VIE
Manchester United coach and former England National Team footballer Phil Neville talks about health, happiness and going vegetarian. Phil Neville in one of the members of the famed MUFC Class of ’92, a group of players who changed a generation of Manchester United football, and helped build the legacy of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Neville is joined in the Class of 92 by current United interim manager Ryan Giggs, assistants Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, the most famous world football player in history in David Beckham and Gary Neville.
Phil Neville reveals in a brand-new video interview with PETA U.K. why he went vegetarian. You can watch it below.
Phil Neville credits his wife’s influence with prompting the switch. “My wife’s been vegetarian for about four, five years now,” he says. “I promised my wife that I would try it for two weeks. … I started to feel healthier, leaner. I started to feel great!” And he knows that athletes can get all the nutrition they need—including protein—from plant-based foods such as quinoa, seeds, soy protein, and nuts. “It’s made me feel better,” he says. “And I read studies—I hope it makes me live longer.”
Phil Neville recognizes that he is part of a growing movement toward plant-based diets as society learns more about the health risks associated with meat-rich diets, the damage that animal agriculture has on the environment, and the suffering endured by animals raised and killed for their flesh. “I think people are understanding the benefits, not just for yourself but for … the environment,” he says. “2.5 million animals a day are being slaughtered.
“That is a damning statistic that we need to do something about.” And it’s easier than a lot of people think. As Neville says, “If everyone can even just do one day of not eating meat, then that … will mean that we live in a better world.”
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a frequent guest on national talk radio. Banks is a former contributor to NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, who’s been featured both in Forbes and on the History Channel. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)