Greg Chappell recommends 'veganism'

When he played his trademark cover drives from the meat of his bat, it was an exquisite delight for cricket lovers all over the world.

But for former Australian cricket captain Greg Chappell, a batting icon, the `meat' is now confined only to his willow as it has become an absolute "no-no" on his dining table.

In his book Health and Fitness, Chappell says that giving up meat and dairy products in favour of healthier foods, including soya and vegetables, made him feel stronger and healthier.

"We are the only species of animal on Earth that still consumes milk products after being weaned. To make things worse, we do not even consume our own milk products but get them from another kind of animal.

Dairy milk is a perfectly balanced food for calves but for nothing else. It does contain certain nutrients, but it also contains things which do us much more harm than the nutrients do us good."

Chappell recommends `veganism' as a diet for eveyone from athletes to businessmen — and credits his 'vegan' diet for improving his own health.

Between coaching Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and trips to India, the living legend has also taken time out of his busy schedule to team up with People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to create a new ad touting veganism.