Mavs Coach Jamahl Mosley on Plant-Based Eating

by Sheila Julson

Meatless athletes are dispelling the myth that plant-based eating lacks the proteins to fuel strong athletic performance. Athletes that thrive on plant-based diets include Dallas Mavericks Assistant Coach Jamahl Mosley, who is a vegetarian and has consumed a plant-based diet for six years.

“I became a lot more conscious of what meat was doing to my body. I do a fast every year through my church, and we take away a food item. Once I took meat away, I felt amazing. I liked how I felt while running or working out. My mind was clearer and there were so many benefits that I just made it a lifestyle.” Those benefits include more energy, fewer aches and more restful sleep. “I have three kids, and I’m still sleeping well,” he chortles. 

Mosley was further inspired by the 2018 documentary, The Game Changers, which features athletes that have found it advantageous to eat a plant-based diet. Mosley sometimes switches from a vegetarian to a vegan diet and abstains from all animal products, including dairy and eggs; although he will occasionally sample artisan cheeses when he visits his hometown of Milwaukee. One of his favorite meat substitutes is Beyond Meat, a Los Angeles-based producer of plant-based patties, sausages, crumbles and more. “It’s versatile, and we do so many things with it,” he says. “My wife does a great job cooking with it.”

Transitioning to plant-based eating can be intimidating for some, but Mosley offers encouragement. “I recommend it. If you’re going to do it, do it during the summer when your body can adjust to it easier,” he advises. “Plant-based food is not just for the lifestyle of eating, but it’s also helps the environment by reducing the affects that agriculture can have on water quality.”