Gladiators were the super athletes of ancient Rome, and gladiator fights were a popular diversion of the time. Most gladiators were condemned prisoners or enslaved people whose athletic prowess would be the only thing standing between life and death (per World History). The fighting was brutal and bloody. Stamina and the ability to recover quickly were of utmost importance.

You may expect these endurance athletes to eat a diet heavy in animal products, and why wouldn't you? Since the first caveman roasted an animal over a fire, meat-eating has been linked to virility in men (per Popular Science). However, studies about the diet of Roman gladiators turn that notion on its head.