The article on the food day of Davide rebel It did not go unnoticed by the public at all. It's also sparked some debate. Some admire him, some criticize him; the Venetian rider's diet certainly isn't for everyone.
We submitted it to the judgement of the now well-known nutritionist of Team Novo Nordisk, Laura Martinelli, which we anticipate does not "fail" Rebellin.
Rebellin and his unusual age
«I hear all sorts of things – explains Martinelli – and I'm used to unconventional approaches. The important thing is that everyone finds their own balance and I think that in some way Rebellin has succeeded.Let's start by saying that with age, you compensate less naturally; you have to be increasingly careful. And where your body isn't able to reach, you have to help from the outside. And in fact, his eating habits aren't conventional, just as his age isn't conventional for a professional athlete."
«His breakfast is rich and always based on cereals: quinoa, buckwheat… which are unusual for an Italian. Another aspect that intrigued me is that he eats dinner early, which isn't fundamentally wrong. By doing so, Rebellin is practicing continuous intermittent fasting. He has dinner at 17pm and then breakfast around 6am, that's 13 hours of fasting. Of this we had talked about practice, he does it in a gentle but constant way. Rebellin continuously stimulates metabolism and energy production."
Agreed on the meat
With the doctor we then move on to analyze what is somewhat the cornerstone of Rebellin's diet, namely the absence of meat.
«I – explains Martinelli – am not a nutritionist for extremes. I'm in favor of reducing meat consumption, but not eliminating it. When choosing meat, its provenance should be considered: where the animal grazed, how it lived, what it ate... In short, a quality meat selection should be made from a "trusted butcher." This is a choice we should all make, not just riders. It's a sustainable choice. But, I repeat, it shouldn't be eliminated out of hand. Also, because there are producers and families who raise animals properly. A bit like what you wrote with Hammurabi pasta. Not to mention that it helps the body.
"Generally, Rebellin doesn't follow a completely vegan diet. He occasionally eats fish and eggs, and overall, everything is well-managed and balanced. Vegans must necessarily supplement with synthetic products, such as B12. Not to mention that natural protein sources contain carbohydrates, all of them. And it's difficult to eliminate or reduce carbohydrates.
"For example, he doesn't drain the rice water. That water contains dissolved starch, which means he wants to get all the nutrients. If he wanted to lose weight, it wouldn't have been easy for him."
Fish and eggs save everything
During training we saw that Rebellin doesn't use bars and gels, but prefers to use homemade products.
«For me this is an age-related factor. For decades, his liver has been subjected to severe stress from taking synthetic products. So now he's looking for natural products. I always tell my athletes: it would be better to opt for rice cakes, sandwiches, and homemade things. And in this regard, the most reluctant are the young ones. Being less experienced, they prefer to rely on the classic packaged bars whose nutritional values are clearly printed on the label. It's good to try out your race nutrition, and therefore packaged products, during training, but once you've established that they're tolerated, it would be better, at least for me, to eat plain, even for recovery. I prefer Parmesan cheese for BCAA amino acids, Greek yogurt instead of casein…
«In general – concludes Martinelli – Rebellin's diet is balanced. If he hadn't eaten fish and eggs from time to time, everything would have changed. Then yes, it's very demanding in terms of food preparation and timing, but that's another story. And if it's good for him and his wife who prepares it for him... it's good for everyone!
