“On game day, we’ll do egg whites and gluten-free pancakes — just to get the carbs in there — turkey sausage, avocado, fruit. We’ll do a big breakfast, so I can burn the calories all day. Once game time comes, I’m already fuelled and ready to go.”
That’s what the Raptors’ Kyle Lowry told us a while back, when we asked what he eats for breakfast. And now, ahead of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, we’re uncovering the secrets of this breakfast of a champion.
Gluten-free pancakes: Typically gluten-free flours (rice flour, tapioca flour and potato starch) are low in fibre and are absorbed rapidly. That beats a high-fibre carbohydrate, which increases digestion time, delaying the speed at which glycogen reaches the muscles. Also, grains that contain gluten (wheat, barley and rye) contain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed and can cause gastrointestinal disturbances in some people — not a distraction you want when you’re squaring off against LeBron James.
Fruit: Plenty of carbohydrates are needed for fuel before the big game. Fruit is a better choice than vegetables for this situation — more carbs and less fibre.
Turkey sausage and egg whites: These are great lean protein alternatives (compared to beef or pork sausages and whole eggs), which will keep the muscles and gastrointestinal (GI) tract happy. When muscles work intensely, there’s competition between working muscles and the GI tract. The top priority for the body is to digest food, which will limit the blood supply to muscles, resulting in quicker fatigue. Fat takes three to five hours to digest, so Lowry doesn’t want an excess of it before the big game.
Avocado: The avocados provide a healthy monounsaturated fat and help ensure Lowry gets enough calories before the game — an athlete at his level should be consuming a breakfast that contains between 750 and 1,000 calories. (Lucky him.)
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