Arnold Schwarzenegger says he's now almost entirely vegan and his docs thought he was a different person

Former California governor and bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger said he's almost entirely vegan after eating mainly plant-based for five years - and his doctors thought he was a different person when they tested him.

According to Business Insider, the seven-time Mr. Olympia said in an email newsletter that around 80 per cent of his diet is now vegan.

He also said that he would occasionally eat Austrian wiener schnitzel or steak as a treat. Studies say that eating treats sometimes within a diet can help people stick with better eating habits long term.

He said his changed diet made him feel "healthier" and "younger and helped reduce levels of LDL cholesterol, which is a cholesterol that's sometimes dubbed "bad" cholesterol because it's correlated with a high risk of heart disease.

"My bad cholesterol number is so low that my doctor thought I might be a different person," Schwarzenegger said in the newsletter, as mentioned by Business Insider.

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Certain animal-based foods such as hotdogs and dairy goods such as butter and cheese have links to high cholesterol.

But things such as leafy green vegetables such as spinach, whole grains and various berries help lower cholesterol without medicines.

Exercise can also help keep cholesterol levels low. Schwarzenegger, who is 74, regulary does.

The muscle man at heart, even previously shared in his newsletter, noted by Business Insider, that his workout regimen is split six days a week and focuses on a different part of the body each day.

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