Arnold Schwarzenegger's Diet Today: 80% Plant-Based at 75+
In short
- Since around 2017 Arnold eats roughly 80% plant-based — 80% less meat than before, not fully vegan.
- Typical day: oatmeal with Greek yogurt after training; a salad with salmon, chicken, eggs or a veggie burger for lunch; soup for dinner.
- Protein comes increasingly from beans, lentils, veggie burgers and pea protein powder.
- He says his LDL cholesterol dropped so low his doctor thought he was a different person — and he still allows the occasional schnitzel or steak.
- It's the anti-keto twist: the icon of high-protein bodybuilding aging on plants — with lessons for both camps.
The greatest bodybuilder went (mostly) plant
The man who defined high-protein eating for two generations now runs ~80% plant-based and has for years. The framing is his own: not vegan, just 80% less meat. Breakfast after training is oatmeal with Greek yogurt or granola; lunch is always a salad — sometimes with salmon, chicken or an omelette, often with a veggie burger; dinner is deliberately light: soup.
Where the protein comes from now
The swaps are concrete: beans, lentils and veggie burgers in place of much of the meat, plus pea protein powder from the supplement company he co-founded with LeBron James. Being Austrian, he keeps an exit clause — the occasional schnitzel, steak or burger — which is exactly why the diet has held for years.
The number that convinced him
Arnold's stated reason isn't ideology, it's blood work: his LDL cholesterol fell so low his doctor joked he might be a different person. At 75+ with a heart history, that lab number is the metric he optimizes — the same evidence-first logic that built his training, pointed at longevity.
Arnold vs keto
His current diet is not keto — oatmeal, beans and lentils are carbohydrate staples. What survives from his bodybuilding decades, and what keto shares, is the discipline underneath: protein as the anchor of every meal, food chosen by outcome, junk out. Same operating system, different fuel — and at his age, his lab panel is the argument he leads with.
Eat this way, keto-style
Not strictly keto — but the whole-food, high-protein core is exactly what keto is built on. Here's how to apply it:
Foods on this diet
Frequently asked questions
Is Arnold Schwarzenegger vegan?
No — he eats about 80% plant-based, keeping occasional meat like a schnitzel or steak. His phrase: 80% less meat, not zero.
What does Arnold Schwarzenegger eat in a day?
Oatmeal with Greek yogurt after training; a salad with salmon, chicken, eggs or a veggie burger at lunch; a light soup for dinner — plus beans, lentils and pea protein.
Why did Arnold go plant-based?
Health markers: he reports his LDL cholesterol dropped so low his doctor thought he was a different person.
Is Arnold's diet keto?
No — oatmeal, beans and lentils make it carb-based. What it shares with keto is protein-anchored meals and zero junk; the fuel differs.
Sources