Chris Murray

RGJ

When a young Colin Kaepernick was a member of the Wolf Pack, he'd show up to weight-lifting sessions with the same two things every day: a bag full of McDonald's and a box of white powdered doughnuts.

Not exactly the breakfast of champions. The image of Kaepernick walking down the ramp leading to the Wolf Pack's weight room still makes Nevada strength and conditioning director Matt Eck laugh.

But after three years on the McDonald's and doughnuts diet, Kaepernick decided a change was in order. So, he listened to Eck, who for years had been pitching a healthier diet to the star quarterback.

"It took until after his sophomore season when he saw the toll the year took on his body and he finally realized how much he needed his body to hold us," Eck said. "I talked to him about it every day and he got more and more curious until he finally said, 'I've got to get more out of my body.'"

So, Kaepernick ditched the McDonald's and doughnuts diet, an epiphany three years in the making. Eck and his strength and conditioning crew are trying to push that epiphany out of Nevada's current players in a more expedited rate. Last month, the Wolf Pack introduced a gluten-free lifestyle to the team.

Eck, who has been gluten-free for a year, estimates 20 percent of the Wolf Pack is on the diet, with many more ready to take the plunge. Eck's long-term vision, with the backing of second-year coach Brian Polian, is to make Nevada what would likely be the first gluten-free football team in the country.

"The guys who are really into it, they're absolutely loving it," Eck said. "They feel better. They recover better. Their energy level in class is up. Their professors are raving about how much more attentive they are in class. There are guys on the fringe and those are the guys we have to get marching forward."

Kyle Sammons, a former Wolf Pack receiver and member of Nevada's strength and conditioning staff, was the first to push the gluten-free idea. Last month, Nevada's five-person strength team (all of whom are gluten-free) gave a presentation to the team about the benefits of ditching gluten.

Gluten, a protein found in wheat, other grain products and processed food, can cause inflammation in the body and brain. It can lead to decreased energy and can cause cramps or more severe symptoms. Some studies have found that gluten kills brain cells. Others argue that gluten can lead to Alzheimer's disease.

As a result, Nevada has asked its players to cut out gluten-loaded products. No bread or pasta. No bagels or cookies. No breaded meats or pizza. No ice cream or chips. No salad dressing, ketchup or mustard.

"Our rule is if it jumps, flies, swims or runs, you can eat it," said defensive end Brock Hekking, one of the first to adopt the diet. "And eat the rainbow, which means eat your fruits and vegetables every day."

Eck said it would take your digestive enzymes six hours to polish off a high-gluten product like a single crouton, but a meat protein would be broken down in less than 30 seconds. The strength staff spent weeks researching gluten products before presenting their findings to Polian, who OK'd a presentation to the team. Even though it's been just a month, those who have adopted the diet have felt the effects.

"I feel the difference now," Wolf Pack running back Don Jackson said. "I feel like my legs don't die as fast. I feel in a lot better shape. Last spring, when I wasn't eating right, I felt chubby, out of shape, out of breath quick. Maybe it does help. Maybe it doesn't. But I feel more flexible, and I have more energy."

Many notable athletes practice gluten-free diets, like New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, former big-league All-Star Justin Morneau and tennis star Novak Djokovic. But most of those athletes are pushed into the diet because of gluten allergies. Nevada's staff wants its players to be more proactive.

Eck said it's easier to put on good weight and mold your body when you avoid gluten. Players who are gluten-free recover quicker and feel better late in the year, Eck said. Players like Hekking, Jordan Hanson and Bryan Lane Jr. have been quick to embrace the change, but not everybody has been an easy sell.

"Football players want to take this supplement and this pill and this supplement and they want to eat whatever they want — pizza and all that," Eck said. "They think they're invincible. But they could spend three hours in the weight room and go eat a pizza and kill everything they just did for three hours. If you love the weight room, you have to love the body enough to let it do what it's supposed to do."

Eck started a Twitter account for the Nevada strength program and Nevada's more motivated players tweet him pictures or send him texts of their gluten-free meals. One of those guys is Hanson, a defensive tackle who has added 20 pounds this offseason and now checks in at 6-foot-2, 295 pounds.

The senior captain consumed 5,000 calories a day when putting on the extra weight, but cut back to 3,000 calories per day once he hit his goal. He remembers eating Panda Express, Port of Subs, burgers and pizza as a freshman living in the dorms. He's more cognizant of what he eats these days.

"You realize that eating plays a big role in how good you feel, how well you sleep, how alert you are in the class," Hanson said. "I've done the gluten-free thing. They call it 'grain drain.' If you eat a lot of grain, you get sleepy in class. Ever since I've taken that out of my diet, I've been able to stay awake better."

Even Wolf Pack athletic director Doug Knuth, a former Division I athlete who played tennis at Connecticut, has tried to get involved. He's looking to raise the $500,000 required to have a year-round "training table" for all Nevada athletes, which would give them access to one free meal per day.

Most BCS schools already have this, but the Wolf Pack doesn't. This year, the team has added four "training table" meals during spring practice, but doesn't have the resources for full-time service. Knuth said that's an important step to ensure the Wolf Pack players are fueling their bodies correctly.

"How do you expect to perform at the highest level when you're putting cheap gasoline in a Ferrari?" Knuth said. "I think this drives directly back to on-field performance. It's something we have to fix."

The gluten-free lifestyle has extended past Wolf Pack football players. Some members of Nevada's coaching staff have tried it, too. At two of Polian's previous coaching stops, a colleague had to have surgery, in part because of poor eating habits. So, he, too, has gone away from the gluten.

"It's a change, for sure," Polian said. "I've been three weeks without a slice of bread and haven't had a soda and haven't had a doughnut, and it puts me in a bad mood at times. But it's something we have to do."

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at cmurray@rgj.com or follow him on Twitter @MurrayRGJ.

WOLF PACK'S GLUTEN-FREE LIFESTYLE

The Wolf Pack football strength and conditioning staff has urged players to start a gluten-free diet. Here's a look at what strength and conditioning director Matt Eck recommends for his players daily.

Breakfast: Eggs (with spinach/kale salad mixed in); one additional protein; black coffee; whole milk

Snacks: Yogurt; string cheese; nuts; berries

Lunch: Lunch meat sandwiches (no bread; meat wrapped around cheese); fruit; nuts

Dinner: Good protein (chicken; fish; beef; bison), cooked with healthy coconut/olive oil; vegetables