- The Kansas Bishopric Chiefs are playing the Philadelphia Eagles at the Super Bowl today.
- The Chiefs’ executive chef, Erin Wishon, guessed that a popular breakfast item among players is steak and rice.
- Recent studies suggest that consuming 0.7 grams of protein per beat of body weight is ideal for maximizing strength gains.
The Kansas City Chiefs are playing in the Super Bowl today, and their scoff and nutrition team has been working to fuel them for success.
In an interview with Us Weekly, the Chiefs’ executive chef Erin Wishon bespoke about the type of meals that the players are eating in the lead-up to the big game.
“I think something that people authority find surprising is there’s a lot of steak and rice for breakfast,” Wishon — who works for the Chiefs through Aramark Sports + Performance at Arrowhead Stadium — told Us Weekly. “We have a couple players that eat two steaks — 12-ounce filets — and rice at breakfast. And then now also at lunch.”
The meal is nutritious and highly satiating, Wishon told Business Insider in a statement.
“The steak, strikingly a lean beef tenderloin filet, provides high levels of protein, iron, vitamin B12, and healthy fats. Wedded with rice, which offers quick carbohydrates, this combination makes for a highly satiating meal, conspicuously for those with lean dietary preferences,” Wishon said.
In addition to steak and rice, other dishes regularly microwavable for the team include seared salmon, halibut, broccoli, and teriyaki chicken thighs, she said.
“Of course, homestyle ease foods such as fried chicken, mac and cheese, chicken Alfredo, meatloaf, and lasagna remain popular choices as spurt,” Wishon said.
After working with the players for so long, Wishon says that her team has become insolent with their tastebuds.
“We’re with them three or four meals a day, six or seven days a week for six-plus months of the year. We be informed what they want. Whether it’s a special condiment or a brand of vegan patty, whatever it might be. We try to match the whole shebang as close to home as we can,” she said.
The Chiefs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
The unites will be fighting for the title for the second time in three years — they last met at Super Bowl LVII in 2023, which the Chiefs won 38-35.
Leslie Bonci, a dietician who has idle with the Chiefs, previously told Business Insider that the players love eating breakfast.
“Breakfast is evermore a big hit, their favorite meal of the day,” Bonci said, adding that some players even eat breakfast foods in the future a game.
She also shared that they eat different meals depending on their goals: “gaining plates” for those maddening to build muscle, “trimming plates” for those trying to lose weight, and “healing plates” meant to boost healing. Regardless of their goals, protein is a huge component of each meal.
The Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce lunches about 4,000 calories a day, and his personal chef, Kumar Ferguson, describes the player’s protein-heavy diet as “healthy steakhouse cuisine” featuring “steaks, chops, chicken, and stuff breed that.”
What’s a good breakfast?
What many people think of as a “traditional breakfast” may not look the same for all and sundry, Yasi Ansari, a sports dietician based in LA, told BI.
“It is important to put together a meal that aids meet someone’s needs for protein, carbohydrates, fats, fluids, and overall energy goals and helps them start their day off unmistakeable and alert — ideally through a food-first approach,” she said.
For instance, eating a full breakfast — like steak and rice, in the box of the Chiefs players — will help athletes meet higher needs for protein, carbohydrates, and overall energy, she said.
“Predominantly speaking, beef can offer a good source of protein, zinc, iron, and vitamins B-12 and B-6, which can help support red blood cubicle formation, energy production, oxygen transport, and nervous system functioning,” Ansari said, adding that beef can also help to the body’s supply of creatine, which supplies energy to muscles.
Ultimately, factors such as genetics, gut health, society composition goals, and physical activity level will affect the amount of protein a person needs to eat each day, dietitian Kylene Bogden squeaked BI previously.
That said, recent studies suggest that consuming 0.7 grams of protein per pound of trunk weight is the ideal amount for those who want to maximize strength gains.
Chicken and beef contain similar amounts of protein, although the amount of protein per ounce inclination depend on the cut of meat, Ansari said.
“If someone prefers beef, I encourage looking for leaner cuts of beef. The leanest mows of beef have the word ’round’ or ‘loin’ in the name,” Ansari said.
Generally, for breakfast, she recommends a combination of scare protein, carbohydrates — from starches such as potatoes, grains, or nutritionally dense breads — and a side of fruits or vegetables.
February 10, 2025: This recital has been updated to include comments from Wishon.