The Real-Life Diet of Jalen Hurts, Who Had to Cut Back On His Grandmother’s Cooking

(Laughs) It won’t hurt. The way my grandmother cooks, you don’t really need to.

It takes some serious discipline to turn down granny’s cooking.

I think the older you get, the more capable you are of taking that next step in your off-the-field preparation. Whether that be your nutrition, where you train, how you train and who you train with—I think that evolves as you grow older and get more experienced. My health has always been an important thing, and I know that there is a window of opportunity in terms of playing this game and I’m not naive about that. It’s about what you do now and what you do to take care of yourself both on and off the field. I definitely try and eat right and put the right things in my body.

That lines right up with your partnership with Accelerator. What made this a product you wanted to get behind?

I’ve learned this over time but just as I approach my business on the field and with anything that I do, I just want to be true to myself, true to my work and preparation, and true to those who support and have supported me over the years. In everything in life, you always want to put your best foot forward to make sure it’s all in alignment. You have to have priorities with doing that and there are a lot of great things and opportunities people come across, but I think the number one thing is making sure that it’s true to yourself so that you can truly enjoy that experience.

From a health standpoint, I think Accelerator is the healthiest option out there. It’s NSF certified and has all-natural ingredients. All of those things are important for me as an athlete. I’m not a big energy drink person but when it comes to A-Shoc Energy and the all-natural ingredients, that’s something I can gravitate towards.

What are some of your favorite places to eat in Philly?

I’ve grown towards a place called Foodchasers Kitchen. They literally cook everything that you want. They have great catfish, cheesesteak—the cheesesteak is actually called the Jalen Hurts Special. I love the steakhouses and they have a ton of different options. I’m a regular at Steak 48 and The Prime Rib. Those are just some of my favorites.

What would a day of eating look like for you?

It varies, but in this current moment of training, I just try and keep it clean. I think the most important thing is staying away from fried foods and being able to stay disciplined with that. Also, drinking a lot of water to cleanse everything.

I think it’s important to get some good proteins and some carbs in. You always want to go into the game with good energy. It’s important not to miss a meal. I know some guys that do that and I’m not missing any meal. 

Your work ethic is what I hear about all the time. Given that this was a shorter offseason, did you still give yourself time away before you got back into training?

It’s something that I battle with, to be honest, because I ask myself that all the time and that’s what keeps me hungry and ignites the fire within me to continue to work. I think there is a time to rest and there’s that period after you play such a long season like we played. There’s always some kind of investment that I’m putting into myself that I try and stay true to.

I do take some time to self-evaluate and just try and learn from everything that we did the previous year. In the end, it’s just about trying to turn weaknesses into strengths. You classify those two and build upon them.

What does recovery look like after a game?

If needed, I get a massage. Sometimes, you’ll have some bruising and swelling. The cold tub has always been helpful for me. Honestly, the best thing you can really do after a game is sleep because that helps kickstart the recovery. Sometimes, I have a tough time doing that after a game because your mind is racing and you’re worrying about what you did and what you could have done, and how it happened.

It seems like the sleep after a game is just something not a lot of guys ever get under control.

It’s definitely a journey and I embrace it and I always catch up on sleep. I believe it’s just the competitiveness of the sport and how my mind works. I’m OK with my mind being wired that way.