Novak Djokovic Diet: What does Novak Djokovic eat? Here’s all you need to know about his diet
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Novak Djokovic (Image via: Essentially Sports (left) and Cosmosclinic (right))
Do you ever wonder what does Novak Djokovic eat? Winner of 23 Grand Slams, Novak Djokovic is a modern-day legend of the game who has repeatedly delivered on the biggest stage. The 2023 French Open champion dethroned the ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal by winning his 23rd major title at Roland Garros.
He returned to Melbourne at the 2023 Australian Open after being detained for vaccine reasons in 2022. He came back with a bang to win his 9th Australian Open title and tied Nadal with 22 major titles before overtaking him in Paris to take a unanimous lead.
What does Novak Djokovic eat?
A few years back, Serbian national Djokovic claimed that he consumes vegetables, beans, white meat, fish, fruit, nuts, seeds, chickpeas, lentils, and healthy oils and named a piece of candy as his cheat meal. However, a lot has changed since then.
Djokovic had breathing issues in the past. He underwent nose surgery to improve his condition. Djokovic claimed that his doctor also advised him to do some dietary changes which helped him a lot. Post-2016, global tennis decided to consume only plant-based food. He strictly avoids gluten-based food, dairy, and refined sugar.
Novak starts his day with a glass of warm water and lemon to detoxify and start fresh. Then he prefers to have celery juice empty stomach. After a short break, he consumes a glass of green smoothie which generally has a lot of green vegetables and fruits.
Novak Djokovic’s diet
As per many sources and interviews, the Serbian mostly eats a gluten-free diet. He also tends to avoid eating too much meat or fish. The thinking behind this is that ice-cold water needs to be heated up by the body in order to be digested properly, so drinking warm water makes this process more efficient. For the first meal of the day, Djokovic will typically eat what he calls a “power bowl” with a plethora of seeds, gluten-free muesli, mixed nuts, berries, or fruits along with almond or rice milk.
He will also add some manuka honey to this as it has antibacterial properties and contains fructose. Lunches tend to be a complex carbohydrate-packed affair for Djokovic, as this helps give him the long-lasting energy he needs to complete his tiresome days of training. Generally, he will chow down on some gluten-free pasta with mixed grilled vegetables, that will have a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt for taste. That may well be accompanied by a mixed salad and occasionally some meat or fish if he is playing a match in the afternoon.
Dinner time tends to bring more protein to the plate of the 2023 French Open champion.
I was criticized for shifting to a plant-based diet: Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic’s diet also includes supplements to improve his overall health. The World No. 1 tennis star consumes a lot of fruits during the day to ensure that he gives his 100% during the training sessions. Moreover, he stays away from heavy food which can take a lot of time to digest.
Lunches are dominated by salads which are typically served along with wild rice, soda grains like quinoa, and millet. He keeps his overall diet very light.
Djokovic also claimed that he was mocked and criticized when he decided to stick with only plant-based food. He said that it wasn’t just about dietary changes, but his whole lifestyle was transformed. He added that he is aware of the ill effects of animal slaughtering on the climate which also played a part in opting for the new diet.
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Shubham Bhargava
(1813 Articles Published)