There are always sacrifices to be made for the good of a professional athlete’s health and career. But some sacrifices seem to be a bit more . . . painful, than others. One case in point is the current report about Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards seems to be a tough sacrifice to make.
It seems that Ant-Man had abstained (given up) fried foods from Monday through Thursday throughout the offseason. Now, he is upping his vigilance to exclude all fried foods through the duration of the entire NBA season.
And yes, per BlueWirePods Timberwolves reporter Dane Moore, he is even giving up Popeyes chicken.
Anthony Edwards said he didn't eat any fried foods Monday-Thursday this offseason -- and said he's not going to have any fried foods during the season.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) September 29, 2022
I asked about Popeyes. He said not even Popeyes -- and definitely won't be ordering McDonalds at press conferences anymore.
Now the question is, why?
Fried foods and professional athletes
There is a body of evidence that has surfaced in recent years that has compelled professional athletes to rethink their diet, particularly in the category of fried foods. Part of that holistic consideration of fried foods is the belief that fried foods are a bank vault’s worth of calories in one sitting, and that a professional athlete’s daily regimen needs large amounts of calories to support those workout sessions.
But more and more evidence suggests that fried foods have the opposite effect on athletes.
For starters, fried foods increase the risk of heart disease. That is not just for athletes, but everyone. Specifically for athletes, the complexity of fried foods leads to long periods of time to digest. Because the blood supply is diverted to the digestive tract to bring that all about, athletes who consume fried foods are sluggish and fatigued easily.
The salt content in fried foods is another danger. Too much salt is also linked to heart problems, and can also elevate the risks of other diseases too.
Whether you are starting your own workout regimen, or simply trying to remain healthy, it makes sense to be vigilant in what you eat. Anthony Edwards is on the right track. Why not consider joining him? But you may want to keep one Popeye’s food run on the monthly calendar. After all, no sense getting too carried away.