OrganicAthlete: Why did you choose to stop eating animal products? When?

Written over 20 years ago, the book Vegebody extols the benefits of a raw vegetarian diet. The information in the book is still just as true now as it was then, but the prevailing mindset of athletes has, if anything, swung in the opposite direction. Through a friend, I was able to track down the author, Charles Fraser, and interview him for Fruit of the Wise. The former Michigan State University Olympic Lifting coach is still a strong vegetarian at age 70.

OrganicAthlete: Tell us about your athletic background and how you got started in bodybuilding.

Charlie Abel: I got started because I was small for my age as a teenager. And the coaches gave us weightlifting for wrestling and part of physical education, and the weights just felt like home. I ended up quitting high school sports so I could go home and lift weights in my garage when I was 15.

OA: And you competed at an early age as well?

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OrganicAthlete Pro-Activist Robert Cheeke interviews attendees of the 2008 Animal Rights Conference in Washington D.C.

Robert Cheeke made the cover of the Willamette Week, Portland's weekly newspaper with the feature article "Lean, Mean, Meat-Free Machine."

Way to go Robert!

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Cheeke is a bodybuilder, but he has an even better reason to be proud of his massive muscles—they’re made of soy. (And almonds and tempeh and hummus.) Cheeke isn’t just vegan; he’s vegangelical. He’s preaching the good news that eating a plant-based diet doesn’t mean being a noodle-armed wimp.

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I've always been fascinated with why people take drugs. This looks like it will be interesting.

In the battle of size vs. endurance, who wins? Robert Cheeke and I battled it out last night to see who had the biggest muscles.

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Hometown: Corvallis, OR
Current Residence: Corvallis, OR

Sport: Bodybuilding
Elite since: 2001
Date of Birth: March 2, 1980

Favorite fruits: Cherries and Blueberries
Favorite veggie: Potatoes

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Current Residence: Marin County in Marin City/Sausalito

Sport: Natural Body Building

Pro/Elite since: My first competition was in September 2003 at the World Natural Bodybuilding Championships in Sacramento. I finished first in my division.

Date of Birth: September 6, 1967

Website: www.veganmusclepower.com

Favorite fruit: Cold green apples eaten three times a day keeps all types of doctors away.