Former Wallabies star Quade Cooper has hailed the carnivore diet that he and Sonny Bill Williams have adopted as a “game-changer”.
The NZ-born star, who now plays with the Kintestu Liners in Japan, told Sydney newspaper the Daily Telegraph he had adopted the almost exclusively meat diet for the last eight months.
The 32-year-old eats plenty of steak and oysters, saying the change has him in the best shape of his life.
"I'm no expert in this field, this is my science, it's what works for me," Cooper told the Daily Telegraph.
"Others might try it and say, 'It's not for me.'
"I've been on the carnivore diet for eight months. Before that I wasn't a full vegan but I was trying to eat healthy like that, trying to stay low on my meat and eat more veggies, no dairy.”
Cooper, who has spent the Covid-19 lockdown training with Broncos and Mate Ma’a Tonga star Tevita Pangai Jnr, said he was noticing a big difference in how his body reacts to training.
"I felt like I got quite lean but also soft in my muscles. Although I was training really hard, anytime I'd take contact I'd find I was getting hurt.
"Now I've combined this diet with pre-hab, looking after my body before I get on the field, before I leave the house. That has been a game-changer.
"I've tried being vegan three times a week, vegetarian three times a week, tried eating normal, then I've gone no carbs, I've played around with certain things and found out what's worked best for me at the moment.
"I've really enjoyed the benefits of this meat diet. It does seem strange to a lot of people because what we're told is normal — 'eat vegetables otherwise you can't digest your food' — I've had no problems whatsoever."
Quade Cooper's daily menu:
7am: Bulletproof coffee (2 cups of coffee, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of MCT oil)
9am: Sip bone broth throughout workout
10.30am: Two rib-eye steaks with salt and butter
6pm: 800-gram tomahawk steak with roasted bone marrow, a dozen oysters.
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