Novak Djokovic’s Diet Tricks to Supercharge His Body
John G. Mabanglo/Landov
While Novak Djokovic has been busy slamming balls past opponents at the U.S. Open, we’ve been tearing through his new book, Serve To Win.
About his switch to a gluten-free, dairy-free diet, the book may as well be called How Djokovic Got His Groove Back. Even if you’re a diehard bread-head, you can get on board (er, court?) with some of his simple, healthy eating tips. Don’t worry, you don’t have to give up your morning bagel or late-night mint chocolate chip fix—but you can:
Start your day with honey. Surprise, sugarphobes! Djokovic wakes up, grabs a spoon and sticks it straight into a pot of honey for two sweet, sticky spoonfuls. Your body needs fructose to function at its peak, he explains. Why not Frosted Flakes? Honey keeps your insulin levels steady, rather than causing them to spike and fall like processed sugars do, he says.
Drink warm water. Ice, ice, maybe? Maybe not. Djokovic says when you drink chilled water, your body has to send extra blood to the digestive system, diverting bloodflow from where he wants it—straight to his muscles to ensure the most efficient, powerful workout.
Pare down the pears. Pears look like such innocent fruits. But behind potatoes and bananas, they have the most carbs of any common fruit or veggie—a no-no on Djokovic’s list, especially late at night.
Add coconut oil to your coffee. It sounds coco-nutzo, right? But it’ll kick up the flavor as much as that pump of sugar-free hazelnut at Starbucks—but instead of artificial sugars, you’re getting a nutritional boost. Much like salmon, coconut oil has been shown to raise HDL (otherwise known as “good cholesterol”), Djokovic says.
What do you think? Will you be stocking up on honey or instigating the breakup of your Brita and your fridge?