Vegetarian Gladiators

Reaching out with both hands, I take the skull of a Roman gladiator who lived, fought, and died more than 1,800 years ago in Ephesus, in what is now western Turkey. Together with more than 60 of his young comrades, he was buried in a 200-square-foot plot along the road that led from the city center to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The recent study of the bones from the world's only known gladiator graveyard is filling gaps in the literary sources and archaeological record concerning how gladiators died. But the biggest revelation to come out of the Ephesus cemetery is what kept the gladiators alive--a vegetarian diet rich in carbohydrates, with the occasional calcium supplement.

The Gladiator Diet

Before exercising, I usually make sure I've had a good mix of fruits and veggies myself.
I don't push a vegetarian diet at all, myself. I've found it's good for quick energy, but have to a lot more often to maintain it. Meat is good for long burning energy, a well balanced diet is best.

However, I thought this was an interesting take on it, that i figured a good amount of folks wouldn't be familiar with.

A lot cheaper too than meat

its just the typical diet if the times,
in the case of galdiators(slaves) I would expect the hi carb diet to consist of a grain based porridge or gruel, as was the staple for the basic roman.
Their fat intake would have been mostly provided by olives and nuts(pine nuts were very popular)throw in some wild greens and you have the basic diet.

That is rather interesting. I was curious what they fed the gladiators because of how the stories go. I figured they fed them meat and veggies with high fibers but didn't know they were actually vegans.

I'm not suprised really.

When I wrestled I hardly ate any types of meats the week before a duel or tourny. Besides the fact that I was cutting weight, meat can make you a little sluggish. I ate mainly plain salads, but after the my match or after the tournament I would eat a well sized steak as I drained of all energy from eating nothing but veggies.

After the one steak I had the energy to do it all over again for the upcoming weeks worth of torture.

My high school years I was wrestling every week until graduation and was basically a forced vegetarian. Looking back I don't know how my body survived on the diet.

A gladiator spent his whole life doing this. It wouldn't be far fetched to think that they mainly ate veggies with the occasional bite of meats to keep their weight and energy up.