Steak for breakfast, bone broth to drink and oysters for dinner: Rugby stars Sonny Bill Williams and Quade Cooper reveal their radical new diet
- Ex-Wallaby said he and All Blacks legend had been on the diet for eight months
- Plan eliminates vegetables and carbohydrates and prioritises meat and seafood
- Made lifestyle change because he found green diet left him gassy and bloated
- Said meat-oriented diet gave him muscular physique to survive contact sport
Rugby star Quade Cooper has revealed how a radical ‘carnivore diet’ has left him in the best physical shape of his career.
The ex-Wallaby said he and All Blacks legend Sonny Bill Williams had been on the diet for eight months – which eliminates vegetables, fruits and carbohydrates.
Cooper said the meal plan of bone broth, rib-eye steaks and oysters had given him more energy and given him the muscular physique he needs to play a contact sport .
The 32-year-old said the dietary change was a dramatic about-turn from his previous semi-vegan meal plan which prioritised vegetables.
Former Wallabies star Quade Cooper pictured training on April 15. He has revealed the details of a radical ‘carnivore diet’ which eliminates vegetables altogether
Cooper pictured tucking into a steak on March 26 as part of the new diet he has been on for the past eight months
‘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,’ he told The Daily Telegraph.
Cooper and Williams – who debuted for the Toronto Wolfpack in February – have been joined by Brisbane Broncos NRL forward Tevita Pangai Jr in trialling the vegetable-free 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,’ Cooper said.
He emphasised the ambitious diet would by no means work for everyone, but that his nutritionist had explained his body was designed to digest meats rather than salads.
Cooper said he felt gassy and bloated eating more greens and before the diet was already starting phasing out vegetables before transitioning to the ‘carnivore diet’.
‘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,’ he said.
Cooper pictured with bikini model Laura Dundović – who he was rumoured in April to have split from after five years together
Cooper has been joined in his new meal plan by All Blacks legend Sonny Bill Williams – pictured arriving for a boxing bout in Sydney in December 2018
The former Wallaby couples his meal plan with a pre-session plan which features stretching and meditating.
Cooper signed a deal with Japan’s Kintestu Liners to play for the side in 2020 – who have been out of game action during the coronavirus pandemic.
In April, it was rumoured he had split from his model partner Laura Dundovic after five years together.