NBA vegetarians say diet helped them

When James Jones goes on the road, he racks up a huge food bill.

But not for the reasons you're thinking.

"Room service is tough. The side dishes are the most overpriced thing on the menu," said Jones. "I'm ordering five side dishes of steamed broccoli, five dishes of steamed asparagus, and a bowl of brown rice. My bill for that right there might be $70, but that's the trade-off it you want to eat right on the road."

That is, if you're a vegetarian. Jones, a reserve small forward with the Miami Heat who won the three-point competition during this year's NBA All-Star weekend, described himself as a "very heavy meat-eater" before becoming a vegetarian in 2007. His go-to meal in the old days? Macaroni and cheese with barbequed chicken.

James said that becoming a vegetarian opened him up to lots of new grains, rices and oatmeal. And though it has closed him off to meat, he's not beyond knowing that everyone else loves a good meal piled high with animal protein.