PETER SIDDLE OPENS UP ABOUT HIS PLANT-BASED DIET IN NEW PETA AUSTRALIA VIDEO

Australian Test Cricketer Credits His Fiancée and Concern for Health and Animals With Inspiring Him to Make the Switch

For Immediate Release:
26 August 2015

Sydney – With Peter Siddle playing an impressive role in the Australian Test’s recent match victory, PETA thought it was a great time to point out that along with improving your recovery time between cricket matches, you can save animals’ lives by sticking to plant-based meals. And in this exclusive video interview with PETA Australia, the fast bowler – whose vegan fiancée, Anna Weatherlake, first inspired him to change his diet – reveals the extent to which his health has improved since he stopped eating meat, eggs and dairy foods a few years ago.

“I haven’t been sick once”, he says. “I’ve been able to get up earlier in the morning, get through the day. And I just feel a lot more energised .… In between Test matches, sometimes we only have three days to recover, and I think that the opportunity to recover quicker has increased a lot in that time. And it does make it a lot easier getting on to that second game if you’re feeling fit, you’re feeling strong and ready to go.”

But the benefits don’t stop there – plant-based meals also allow for a lighter conscience. “I’ve always enjoyed friendships with animals”, Siddle says. “Hearing all the stories about the cruelty in [the] meat and dairy industry, I think it changed my mind very quickly, and it made it a pretty easy decision in the end.”

Vegans can get all the protein that they need from plant-based foods, without the artery-clogging saturated fats and cholesterol found in meat. Vegans are less prone to developing heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity than meat-eaters are – and they also dramatically reduce their carbon footprint, as the meat industry is a major source of the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. As Siddle sums up, “Following a plant-based diet can not only benefit your health and the environment but also the animals”.

Siddle joins a long list of athletes – including Mac Danzig, Jake Shields and Rich Roll – who have teamed up with PETA Australia or its overseas affiliates to promote PETA’s motto, which reads, in part,  that “animals are not ours to eat”.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.au. A broadcast-quality link to the interview is available on request.

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