese the most because I really enjoy eating cheese.”
This will be the first Thanksgiving since Johnson made the move to a plant-based lifestyle.
“A lot of the things I won’t be eating are the traditional Thanksgiving things like a turkey, the ham, maybe some collard greens that has meat infused in it, but I’m still going to eat a lot of the things like some candied yams,” he said. “I’m still going eat a lot of the things that I’m accustomed to eating. Just make sure I’m not eating any animals.”