Even in a crowded gym, it’s hard to miss John Thomas.
With his 260-pound muscular frame, neon green mohawk and arsenal of pinstriped workout shorts, Thomas resembles a radioactive cartoon strongman come to life. That’s even before he turns to the side, revealing a head tattoo proclaiming “VEGAN” in block letters.
Thomas, 32, welcomes the attention. The fitness coach and social media influencer has over 85,000 Instagram followers under his account “thebodybuildingvegan.” There, he aims to show how a plant-based diet can benefit both athletic performance and the planet.
Thomas, a Gainesville native, said he first went vegan at age 13 after experiencing bullying. He hasn’t eaten any animal products – including meat, dairy, fish, eggs and honey – since.
“I felt so shoved down, pushed down, forced to be quiet, forced to take anything from these other people that were bigger and stronger than me,” he said.
“Just because you’re bigger or stronger than someone,” he added, “that doesn’t give you the right to hurt them – and I can also see that for the animals.”
Thomas said he wrestled and lifted weights while at Buchholz High School, but he didn’t think he could become a bodybuilder. Others in the fitness community warned he would never build strength as a vegan, he said.
Most athletes use animal products as major sources of protein, which is a necessary component for muscle growth and repair. Thomas turned instead to plant-based alternatives like tofu, soy and tempeh. He soon realized he could still build muscles without relying on meat.
Now he’s a four-time bodybuilding show competitor who has coached over 250 people through his distinct one-on-one program. He said he hopes to be the role model to his clients and followers that he didn’t have when first becoming vegan.
In his Instagram videos, Thomas often teaches viewers to make easy, high-protein vegan recipes like peanut butter and jelly rice cakes, banana bread balls or “blueberry cookie muffin thingys.” He also highlights local vegan restaurants or plant-based options at food chains like Publix.
“There are so many more vegans in the bodybuilding community and the world in general now,” Thomas told WUFT News. “When I first went vegan, I was literally the only vegan that I knew. I didn’t know anyone else that was doing it. I definitely didn’t know any bodybuilders.”
Thomas sees the proof in the “vegan pudding” when he visits grocery stores, where more plant-based options than ever line the shelves, he said. Those vary from non-dairy Kraft mac and cheese to Philadelphia cream cheese to a range of Ben and Jerry’s flavors.
But to be clear, as a bodybuilder, Thomas is more focused on protein than pudding.
Vegans must eat higher volumes of plants to get the same amount of the nutrients others do from meat. For example, 1 ounce of chicken yields 7 grams of protein. But to get the same amount of protein from lima beans, one would need to eat a full half cup of the green legumes.
Maintaining a vegan diet as a high-level athlete is absolutely possible, said Jennifer Bleiweis, a registered dietitian in Gainesville. But it requires extra care and attention, in part because our bodies absorb plant and animal products differently, she said.
“Our bodies are not as efficient with plant protein as we are with meat protein or dairy protein,” Bleiweis said. “So usually, we have to eat a little bit more – maybe 20% more – of the plant protein to get the same amount into our metabolism.”
People following vegan diets, especially high-level athletes, should monitor their iron, vitamin B-12 and iron levels, Bleiweis said. They might also not get enough calories and protein to sustain their workouts. But with continuous guidance, plant-based diets can also carry benefits, including more fiber and anti-inflammatory properties, she said.
Katelyn Greenleaf, a former University of Alabama cross-country athlete who now works in Gainesville as a sports dietician, also emphasized the importance of protein, B-12 and iron for vegan athletes. But prioritizing a well-balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins is important for all athletes – even omnivores, Greenleaf said.
“Someone can definitely be a vegan and be a high level athlete, but they need the right plan in order to do that,” she said. “But the same could be said from someone who is not a vegan … if someone eats animal proteins, and they’re not on top of their nutrition plan. I’ve also seen really horrible backgrounds where clients, before starting to work with me, are eating a bunch of junk.”
Greenleaf also wants her clients to choose veganism for a good cause, and not due to a misconception that plant-based eating will be a “miracle worker,” she said.
Count Thomas among those who believe that part of that good cause is environmental. He opts for veganism over vegetarianism – in other words, avoiding all animal products, rather than just meat – because of how the dairy and egg industries harm the creatures involved, he said.
“Factory farming through things like eggs and milk still results in the deaths of animals, alongside the torture and confinement of the animals the entire time,” he said.
In March, Thomas undertook a “50 Miles of Karma” walk, which he livestreamed on Instagram, to raise money for the nonprofit Karma Farm Sanctuary. That garnered about $3,000 in donations from his supporters.
He also regularly posts videos on Instagram criticizing animal agriculture, or the process of raising livestock for human consumption. One of them featured Thomas eating a bowl of oatmeal with the caption: “Me not eating eggs for breakfast because I couldn’t press the button to grind up all the male chickens alive.” It earned over 1,300 likes.
An Oxford study published in 2023 found vegan diets created 75% less climate-heating emissions, water pollution and land use than diets incorporating over 100 grams of meat daily. That’s the equivalent of a little over one serving of chicken.
Carbon and methane emissions would decrease if more people cut meat from their diets, said Charlie Messina, a horticultural sciences professor at the University of Florida. Growing corn to feed livestock requires fertilizer, which pollutes the environment, Messina said. By contrast, plant proteins like beans don’t require fertilizer, making them a more sustainable option, he said.
“The investment in corn and soybeans – mostly for feeding animals, not humans – is driven by investments in the private industry,” the professor said. “If you think about a bean breeding program … they’re just little dwarves compared to the investment in maize.”
Research and Markets, an international financial reporting site, estimated the vegan food market at over $20 billion in 2024. Consumer’s health choices lead the growth, according to the report.
By dressing in his own, heavily branded “Vegan Bodybuilder” merch, from mismatched socks to car decals to the water bottle he lugs around the gym during his daily workouts, Thomas said he hopes to be a “walking myth-buster” – against the notion that vegans can’t be strong.
“I don’t think many people love the term influencer, but I do have an influence,” he said. “And if I can influence people to be kinder to themselves, kinder to the animals, kinder to the planet – why not?”
