Why I’m a Vegetarian: Camilla Lennarth Explains

There are a variety of different reasons for choosing a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, from the issues surrounding animal cruelty in the food production industry to health concerns. 

LET golfer Camilla Lennarth has learned to love eating vegetables for health reasons and explains how moving to a plant-based diet has turned her life around.

The road to recovery

Camilla has played on the LET since 2012 and she won the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open, six years ago, in 2014. In March, the fit, energetic and gregarious Swede finished third in the Women’s New South Wales Open and explained that she was feeling better than ever thanks to changing her diet drastically 18 months before.

Camilla traces her decision to the suggestion of her doctor. She had been feeling sick on a regular basis for six years, to the point where it could ruin two days and she couldn’t make it out of bed.

During an LPGA event in the United States, she had to go to hospital in the middle of the night, but despite taking numerous tests and trying alternative therapies, nothing worked and no-one could pinpoint what was wrong. Camilla’s doctor in Stockholm made the suggestion that she try cutting out meat from her diet and she decided to go for it.

“It took a little while to adjust and I was constantly hungry for a while, because I didn’t realise that I would have to eat a bit more to fill me up,” she said. “It’s had a lot of benefits and knock on wood I haven’t been sick at all since I started the vegetarian diet. I had problems with being tired and sleeping and sleeping and sleeping and now I feel like I’m living a completely different life and I have my energy back.

“I feel like I’m better in the gym now and I can build more muscle. Overall, my body just responds to what I’m doing.”

Camilla’s daily menu

These days, whether at Camilla’s home in Stockholm or globe-trotting to play in golf tournaments, the 32-year-old finds it easy to prepare simple vegetarian meals.

“A vegetarian diet is pretty mainstream and when I travel, for example to Australia, I find it really easy to find things that I can eat, either in a grocery store or in a restaurant.”

For Camilla, breakfast is almost always a plant-based yoghurt, such as coconut, almond or pistachio, followed by jam and peanut butter on bread. Lunch is usually some combo of rice, vegetables, pasta or a salad, while dinner often includes rice, noodles and Thai-inspired vegetables. Occasionally, she will have fish or a halloumi salad, because it’s very easy on the stomach and good for maintaining iron, zinc and muscle mass.

She manages her diet with supplements to ensure that she absorbs all the nutrients she needs and says this is especially important for women.

The best thing about her vegetarian diet is that Camilla is now enjoying every bite, which is good for her golf, health and wellbeing.