Curries out, salads in: Colour-coded diet to make Indian men’s hockey team ready for Los Angeles

The Indian men's hockey team has shifted away from heavy curries and large portions of rice, opting for a healthier diet consisting of salads, hummus, avocado, grilled meats, hung-curd desserts, and various milkshakes. Coach Craig Fulton emphasizes the importance of proper nutrition, stating that the team has not adequately addressed diet in the past.

Nutritionist Mihira Khopkar has been working with the team since May, introducing a structured fuelling programme that changes players' habits along with their menus. The team's training days are colour-coded, with red days being high-load days, orange days being moderate, and green days being low-load days. The plates follow the same colour scheme, with carbohydrate intake increasing as the training load increases.

Green plates are high in protein and low in carbohydrates, featuring raw, steamed, and stir-fried vegetables, hummus, avocado, nuts, and seeds. Protein options include grilled chicken, fish, lamb chops, and prawns. The team's training days are colour-coded, with red days being high-load days, orange days being moderate, and green days being low-load days.

The hydration programme also follows a similar colour-coding system, with around 50 litres of isotonic lime water prepared on red days to match the players' increased energy expenditure.