Active Low-Carber Forums - View Single Post - Why nutrition is NHL players' new secret weapon

Quote:

"Basically, all of my guys eat a Paleo-ish [diet]," she said. "It's all gluten-free, soy-free and mostly dairy-free, with the exception of eating grass-fed butter and ghee sometimes. It's refined-sugar-free and mostly grain-free. They'll have white rice occasionally. But the focus is on high-quality organic grass-fed proteins. Starchy veggies and fruits are the carbohydrate sources. I find that a lot of athletes feel better on that."

I was almost afraid to click on this article, that it would have been too much vegan woo-woo.

Frankly, I'm surprised this seems to be coming more from the players themselves and not the teams. Only half of NHL teams have nutrition specialists? I'm amazed that in pro sports, every team isn't doing this. Players are famously treated like assets. It can be borderline exploitive. When you're pouring millions of dollars into these guys, and profits are dependent on winning, there's an attitude of milking every last ounce of success out of them. If a guy is missing games or under-performing because of things that can be contributed at least partially to diet, doesn't it sound like a no-brainer to get them on board with a nutrition plan of some sort? It really only costs them the salary of a few professionals like those described in the article.

I love how this article is positioned right above one about Phil Kessel, who just broke the NHL record for consecutive games played. Hockey is obviously a high-injury sport, so this is no small feat. He's built like a tank. He's also been the butt of jokes and fat-phobia because he's a chunky dude. I'd love to peek into HIS kitchen.