An NBA Player's Life on the Road with Crohn's

Before every game, Nance has a light snack to give him an energy boost; however, he stresses that he needs to play on an empty stomach. “Lunch, again, is there for us at the gym. I usually go for the seafood option, like salmon or cod. I like asparagus or steamed broccoli on the side, and fingerling potatoes for some carbs. But then I like to have a heavy dinner, usually a lot of steak or pasta—shrimp alfredo, or something like that, just to sit in my stomach and ensure that I have something to burn throughout the night. I would never eat something like that before a game, but because we burn so many calories, if I don’t sit on something heavy at night I’ll start to lose weight. My body starts eating into fat stores and muscle at night if I just eat, say, a burger, or some other normal dinner. This might be different for me than for other players, though, because of my Crohn’s. I burn through food like it’s nothing,” he said.