March 02, 2006
The Franco Diet
Ben Shpigel details Julio Franco's regimen for staying in the game:
If, as Franco desires, he is to play until he is 50, he will not diverge from a regimen that includes ingesting about 5,000 calories daily, lifting weights six days a week and attending weekly sessions with his chiropractor, masseuse and rolfer to align his spine and restore his balance.
A religious man, Franco obeys the Ten Commandments and three personal rules: eat hard, work harder, rest hardest.
"There are no magic pills," Franco said.
Franco is, in many ways, a walking anachronism, and he knows it. He belongs in another era, when fast food, soda and preservatives did not exist. Why else, he said, would he drink a liquid concoction made from beets, cauliflower, celery, broccoli, garlic, onions and an apple (to mask the unsavory tang)?
"It tastes nasty, but it's so good for you and 100 per cent natural," Franco said. "That's all that I care about.''
I'm sorry, if I'm going to eat 5000 calories a day, there's going to be a couple of chocolate brownies thrown in there. Still, one can't argue with the results.
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Posted by David Pinto at
08:41 AM
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I always cheer for Julio. By all accounts he's a really good guy and used to drive a 6 wheeled Van when he was with the Rangers. How can you not like that.
5000 calories per day? I doubt it.
The NY Post had in inset with his typical day and I'd be surprised if it topped 2000. Egg whites and broiled chicken breast does not add up quickly. Maybe the two protein shakes listed did that?
Neither do any of the veggies mentioned. (Sorry, no one can eat enough beets. Blech!)
The article David quoted said Franco ate 20 egg whites, oatmeal, a banana and grapefruit juice for breakfast (that morning). Thats probably about 750 calories depending on the sizes of the components. The article also says he eats 5 or 6 meals a day.