But after becoming aware of the huge carbon footprint he was leaving behind because of his carnivorous ways, fitness coach Akmal Hakim Ali decided to give up meat, cold turkey.
That was five years ago, and he has never looked back.
“In order to eat beef, you’d have to breed and feed the cow. At each step of the food chain, only 10% of the energy is passed on to the next level. It takes about six to ten kilograms of grain to produce just one kilogram of beef,” he tells FMT, adding that he gleaned this information through his own research.
The 32-year-old says he also became acutely aware of world hunger and struggled with feelings of guilt every time he gorged on a mountain of meat. He says research reveals how world hunger can be eradicated if everyone turned vegan.
“Around one billion people are obese, while the other one billion aren’t even sure if they’ll be eating tonight. If I ate meat, I would be taking two to three meals away from starving children. I don’t want to guilt trip anyone, but that’s how I see it. I feel responsible,” he says.
Naturally, there was a lot of resistance and criticism from others in the bodybuilding fraternity when they heard he was embracing veganism.
“In bodybuilding and strength athletics, there’s this notion that you need to consume a lot of meat to get bigger and stronger,” explains Akmal, who also competes in strongman competitions.
“But so far, there isn’t a shred of evidence that shows a vegan diet harms muscle and strength gains or progress,” he says, adding that he too used to challenge the pro-vegan agenda once upon a time.
“The science keeps changing – what was said to be good in the past may be bad for you now. It’s important to think critically and to keep an open mind to the latest studies.”
But wasn’t turning vegan overnight too drastic a change?
“Some people can handle the slow transition, but I lack that discipline so I’d rather just take everything away,” he says, admitting however that it was extremely hard at first.
“I was a big fan of fried chicken – ayam goreng McD spicy used to be my thing, up till the week before going vegan,” he says, laughing.
“But once you transition, you realise that most of the time, it’s the seasoning that makes food tasty – spices, herbs and flour – which are all derived from plants,” he says, adding that tofu is his default protein source because of its versatility.
“There are many vegan restaurants now but it wasn’t the case back then,” he says, before pointing out that while it is generally true that being vegan improves health markers, one could easily consume junk vegan food which lack nutrition and are high in calories.
For those intending to embrace the vegan lifestyle, Akmal says it’s important to understand clearly why you’re doing it. “Once you find your triggers, or the reasons that ground you, it’s easy to stick to being vegan.
“Most vegans who fall off the wagon never had a strong conviction to become vegan in the first place.”
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Akmal’s fitness coaching business was affected. Despite taking his services online, many of his clients eventually dropped out.
He soon realised there was a need to establish an alternative source of income. Drawing inspiration from his vegan lifestyle, Akmal and his wife, Aisya, started a home-based business, focussing on mushroom rendang.
Called Mushroom Lah, their business Instagram page describes it as “all about taking rendang to another level of ‘halal’ by making it vegan-friendly”. So far, the feedback has been positive with many satisfied customers raving about the dish online.
What does the future hold for Akmal?
“I want my clients to reach a point when working out is second nature to them. If they’re only fixated on the end goal, they might get frustrated thinking about how long it’s taking to get them there,” he said, adding that it’s important to enjoy the process, instead of thinking of it as a chore.
“It’s about finding that passion; doing what you love is key,” he says as is his love for working out and leading a more sustainable lifestyle that leaves a minimal carbon footprint on Mother Earth.