Peyton Manning and his brother Eli both perform at a Hall of Fame level in the NFL, so perhaps it's not surprising that they eat similar pre-game meals. For Peyton it's "two pieces of grilled chicken, a bowl of pasta with marinara sauce, a plain baked potato with a side of broccoli and a couple of Gatorades." Eli keeps it lighter, sticking with the same meal but choosing between the pasta and the potato. The carbo-loading approach adheres perfectly with Dr. Stein's advice that pre-game meals "contain between 200 and 300 grams of carbohydrate to make sure you have enough glucose available to your muscles and brain to be used as energy."
The Meal
- Eight ounces of grilled chicken breast
- One baked potato
- A half-cup of broccoli
- Side of pasta with marinara sauce
Nutrition Totals
- Calories: 700
- Fat: 7.5g
- Carbs: 95g
- Protein: 63g
Photo Credit: Getty Images // Thinkstock