India hockey team swaps curries for salads ahead of Los Angeles Olympics
The men's squad has adopted a colour-coded nutrition plan as it prepares for the 2028 Games.
India's men's hockey team has replaced heavy curries with salads and protein-rich meals under a structured diet plan ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics. Nutritionist Mihira Khopkar designed the programme, which matches food to training intensity using colour-coded days.
Key takeaways
- India won gold at the Asian Games and the Asian Champions Trophy recently
- The team is targeting a third successive Olympic medal
- Nutritionist Mihira Khopkar has worked with the team since May
- Meals follow red, orange and green colour-coded training days
- Around 50 litres of isotonic lime water are prepared on demanding training days
The Indian men's hockey team has introduced a structured nutrition and hydration programme ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, replacing heavy curries and carbohydrate-rich meals with carefully planned diets tailored to training demands.
The change comes after India won gold at the Asian Games last month and lifted the Asian Champions Trophy on Thursday.
With the team now targeting a third successive Olympic medal, nutrition has emerged as an important part of its efforts to improve physical performance, recovery and consistency. The new menu includes salads, hummus, avocado, grilled meats, hung-curd desserts and protein-rich milkshakes.
Hydration is also closely monitored, with players advised on when and how much water to consume. Around 50 litres of isotonic lime water are prepared on particularly demanding training days.
Colour-coded training and meal plan
Nutritionist Mihira Khopkar, who has been working with the team since May, has introduced a structured fuelling programme designed to match meals with the intensity of training sessions. She was also the nutritionist for the Indian contingent at the Paris Olympics.
The training programme is divided into three colour-coded categories. Red days involve the highest workload, often including match-like situations. Orange days are of moderate intensity, while green days are relatively lighter and generally include penalty-corner practice and gym sessions.
The meals follow the same colour pattern, with carbohydrate intake adjusted according to the workload. On red days, lunch and dinner include 100–150 grams of carbohydrates and around 40 grams of protein, along with additional rice, dal and other carbohydrate-rich foods.
Orange-day meals contain 50–100 grams of carbohydrates and 40 grams of protein, with more pasta and potatoes. On green days, carbohydrate intake is reduced to 50–60 grams, while protein ranges from 40–50 grams.
Menu details and implementation
Green-day meals include raw, steamed and stir-fried vegetables, hummus, avocado or guacamole, nuts and seeds. Protein options include grilled chicken, fish, lamb chops and prawns. The cooking is kept simple, with limited oil, basic seasoning, garlic and herbs.
Khopkar said the food available at the Sports Authority of India's Bengaluru centre was already good but needed to be customised to the players' training requirements.
She now shares a weekly menu with the kitchen chef every Sunday, ensuring that meals are aligned with the upcoming training schedule. She also studied the players' energy expenditure using data from Catapult tracking devices before calculating their calorie requirements for different training days.
Vegetarian options and coach's view
The vegetarian options have also been expanded. With only three vegetarians in the squad that travelled for the European tour and the World Cup, the nutrition team has moved beyond the traditional paneer-based choices. The menu includes grilled paneer, hung-curd desserts with mango and protein-enriched milkshakes.
Some milkshakes contain skimmed milk powder. Coach Craig Fulton acknowledged that nutrition had not received adequate attention in the past and said the players had now understood its importance.
He stressed that the programme would deliver results only through consistency, both during training camps at the Sports Authority of India and at home.
What happens next
The team will continue training camps at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bengaluru as it prepares for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Carbohydrate and protein intake by training day
Day type | Carbohydrates | Protein |
|---|---|---|
Red | 100–150 grams | around 40 grams |
Orange | 50–100 grams | 40 grams |
Green | 50–60 grams | 40–50 grams |
Related on Apex Sports News
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