Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, a team whose fans refer to themselves as “Cheeseheads.” Well, despite being the QB of the Cheeseheads, Rodgers himself won’t be eating cheese anymore.
Rodgers told reporters that he will no longer be eating cheese and has eliminated dairy products from his diet entirely. The quarterback had knee surgery in January which has led to a change in diet.
“More of a vegan diet with some red meat at times and some chicken,” Rodgers said. “I’ve done a lot of research and talked with Adam Korzun, our [team] nutritionist, and some other friends around the league about how I can extend my career and how I can be and feel healthier.”
The influence for this change in diet could come from New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady. Rodgers’ diet was an 80/20 plan: 80% of what you eat is health and the other 20% is whatever you want.
As the 32-year-old plans ahead to play for as long as possible, he admits he has to make sure his body can handle it and that starts with being healthy.
“I came in at 216.9, and I’m as light as I’ve been since that year,” Rodgers said. “I would like play between 218 and 220. I think that’s how I can extend my career if I can eat a little bit better. Because it carries over not just in the offseason, but what you’re eating the night before the game and what you’re eating in the morning and the afternoon — if it’s a night game — just how that it affects your performance.”
Rodgers told reporters the 216.9 he weighed in at was the lowest since he weighed in around 218 pounds in 2007. At the time, Green Bay Head Coach Mike McCarthy set a “completely random” weight limit of 217 pounds for Rodgers.
The quarterback said the heaviest he’s ever been at is 230.
“Through your eating, you can reduce inflammation because if you do research, you learn the different foods you eat can actually increase the inflammation in your body and especially in certain parts of your body,” Rodgers said. “And with a knee condition I’ve had a long time, it really started after the surgery, thinking about exactly what I’m going to eat the first couple of weeks after surgery to kind of limit the amount of inflammation in my knee and carried that around the rest of the offseason.”
Offseason weight loss has been a big topic in Green Bay. Running back Eddie Lacy has also been working hard to slim down.
The one downside in all of this for Rodgers is he can no longer eat pizza, mac and cheese, and so much more. But he should be okay as he is a Super Bowl winning quarterback and can apparently afford to miss out on brie, bleu, cheddar, and others. Hopefully the Cheeseheads won’t hold it against him.
[ESPN]
