India's First Vegan Woman Ironman: Aarathi Swaminathan Shares Journey of Endurance

The doubts and fears around plant-based diets has often hindered athletes from trying it, but professional athletes such as Lewis Hamilton, Carl Lewis and the Indian Cricket Team Captain Virat Kohli have proved otherwise.

Joining this list of exceptional athletes is 35-year-old Aarathi Swaminathan, India’s first vegan woman Ironman. Hailing from Chennai, Aarathi earned the first rank from India in the Ironman triathlon race in 2019, after one year of going vegan. These races are the world’s toughest one-day endurance sports, with a 3.8 km of swim, 180.25 km cycling, and 42.20 of running.

We at Vegan First connected with Aarathi as she shared her journey as a vegan athlete, her motivations, and her go-getter attitude towards life.

A Born Athlete

Coming from a family of athletes, Aarathi has been a sportsperson since she was 7-years-old. She was initially involved in track and field sports, and has also been a district level swimmer. She actively participated in sports throughout school and college, but lost touch with her passion in the fast-paced urban life after she graduated.

After 12 years of corporate life, when she was 29-years-old, Aarathi had an eye-opening moment. One day, she looked in the mirror and realized that it was not the healthiest version of herself that she had seen. This became a turning point for her to resume her life as a sportsperson.

“Sports is something I have always been very passionate about. It's something extremely close to me because I've spent almost 16 years of my life in it,” she shares.

Before going vegan or resuming sports

She went to the person she looked up to the most for advice – her brother. His participation in endurance sports motivated Aarathi to take up the same.

“At that point in time, the primary agenda was to lose weight and be a healthier person. The competitive sports came in a little later.”

In just a few months, she was back in the zone. She had lost six kilos in only two months, and started contemplating a more serious approach to sports. Her ultimate dream was to participate in the Olympics, but since that seemed like a faraway dream, she wanted to represent India in an international arena. This is when she started exploring triathlons, and eventually the Ironman races.

Finally, Aarathi joined Yoska Academy and trained under Deepak Raj, who had previously trained 20 athletes who had earned the Ironman title.

What made her go vegan?

Aarathi grew up as a vegetarian, consuming egg every once in a while for protein.

Her sole driving force for going vegan, as well as earning her Ironman title was her inspiration and her friend Anu Vidya, who Aarathi lost three years ago. Anu was a dedicated vegan, constantly spreading awareness about the issue. She wished to be the first vegan woman Ironman in India, as well as the youngest vegan to climb Mt. Everest.

Aarathi decided to honour Anu’s memory by adopting veganism, which she did on 15 March 2018.

“I still call her my guardian angel. There have been days when I close my eyes and she's right there, telling me what needs to be done.”

Eventually, Aarathi started reading up on veganism herself, and found more reasons to continue the lifestyle, including her health and the ethical aspect.

“All I was focused on was to make sure that I was an ethical vegan to the best of my knowledge. I needed to do something for the community, to give voice to the voiceless.”

Being a sportsperson, she did receive pushback from her family with regards to her nutrition. But they were aware of Aarathi's dedication to her commitments, and eventually decided to help her instead. Luckily, her coach was extremely supportive of her diet change and guided her the best he could. 

“I know there are a lot of myths behind going vegan as an athlete, but I'm a living example. I can show stats and the science behind it. I can show my performance as an example. Overall, as a person it has made me mentally and physically stronger.”

Today, most of the food cooked in her house is plant-based. Many of her co-workers and relatives have also explored plant-based diets because of Aarathi.

“I have not regretted being vegan for even a second in my life since the last three years.”

After Going Vegan

Even though she made up her mind to go vegan immediately, Aarathi was quite clueless about how to navigate this lifestyle. She relied on salads and juices, and wasn't aware that she was letting her Vitamin B12 levels drop, which led to her health taking a toll in a few months. 

However, help, guidance and support from Anu's friends, even her nutritionist, made this journey smoother for her. Moreover, after learning that most South Indian dishes she was eating are already vegan by default, the transition became easier.

Being fueled by the support from people around her, she decided to go all in and took up a diploma course on plant-based sports nutrition to understand the science behind the diet. She has always been very keen on observing herself, how her body reacts to different foods, and has been recording personal data and statistics for a long time. And after going vegan, the results were only positive.

“My performance improved, I started shedding toxins from my body, my quality of muscles started improving, my heart rate went down, even my cramp rate went down. I started seeing a different me as a sportsperson.”

Aarathi also endured several injuries two months prior to her Ironman race in 2019, but managed to secure the first rank from India in the race.

What does the Vegan Ironman eat?

Aarathi realized how easy being vegan was ultimately – most of the food she was already eating was plant-based. Her daily routine now consists of a 4 a.m. smoothie, followed by workout, and then a protein and carb-rich breakfast, which is usually a typical South Indian breakfast. She opts for homemade sabzis, dals or gravy-based dishes for lunch, followed by a protein-rich evening snack such as sprouts.

Her dinners are usually light – a simple soup or salad suffices, as she does not take any protein after 7 p.m.

Some of the constants in her diet include lots of fruits, smoothies, coconut tenders, dry fruits, as well as supplements for vitamin B12.

Her cheat days are saved for when she achieves any personal goals. Aarathi likes to relish a large-sized vegan pizza in Auroville all by herself, along with vegan brownies.

She also expressed her excitement about India growing as a vegan-friendly country. Today, many young athletes come up to her with questions about adopting a plant-based diet. These are often followed by worries about protein intake, but Aarathi clarifies:

She also emphasizes on keeping your plate colourful and looking after your micronutrient intake.

Who does the athlete look up to?

Aarathi looks up to professional triathletes like Madi Serpico, Joe Gambles, Laura Philip, Patrick Lanffe and Jan Frodeno – who all follow a plant-based diet.

Lately, she has been admiring Virat Kohli's shift to a plant-based diet, which has been instrumental in busting myths about nutrition. She believes that he has set an example for the younger generation who look up to him, and is a great step forward to spread awareness about plant-based diets.

The Ironman's message to athletes today…

“Gone are those days when thinking that being a plant-based athlete means you can't perform well. There are so many professional athletes who are eating plant-based. For me, performances have only spiked after going vegan. I've made a lot of mistakes, but you learn along the way. Be patient, love yourself, and the day will come when you see the results.”