GLENDALE, AZ — Arizona Cardinals players headed back to the field for the second week of training camp Tuesday.
A moment dubbed "snack break" set the internet ablaze as players were seen chowing down on fresh fruits and shakes from a small cart last week.
"It's halftime," first-year Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said Saturday. "It's not a snack break. I appreciate y'all coining that."
All jokes aside, ABC15 got to wondering what it takes to feed these gridiron gladiators.
With all shapes and sizes in the locker room, diets can differ quite a bit.
“For me, I always need to make sure I’m eating right because I can get out of hand sometimes,” said DJ Humphries.
At 312 pounds and in his fifth year in the league, Humphries says he has learned a lot about his own body. He has also seen fad diets come and go.
“A lot of guys have specific diets they’re able to stick to and they make sure we have a wide variety of foods that would match those different types of diets,” said Humphries. “Thankfully I’m only 25 so my metabolism is still working pretty good.”
For wide receiver Christian Kirk, he’s on the pickier side when it comes to what he eats.
“What’s on my plate? Oh man, it’s a lot of specifics - I don’t eat eggs, I do a lot of oatmeal and stuff like that in the morning, try to be gluten-free as much as I can,” said Kirk who mentioned a lot of guys in the locker room are also gluten-free.
For the vets, reality sets in with a little side of jealousy. “Some guys are lucky, I’m in year seven and when I first came to the NFL, I could eat whatever I wanted to, I was always never heavy enough for them,” said lineman Justin Pugh.
“I’m jealous of Cory Cunningham, one of the rookies, he just eats whatever he wants, at breakfast, his plate is piled mountain high," said Pugh.
Oh to be young again. Most diets consist of lean meats like fish and chicken, lots of fruits and vegetables and reluctantly for many, sugar is a no-no.
As you can imagine, the bigger you are, the more calories you need for the intense work on the field. “I eat about six to seven thousand calories a day,” said Pugh.
But with all this healthy eating, everyone has a cheat day right?
“I found an amazing Italian place I try to go on the off days, I’ll go with subs or calzones,” said Pugh.
“I’m big gelato guy,” said Humphries. “I think my favorite right now is the roasted marshmallow.”
Sometimes, however, cheat days lose a bit of their flavor when the body is so used to the good stuff.
“Usually when I have a cheat meal it messes me up, I don’t feel too good after but it’s worth it, while I eat it,” said Kirk whose cheat food of choice is pizza.
