I ate Novak Djokovic's gluten-free, plant-based diet for a week and ended up bored, uninspired, and craving a soda

Barnaby LaneMar 11, 2022, 13:13 IST

Djokovic published his diet in the book "Serve to Win" in 2014.Insider/Barnaby Lane

I tried eating like Novak Djokovic for a week, following a plan laid out in his 2014 book.
Djokovic espouses the benefits of a gluten and dairy-free lifestyle, crediting it with his success.

Novak Djokovic claims in his book "Serve To Win" that adopting a strict gluten and dairy-free diet helped take him from the "brink of failure to the champion of the world."

"Physically, I couldn't compete," wrote the 34-year-old. "Mentally I didn't feel like I belonged on the same court as the best players in the game.

"But then, lo and behold, I made some changes and that transformed everything."

"This wasn't magic," he went on. "The work ethic had always been there, starting with that six-year-old and his perfectly packed tennis bag.

"But suddenly there was an X factor, a change in my diet that allowed my body to perform the way it was meant to."

In my modest opinion, I wouldn't say that I am on the brink of failure, nor do I hold any ambitions (as much as it would nice) to be a Grand Slam champion.

However as a sports reporter, fan, and occasional tennis player who has spent a long time writing about the Serbian star, I thought I would give his diet a go, albeit only for one week.

Here's how I got on.

Novak Djokovic is renowned for eating a strict and clean diet.

Most famously, he eats only plant-based and gluten-free foods.

The Serbian claims his diet has numerous health benefits.

These include, according to Djokovic, improved digestive health, reduced joint pain and stiffness, and higher energy levels.

Dr. William Davis, a who wrote the foreword for "Serve To Win," also says gluten can provoke "mind fog" and "distortions of hormonal status" which can "cripple" athletic performance.

Some of Davis' claims about the impact of gluten consumption have been disputed, including by a 2013 paper published in the Journal of Cereal Science.

I decided to try it in the name of journalism.

Serve to Win was released in 2014.Insider/Barnaby Lane

The first thing to do was go shopping.

Djokovic would definitely approve of my reusable bag.Insider/Barnaby Lane

Certain gluten-free products were pricey, however.

Gluten-free products are expensive.Insider/Barnaby Lane

The next day, my challenge started in earnest.

Breakfast.Insider/Barnaby Lane

It wasn't bad, but everything was a bit plain.

Beige, beige everywhere.Insider/Barnaby Lane

Day two was very similar to day one.

So tempting.Insider/Barnaby Lane

The diet soon turned into Groundhog Day.

Soup.Insider/Barnaby Lane

So I did a little training like Djokovic too to try break the monotony.

Good enough, and more importantly, free.Insider/Barnaby Lane

By day five, I was very, very bored.

No. More. Soup.Insider/Barnaby Lane

Though I did find a small reprise hidden in Djokovic's book.

RED RED WIIIINNEE.Insider/Barnaby Lane

Still, compared to the diet of Cristiano Ronaldo, this was bleak.

Ronaldo' diet was much nicer.Insider/Barnaby Lane

I did feel fresher.

By the end of the week, I did feel fresher and healthier from eating like Djokovic.

How much that had to do with the meals being gluten and dairy-free, however, is impossible to tell.

On top of eating tonnes of fruit and vegetables, which will generally make anybody feel a bit better, the diet also forced me to cut out the unhealthy things I would usually eat, namely chocolate and soda.

But life is for living, and food is to be enjoyed.

This wasn't actually that good, but still.Insider/Barnaby Lane

Unless it's soup.

After eating seven soups in seven days, my stomach felt like a washing machine, full of carroty and ginger slush.

Until the day I lose all my teeth and I am physically unable to eat anything but soup, I don't plan on going near the stuff again.

India vs West Indies: Who will win the 10th match of the ongoing World Cup?

Cookies on the Business Insider India website