Media Credit: Jarod Opperman Vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke shows a small crowd in Deady Hall Wednesday night how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and succeed in athletics while living on a plant-based diet. [Click to enlarge]

Contrary to stereotypes, not everyone who is a vegetarian or a vegan is small and scrawny; a plant-based diet is sufficient for creating a strong, muscular body.

Proof of this lies with bodybuilder and vegan Robert Cheeke, who gave a speech at the University on Wednesday night.

As a part of his 2007 "Take Action and Make It Happen" tour, the blond-haired muscle man spoke to an audience of about 20 people in Deady Hall about how people can be vegetarian or vegan and still be athletic and build muscle.

"We can thrive and not just get by," Cheeke said. "The goal should be to feel well and be well. This diet allows you to feel well and also be compassionate for the environment."

A competitive bodybuilder for more than six years now, Cheeke defies the stereotype of what a vegan is supposed to look like.

"It's great to get over the conceptions that vegans are these skinny, weak people," said Sam Whitehill, a student at the University who is also a vegan bodybuilder.

The University's Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals put on the event. SETA co-director and Laura Pizzo, a junior at the University, said the main idea was to spread the message about veganism.

"We wanted to deconstruct any stereotypes about being a vegan and an athlete," Pizzo said. "Like anything, it takes a lot of dedication, but you can be both."

Cheeke explained to the crowd of mostly vegetarians and vegans that it's important to understand that all the nutrition necessary to be a productive athlete, or just a healthy person, can be obtained through plant-based foods.

"I was once proud of eating 18 tofu hot dogs in a day, just trying to eat as much as possible," Cheeke said, referring to his early bodybuilding days. "But all the vitamins, amino acids, protein etc. needed to get stronger can be found in abundance in plant foods. Anything that is a fruit, nut, grain or seed is vegan and there are thousands of those."

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