Contact: Jamie Evan Bichelman
Email: gro.doog4hctiws@beimaj
Evidence-based nonprofit Switch4Good relaunched its Athlete Program this year to immediate success, garnering support from professional athletes, college student-athletes, and more.
LOS ANGELES — As Switch4Good founder Dotsie Bausch worked with an indefatigable spirit and pushed herself to the brink — literally — in the years preceding her Olympic glory, it is remarkable to think that a decade and a half later, future dairy-free athletes would emulate her dietary path to athletic success. En route to becoming an Olympic medalist as the oldest athlete in her discipline in the history of the Olympics, Bausch soon became a beacon of an ethical approach to sports nutrition, thus inspiring the next generation of dairy-free athletes.
In the decade-plus since Bausch won that illustrious Olympic silver medal, she has earned a plethora of accolades, worked to enact federal legislation, defeated a global coffee giant and its non-dairy upcharge, and, with the support of fellow athletes and academics, launched the Switch4Good Athlete Program that today spans 8 countries: the UK, U.S., Canada, Norway, South Africa, New Zealand, Italy, and Croatia.
“When we launched Switch4Good in 2018, I had a dream that one day soon, we would dismantle the myth that athletes need dairy to be champions. I had been sold that lie for many years, as Big Dairy was the title sponsor of the U.S. Olympic team, and our dining halls at the Olympic training centers were dripping with cow’s milk,” Bausch, the founder and executive director of Switch4Good, said.
The global program now boasts professional athletes, collegiate student-athletes, and everyday athletes across a total of 15 sports. From the New York City Marathon to national championships of powerlifting, Switch4Good’s Athlete Program supports athletes of all disciplines to thrive on a dairy-free, plant-based diet.
“We filmed an Olympic athlete ad that was supposed to air on NBC on the closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games — which the dairy industry exercised its might and got kicked off. When that happened, despite my devastation, it sprung me into action and I dreamed of a day when the myth that athletes need milk to win would be obliterated, and that is what is currently happening,” Bausch said.
Indeed, 2024 was a banner year for Switch4Good and dairy-free athletes, which coincided with Big Dairy’s stranglehold in the athletic arena becoming impotent. To wit: the dairy industry is no longer the title sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team. Furthermore, the dairy industry’s marketing arm, known as MilkLife, did not appear at any of the six major marathons in the U.S. in 2024 (including those in Chicago and New York) — where they were once a stalwart. Additionally, the dairy industry went missing after 16 years of advertising on NBC during the Olympics, and they similarly were missing from FNCE, the largest nutrition conference in the U.S.
How are athletes performing on a plant-based diet?
The Athlete Program has served as a space for dairy-free athletes at all levels to build camaraderie, enjoy the support of a global community of like-minded competitors, and raise funds in the fight against the ferociously destructive dairy industry.
“Our Athlete Program is a community of athletes motivated to help people embrace a dairy-free lifestyle,” Athlete Program Manager Michelle Bernstein said. “Our team of athletes empower individuals and strengthen communities to be dairy-free through the transformative power of sports.”
From Phillies legend Chase Utley to NFL Titan Derrick Morgan; from UC Riverside student-athlete Joy Weber to Betsy Mueller, an athlete with multiple sclerosis running across the U.S. to spread awareness of MS; and from powerlifting champion Bradie Crandall to Dr. Cassie Warbeck, a Mixed Martial Artist and prolific academic, Switch4Good’s 90 dairy-free athletes and counting are thriving on a plant-based diet.
To learn more about Switch4Good’s innovative Athlete Program, see the kinds of dairy-free recipes its athletes are utilizing to thrive on game day, or to schedule an interview with Dotsie Bausch and Michelle Bernstein, contact gro.doog4hctiws@beimaj.
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About Switch4Good
Switch4Good is an evidence-based nonprofit that advocates for a dairy-free world and plant-based living. Founded in 2018 by Olympic medalist Dotsie Bausch, Switch4Good’s mission is to combat the distortion and disrupt the misinformation fed to us by the dairy industry. Switch4Good partnered with health experts, athletes, and the International Olympic Committee to write the first playbook for plant-based athletes titled “Let the Plant-based Games Begin.” The organization teamed up with Washington legislators to introduce the ADD SOY Act, a bill currently before Congress to get soy milk added as an option in U.S. schools. Switch4Good’s new Kids and Dairy Symptoms program (KiDS) is purposed with educating doctors, dietitians, and parents about the harm drinking cow’s milk does to kids. For more information, please visit www.switch4good.org.