NBA All-Star Chris Paul says he’s turned over a new leaf after turning vegan: “My gut health changed”

A few years ago, Chris Paul made a big change in his daily life by going vegan. The 12-time All-Star recently touched on the change and how has impacted him positively as a player.

On DeAndre Jordan's "Vino Talk" podcast, Chris Paul touched on a wide range of topics. Going vegan was one of the first things they talked about as Jordan has also made the change himself.

Since altering his diet, Paul feels that his recovery process after games happens much faster than it did in the past.

"My gut health changed. In my brain, my recovery has changed," Paul said. "When we have a game, after I play that game that next day, I seem to recover faster. ... I feel like I got a lot more energy."

This enhanced recovery seems to be doing the trick, as Paul is still a productive player at age 38.

Now with the Golden State Warriors, he finds himself as the team's sixth man. Paul has played 20 games this season, averaging 8.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists.

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Chris Paul has avoided injury more since deciding to go vegan

For a good stretch of his career, Chris Paul battled injury at the worst times. There were multiple occasions during his time with the LA Clippers and Houston Rockets when he was forced to be sidelined in big moments. However, his availability in recent years might suggest that going vegan has helped his body.

Paul first started making changes to his diet duing his lone season with the OKC Thunder. At the age of 34, he appeared in 70 games that year and a postseason series. That was the most amount of games he had played in nearly four years.

Even after he found himself on the Phoenix Suns, Paul was a constant in the lineup. During his first season, he played 70 games for the second straight season. As he enetered his late 30s, his playing time has seen a slight dip. Paul played 65 games during the 2022 season and only 59 in 2023 due to nagging injuries.

Through the first quarter of the season, Paul is on pace to play close to 60 games again. That's an impressive feat considering that he's in his 19th season and will turn 39 later this year.

Making the change to being vegan has certainly been a catalyst in Paul being able to extend his career.