Steve Nash.

[www.mensjournal.com]

Last winter I was talking with a friend about what I needed to do to stay healthy out on the court. (At 35 it’s not getting any easier.) When the topic of nutrition came up, he urged me to go see his naturopath, Dr. Suneil Jain, here in Arizona. Now, I have tons of people looking after my well-being — coaches, doctors, trainers, my wife — so I’m always skeptical about seeking new advice. But I’m glad I went.

Jain pushes a whole-foods diet, one that consists of lots of raw fruits and vegetables. Okay, but I’m not giving up my steak dinner. Then Jain started talking about how important it is to cut sugar out of your diet. What? My first thought was that that would be impossible, but he made a convincing case. Jain told me that the average American eats about 92 grams of sugar a day, when the human body needs only about eight grams for energy, an amount that should always be satisfied through natural sugars from fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains. Refined sugars, he told me, impair your immune system. In fact, one teaspoon of refined sugar suppresses our white blood cells for up to six hours, making it a lot easier to catch a cold. I really can’t afford colds during the season, so that’s all I needed to hear: I cut out refined sugars cold turkey. No M&M’s at the movies, no energy bars, no Gatorade — I even had to be more careful when going to Jamba Juice, because sometimes they use sugar-filled juice from concentrate. After a few months, I stopped craving sugar entirely.

The difference was instantaneous: I slept better, I recovered from workouts more easily, and I had more energy. When we started training camp in September, we were doing two-a-days — four or five hours on the court — and I never got sore. Even more telling is the fact that this summer I traveled all over the world for my foundation, bringing team sports to war-ravaged countries. I was missing out on sleep and still training the whole time, but I never got sick. I’ve got to think it’s because sugar wasn’t wearing me down.

No doubt, this lifestyle is not easy — sugar gets sneaked into just about everything, so I have to pack my own food. But it doesn’t bother me, because the way I feel is so worth it.

Good post - thanks

Steve Nash is with the Pheonix Suns? They're based in the Arizona, US desert.. warm, sunny, with irrigated orchards and fresh produce coming in from all quarters. Must get back there some time.

Just in --
"Playing with his right eye nearly swollen shut, Phoenix's Steve Nash helped lead his team to a series-clinching win over the San Antonio Spurs and booked a spot in the Western Conference final." [uk.eurosport.yahoo.com]





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2010 11:01AM by loeve.

Nice, smart, sensible Canadian, that Steve Nash. Not afraid to give 'er.

Thanks for posting : )

Then here is the anti-Steve Nash, Lamar Odom: [www.youtube.com]

LOL.

Steve Nash at 35 and Lamar Odom at 30 are both looking to stay competitive. I find Odom's message of fuel by candy gentler than Nash's whole foods, fresh fruits and veggies plus steak. Odom is seen carb loading after a hard day's work which is kind of sweet

loeve,

Are you joking? I am watching this and thinking, so maybe the guy has no skills at all. Maybe he's a fraud and it's just all that sugar. All that sugar is doing this man's work for him. Disappointing. And sad, because I bet his future is hounded by diabetes, when the inevitable knee injury ends his career and this crap catches up with him. Tick-tick-tick . . . .

Are you vegan? My point was that it's gentler to discus the eating of candy than to defend eating steak.

loeve,

I think that he mentioned the steak as a part of his converstation with the nutricionist. I am not sure if he is still eating steaks, and he is not talking about it. I find that it is not always popular to speak publicly about how and what you eat, as people (and the food industry) could consider you a freak, or unpromotable. It is all business, I guess.

I see your point, rab, but Steve Nash said he was not going to give up his steak diner (part of his whole food diet) and then only spoke of giving up processed sugar as suggested by Jain --

"...Jain pushes a whole-foods diet, one that consists of lots of raw fruits and vegetables. Okay, but I’m not giving up my steak dinner. Then Jain started talking about how important it is to cut sugar out of your diet. What? My first thought was that that would be impossible, but he made a convincing case. Jain told me that the average American eats about 92 grams of sugar a day, when the human body needs only about eight grams for energy, an amount that should always be satisfied through natural sugars from fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains..." - Men's Journal article from opening post

The journal article is all about giving up processed sugar which Nash had been consuming his share of prior to 2009; and as you say, Nash perhaps trying not to come off counter-cultural.

It's interesting that Lamar Odom "the candy man" chose to tell his story with humor and sweetness.

Lamar is an honest man, I give him that I am a little surprised that he does not look for more expensive sweets, but goes for average ones, from the store. It speaks a lot about players being just ordinary people who happened to be professional athletes. Also, Steve is a few years older, Lamar still has some time to catch up with Steve's diet

When I was a teenager, I played basketball for a local team in my old country, and we always had the best chocolate in our bags, to have some after the practice. Of course, you never get fat, as you spend energy every day...and I loved that. So, I can relate to Lamar's addiction, completely. But, for his own benefit, I hope he gives it up soon, as it is not healthy.

loeve,

Honestly, I didn't register the part about steak in Steve Nash's interview; athletes tend not to be vegans. I focused on the whole plant foods part, which sets an excellent example. Whereas, there is nothing nutritious about Lamar Odom's candy-as-crack-habit program, nice guy or no. It sends a truly unhelpful message to ghetto kids with atrocious nutrition in their daily lives who won't think twice whether Odom's candy regimen is OK for an athlete. Sugar is energy, right, daw'? Geez . . .

Lamar Odom's video includes candid comments like wondering how he has any teeth left as well. It's interesting how Odom hardly feels the need to defend his processed fructose/glucose choices while Nash makes the "not giving up my steak dinner" comment in support of his natural whole foods diet.

My ex coached and would treat the kids to sweet things after away games. Kenyan runners do carb loading with tea with lots of sugar after workouts. They're not the best foods for sure.

Who exactly are ghetto kids? What is a ghetto kid?

cyclopsicle,

A ghetto kid is a kid raised in poverty in an inner city with a paucity of, in this case, food resources.

Truly, this can apply to many exurban kids also: they have not had access to fresh produce growing up, the mainstay of their diet from toddlerhood is fast food or packaged foods from the grocery store, and, of course, that dreck that passes for school lunch program food. They grow up not knowing anything about nutrition as a result. And I speak from experience when I say that government cheese and tinned peanut butter don't mitigate the effects, unfortunately.

That's great! I had no idea.

Best,
Mark