The Strict (But Not Strange) Diet and Lifestyle of the World's Current #1 Tennis Player

VIRGINIA RACE: KEN CUCCINELLI'S CONSERVATISM VERSES TERRY MCAULIFFE'S LIMITLESS LIBERALISM

THIS IS VIA THE WSJ AND BUSINESS INSIDER TODAY ON NOVAK DJOKOVIC'S WINNING DIET AND TRAINING LIFESTYLE as revealed in his forthcoming book Serve To Win--The 14-Day Gluten-Free Plan For Physical and Mental Excellence to be released this August, 2013.

I agree with many---but not all---of his diet dos and don'ts. This from the WSJ:

Want to roll like the world's top men's tennis player? Start by drinking loads of warm water all day long, as well as shakes made with pea protein concentrate. Avoid dairy and stay away from alcohol during tournaments. Eat lots of avocados, cashew butter and very little sugar. Banish caffeine, other than the occasional energy gel bar before matches. Be sure to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night, meditate, do plenty of yoga and tai chi, take melatonin supplements, hook yourself up to a biofeedback machine that measures your stress level and, when you have a free moment or two, keep a diary. Feel free to unwind with a cup of warm licorice tea. as revealed in his forthcoming book being released in August.

I totally agree with the room temperature or even warm water, the avoidance of dairy, sugar and most alcohol....but caffeine!? Say what!? Not ready for that one just yet. Have no intention of hooking myself up to a biofeedback machine any time soon.  And I've never heard of pea protein concentrate but I'm open. As for avocados, I can't imagine a day without one.

Yet the biggest, most important  of Djokovic's winning habits is one I whole-heartedly agree with---giving up all wheat and gluten:

Djokovic also eats gluten-free. After he went 14 days without gluten, his doctor had him eat a bagel which Djokovic said made him feel like he had a terrible hangover. Ever since, he has eliminated gluten from his diet and claims he's never felt better, he writes: "My allergies abated; my asthma disappeared; my fears and doubts were replaced by confidence. I have not had a serious cold or flu in nearly three years."

Interestingly, it's not just  gluten that's so bad for us. It's that wheat and most grains today are genetically modified in ways that make them very hard or impossible for humans to digest properly.

Djokovic also eats a lot of manuka honey from down under which I loathe and think raises your blood sugar to dizzying unhealthy heights only to fall precipitously causing extreme tiredness and mood swings (in me at leat). Honey, in my opinion, is the greatest antibiotic for skin infections---including flesh eating disease---the world has ever known. But eating a lot of honey long-term simply would only make me tired during the day.

I'm sure there's more in the book to whet our appetites, but these are the high points for now. I plan to get this book when I get back to Tennessee.