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Aaron Donald is one of the very best defensive players in the NFL. He is just 30 years old, but he is already one of the most accomplished defensive tackles in NFL history. He has already won a Rookie of the Year award and three Defensive Player of the Year awards, while being named a first-team All-Pro seven times and making the Pro Bowl in all eight of his NFL seasons so far.
Donald has been a force on the interior of the Los Angeles Rams defensive line. In the 127 games he's played in his career, he has recorded 98 sacks and forced 23 fumbles while recovering six fumbles and batting down 16 passes. He is one of the main contributors to the Rams' success and is a big reason why they will be appearing in the 2022 Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Nutrition is an important factor for any athlete looking to achieve peak performance. Athletes in most sports, including the NFL, usually stick to a diet that's extremely high in protein while remaining lower in carbs and fats. Aaron Donald takes a different approach, doing almost the opposite of what's considered the standard for an athletic diet.
Aaron Donald's unique diet plan
A high-protein diet designed for athletes, usually anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of their calorie intake, is made up of proteins. Protein intake is almost always higher than fat intake, based on percentage of calories. Aaron Donald uses a completely different method than most athletes. Just 20 percent of his diet consists of protein, while 30 percent is fat and 50 percent is carbs.
According to Rams lead dietician Joey Blake and Donald's personal chef Aaron Sain, Donald takes some extreme measures to make sure he meets the dietary requirements of his massive 5,000 calorie daily intake. Some of the highlights of what his daily dose includes are 12 protein smoothies, 30 glasses of milk, 20 cups of popcorn, 15 cups of pasta or rice and 55 ounces of fish.
While Donald's diet is quite abnormal compared to other athletes, it appears to be working just fine, if not better. His body fat was calculated at just 11 percent, significantly lower than the 25 percent average for NFL defensive linemen. In theory, nutrition fuels an athlete's output. Donald is one of the most productive defensive tackles of all time, so it's hard to argue with his unique strategy.
