Author: Christopher Orem
Over the last twenty years, one NFL quarterback has dominated the league year in and year out. He holds records for most championships, touchdown passes, passing yards, and nearly every other record for his position group. In 2022, he will be entering his 23rd season at age 45—and will most likely dominate. Aside from his NFL accolades, Tom Brady is famous in the sports community for his emphatic enthusiasm for his diet.
Brady is not alone—professional athletes often spend millions of dollars on private chefs and dieticians. Beyond professional sports, American colleges and universities spend extraordinary amounts of money on athletic nutrition. I know because I was one. From 2017 to 2021, I played division one volleyball at UCLA and Pepperdine in Los Angeles, CA. We received catered breakfasts and lunches, weekly nutrition lectures, and personalized diets and body mass index readings.
However, the benefits of healthy eating habits extend far beyond athletics. A healthy diet is essential to health and productivity in one’s career and everyday life and can even benefit the environment.
Health
According to the World Health Organization, unhealthy diets: “excessive consumption of energy, saturated fat, trans fats, sugar and salt; as well as low consumption of vegetables, fruits and whole grains,”[1] contribute to obesity as well as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. To reduce the risk of these diseases and lead a brighter life, health experts recommend “a plant-based diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins...”[2].
Productivity
Your digestive system uses energy to process the foods you eat. Foods high in carbohydrates, fat, and sugar are more complex and thus require more energy to digest[3]. Increasing or maintaining productivity requires managing inputs of these foods. Eating a low-carb breakfast and/or lunch and healthy snacking maintains energy and blood-sugar levels, leading to a more productive workday.
Environment
Our eating habits are also closely tied to global warming. Methane from industrial beef production, carbon from transport, and packaging waste contribute to the current climate catastrophe. Experts recommend that eating less meat, buying locally produced organic produce, and reducing food waste are critical steps in reducing the environmental harm of diet [4].
The Wolves have implemented these factors into their diets and decided to share them with the world. Below, you’ll find the ‘Happy Wolf Cookbook,’ complete with healthy, balanced meals for your health and enjoyment!
Bon appétit!
[1] https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/nutrition [2]https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/harvard-researchers-launch-healthy-eating-plate [3]https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2017/09/08/the-links-between-diet-and-productivity/?sh=4dd59669667a [4]https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/04/rules-eating-fight-climate-change/618515/
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