Kobe Bryant and Lakers on Paleo Diet

fruttibiscotti · December 2013

I posted this in another forum, but thought you guys would like to read about this too...I find it fascinating that professional athletes are getting into Paleo. Looks like another NBA team following the Paleo diet for health and high performance. This article is on Kobe Bryant and the other Lakers team members, following the advice of their doctor. Here's the article: http://www.examiner.com/article/kobe-bryant-and-lakers-score-with-low-carb-high-protein-paleo-and-grass-fed-meat

Here's an excerpt:

The result of the food plan, which features grass-fed meat and real foods: Weight loss, body fat reduction and even faster recovery from injuries.

"If you really stick to it, it really makes a difference," player Steve Blake said. "Everything they're telling us, one, it makes sense, and two, [Shanahan] has science to back it up."

Kobe Bryant agrees, emphasizing that he trusts the physician's advice.

"It's a different philosophy," he said. "It's something that we all had to adjust to, but we trust Dr. Cate implicitly. I've seen great results from it from when I started doing it last year -- watching your sugar intake, making sure you're eating healthy fats. You've got to find a balance in that system. It's worked well for me."

And that system is highly detailed when it comes to what's allowed.

The Lakers eat only beef from humanely raised, grass-fed cows with no added antibiotics. The reason: Grass-fed cows produce meat with higher levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The fish is wild, and free-range chickens and pigs are featured on the Lakers menus.

"There's a right way to raise a pig and a wrong way," Lakers strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco said. "Pigs that are raised with hormones and fed corn and grains, yeah, that'll kill you."

The Lakers' program is called PRO Nutrition: Performance, Recovery and Orthogenesis. Translation: Dr. Cate believes that evolution is strongly influenced by environmental factors.

What that means: Turning the traditional food pyramid upside-down by encouraging players to get at least 50 percent of their calories from fat, and no more than 25 percent each from protein and carbohydrates. It's a plan that an increasing number of health experts support, such as neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter.