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This is everything Lewis Hamilton eats and drinks for breakfast, lunch, and dinnerhttps://www.businessinsider.in/miscellaneous/this-is-everything-lewis-hamilton-eats-and-drinks-for-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner/slidelist/66640448.cms2018-11-15T21:10:15+05:30

This is everything Lewis Hamilton eats and drinks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Nov 15, 2018, 21:10 IST

This is 33-year-old Lewis Hamilton, the biggest name in motor sports. Hamilton is a five-time Formula 1 world champion and holds a number of records in the game including most amount of pole positions (82), 41 fastest laps, and most career points in the history of F1 (2,993).

Like a lot of people, Hamilton enjoys breakfast. Here, he sits down to set up a day of skiing. But Hamilton strictly follows a plant-based diet, so that means he cannot eat breakfast items like pastries that might be made with dairy butter.

Hamilton has said he regularly eats porridge for breakfast. Porridge, as Business Insider has previously reported, is a staple menu item for many Formula 1 drivers, but every now and then Hamilton has something more adventurous, like beans on toast.

Before going vegan, Hamilton also enjoyed eggs with avocado on toast — a meal he could still enjoy without the egg since avocado is rich in healthy fats. According to Dr. Rob Child, a performance biochemist who has worked with Formula 1 teams McLaren and Ferrari, vegan athletes may see reduced testosterone levels unless they carefully plan their diets. "For Lewis, he's probably taking in a lot of healthy fat to be able to make that testosterone," he said.

Going plant-based means Hamilton does occasionally miss certain foods that he used to eat. "It's not for everyone," he said recently. "I miss Nutella. I miss sweets but now I know what's in that stuff, it's gross."

One thing Hamilton does not deny himself is a pancake. "I love vegan pancakes," he once said. He has also said he would go on his summer or winter holiday and always, without fail, have a "stack of pancakes" when he arrived in the morning. "I love pancakes," he said. Well, doesn't everybody?

Hamilton also loves burgers, and although he found it tough to find a tasty version of his cheat food when he switched from meat, fish, and dairy to purely a plant-based diet, he ultimately succeeded. Speaking on his world tour during the F1 season, he said: "I found a vegan burger in Hong Kong and had them send burgers to me in Japan, where I ate them every day."

During a 2017 interview with Men's Health, Hamilton tucked into a lunch of chicken breast, tomato salsa, vegetables, and a glass of water. But one year on, nutritionist Tara Ostrowe told CNN that lunch for the vegan racer would now consist of things like falafel sandwiches, a vegan chilli, or a quinoa power bowl.

Business Insider obtained a sample menu given to Ferrari racers in 2017, and though Hamilton is with Mercedes, it's likely his dinner would look similar. For Ferrari, one meal could include a tofu garlic stir-fry with vegetables and wholegrain rice. Fresh coffee (or green tea) can be consumed, along with a few squares of 85% dark chocolate.

Ostrowe suggests that whole wheat pasta, tempeh, and baked sweet potato would all be excellent nutrition-rich dinners for Hamilton, as the pasta can be mixed with vegetables and vegan pesto, the tempeh can be served with a carb like ravioli, and sweet potato would go well with a quinoa patty and fresh kale.

Hamilton's Instagram bio includes an emoji and four key words. "�� (Plant) Based Diet. Love Animals." He reportedly updated his Instagram story earlier in the year with video clips that appeared to show what he dines on throughout the day. One of the dishes was a "slow-cooked zucchini with toasted pine nuts alongside a couscous, pomegranate, raisin, and orange peel salad," while he also had "orzo pasta with steamed green beans and sundried tomatoes, a unique guacamole dip, a sprouted grain mix, and hummus with vegetable crudités."

One thing that doesn't cause as many problems when switching to a vegan diet is what to have to drink. Hamilton hydrates with water, and as an ambassador for Monster Energy he also has plenty of energy drinks, too. He even has his own personalised blend of Monster called "44" which is a drink he says he "loved immediately."

Of course, the diet of a Formula 1 racer is not complete without the obligatory Champagne — something drivers tend to only get when they win races. For Hamilton, a 5-time F1 champion, that means a lot of champagne. Cheers!

While the transition may have been a challenge for his taste buds at first, he has said that the diet was one of "the best decisions" he could have made, second only to moving to the Mercedes team. "I feel the best I’ve ever felt physically and mentally," he said recently. "All year I’ve felt very strong mentally, but I think physically I’m now taking also a big step and that’s really the decision I made to change my diet."

Before every meal, regardless of whether it is breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Hamilton prays. "Every time I eat, actually, I pray. So, whether it’s a couple of seconds, a minute or whatever you are praying for, take that moment. Everyone is talking, and I say, 'Sorry, one second' and you just make the time."

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