NFL Star Russell Wilson Talks about His 10-Day Cleanse Challenge

Russell Wilson cuts out dairy, gluten and red meat in his 10-day cleanse (Image via Instagram)
Russell Wilson cuts out dairy, gluten and red meat in his 10-day cleanse (Image via Instagram)

Russell Wilson says he stopped eating certain foods for 10 days to give his body a break. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live with his wife Ciara, the 33-year-old quarterback for the Denver Broncos said that he often did a 10-day challenge in which he stopped eating dairy, gluten, and red meat. Wilson also stated that Ciara refused to participate in the challenge, making the cleanse more difficult.

The player says that Ciara likes to tease Russell when he's on his cleanse. Russell would be at the farmer's market, and Ciara would be in front of him eating a Philly cheesesteak.

It is known that Russell Wilson wants to keep playing until he is 45 years old. He spends $1 million a year on services and products that help him stay fit and strong. His personal dietitian has said that the quarterback eats up to 5,000 calories and nine meals per day on a low-carb, high-protein diet.

Professional athletes who are getting older often try to stay away from gluten, dairy, and red meat. Tom Brady, Kevin Love, Joe Burrow, Andrew Whitworth, and Troy Aikman have all given up at least one of these foods, and some of them have given up all three for good.


Why did Russell Wilson decide to go on a cleanse?

Many dietitians say that dairy, gluten, and red meat are all "trigger foods." Trigger foods include dairy and red meat, as well as things like sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and MSG that are found in many foods. Some people who are allergic or intolerant to these may have digestive problems, skin problems, or migraines.

Getting rid of "trigger foods" is a method that is generally used to figure out if someone has sensitivity. If you cut out dairy, gluten, and red meat and your symptoms go away or get better, it's a sign that you might have a problem with one or more of these food groups. From there, you'd want to add them back in one at a time and see how you feel.

A cleanse is supposed to remove these trigger foods that may cause inflammation in the body. Excessive inflammation can impair athletic performance by delaying recovery and compromising immunity.

The thought behind Russell Wilson's 10-day cleanse is the same—to improve his athletic performance by giving his body a break from foods that can cause or trigger inflammation. The only long-term advantage of Wilson's cleanse, however, would be learning which foods to avoid in the future. Russell Wilson can and should eat these foods again if his body does not react negatively.

Dietitians say that cutting out gluten won't help anyone who doesn't have a gluten intolerance or a medical condition. Hence, it would be better for people who don't have such a condition to continue including gluten in their diet as it will enable them to have a lot of important foods like whole grains.

Dietitians also say that following a diet for only 10 days won't help Russell Wilson's health in any way. A person would likely have to eat the same way for months or even years before their health would improve.

Good habits don't show result in just 10 days. Clean eating is a better idea than cleansing.

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