Baxter Holmes’ feature on the NBA’s obsession with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is a gift that keeps on giving. The story revealed the entire league is addicted to PB&Js, and that players and coaches will literally go to war to ensure they’re available as a pre- or postgame snack.
But in 2013, Dwight Howard was dealing with an addiction of his own.
Holmes takes us back to Howard’s tumultuous tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, where their nutritionist, Dr. Cate Shanahan, discovered Howard had been eating 24 chocolate bars’ worth of sugar every day — for more than a decade.
Howard’s insatiable sweet tooth was sustained by a candy-coated diet most 8-year-olds could only dream of having:
“Skittles, Starbursts, Rolos, Snickers, Mars bars, Twizzlers, Almond Joys, Kit Kats and oh, how he loved Reese's Pieces. He'd eat them before lunch, after lunch, before dinner, after dinner, and like any junkie, he had stashes all over -- in his kitchen, his bedroom, his car, a fix always within reach.”
Dwight was already struggling to recover from back surgery at the time, and at the All-Star break, he began complaining about a tingling feeling in his legs and fingers.
Shanahan also noticed he had difficulty catching passes.
“It looked like he was wearing oven mitts out there,” she told Ken Berger of CBS Sports in 2013.
A blood screening revealed Howard had an egregiously high glucose level, and Shanahan guessed he was dealing with dysesthesia — a condition that alters the nervous system, which she’d seen in patients with pre-diabetes.
Soon after, she led an intervention to improve Dwight’s diet. No more sweets. No more soda.
This couldn’t have been easy for Howard.
His “dream day of food,” as described to USA TODAY Sports in 2009, consists of at least one dessert item for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Orlando Magic supposedly wooed Howard in a 2012 contract negotiation meeting by filling the meeting room with all his favorite candy.
With Shanahan’s help, however, Howard was able to cut sugar from his diet completely. Unsurprisingly, the tingling feeling stopped, and his blood-glucose levels eventually dipped a whopping 80 percent, according to Berger.
Post-intervention Dwight averaged 2.1 more points 1.8 more rebounds per game, and the Lakers’ record improved.
If there’s one thing to take away here, it’s that Superman is just as vulnerable to Almond Joys as he is to kryptonite.
As a nutrition expert with a deep understanding of dietary habits and their impact on athletic performance, it's fascinating to delve into Baxter Holmes' feature on the NBA's unexpected obsession with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The article sheds light on the league-wide addiction to this seemingly simple snack, emphasizing how players and coaches prioritize these sandwiches as crucial pre- or postgame fuel. This culinary revelation not only provides a glimpse into the quirky dietary habits of professional athletes but also underscores the significance of seemingly trivial choices in their performance.
However, the article takes a remarkable turn as it delves into the nutrition struggles of Dwight Howard during his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013. Here, my expertise in nutrition allows me to highlight the substantial evidence presented by Holmes regarding Howard's dietary challenges. The Lakers' nutritionist, Dr. Cate Shanahan, discovered that Howard was consuming an alarming amount of sugar—equivalent to 24 chocolate bars every day—for over a decade.
Howard's diet, reminiscent of a child's dream, was laden with sugary delights such as Skittles, Starbursts, Rolos, Snickers, Mars bars, Twizzlers, Almond Joys, Kit Kats, and Reese's Pieces. This extensive list, coupled with Howard's eating frequency, paints a vivid picture of the extent of his sugar addiction. The evidence is not only anecdotal but is also supported by Shanahan's observations and a blood screening that revealed Howard's egregiously high glucose levels.
The article further explores the adverse effects of Howard's sugar consumption on his health and performance. Shanahan noticed physical manifestations, such as Howard's tingling feeling in his legs and fingers, likening his on-court performance to someone wearing oven mitts. A blood screening confirmed an excessively high glucose level, leading Shanahan to suspect dysesthesia—a nervous system-altering condition often associated with pre-diabetes.
The pivotal moment comes with Shanahan leading an intervention to overhaul Howard's diet, eliminating sweets and sodas. This intervention, rooted in nutritional expertise, proved transformative. Howard's subsequent lifestyle change resulted in a significant drop—80 percent—in his blood-glucose levels. The positive impact on his health was reflected in improved on-court performance, with Howard averaging more points and rebounds per game post-intervention.
This narrative serves as a powerful testament to the intimate connection between nutrition, health, and athletic performance. It showcases how a well-informed intervention, guided by nutritional expertise, can not only address an athlete's health issues but also enhance their on-field contributions. The article's ultimate takeaway is a reminder that even a Superman like Dwight Howard is not immune to the consequences of dietary choices—underscoring the importance of a balanced and tailored nutrition plan for athletes at the highest level of competition.
