FULL NAME: Christopher Alan Archer
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'2", 195 lbs
BORN: September 26, 1988, in Raleigh, NC
POSITION: Pitcher
DRAFT: Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 5th round of the 2006 MLB Draft
HIGH SCHOOL: Clayton High School (Clayton, NC)
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION: 2x AL All-Star; 2x AL most starts; on-air talent for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight
The person who motivated me to eat smart was my assistant football coach when I was a senior in high school. He was a former NFL player and knew more about healthy eating than anyone I have ever met. At the time, fast food was a big part of my diet. So when my coach noticed my car parked every day at a fast-food restaurant, he decided to teach me how to eat like a professional athlete. Back then I didn’t have any money, and my small-town grocery store didn’t have organic products, but my coach planted the seed in my mind. Two years later, I started researching nutrition and began to think of ways I could maximize my abilities and distinguish myself from other athletes with similar talent and potential. I began to look at the connections between proper sleep, working out, and nutrition.
I sleep between eight and ten hours a night. My goal is ten, but I’ll never sleep less than eight hours. Our schedules are demanding, but there’s always enough time to get adequate sleep. Working out without allowing yourself to get enough sleep and without putting the proper nutrients back in your body is counterproductive because your body needs to recover from exercise. I think proper nutrition and quality of sleep are often overlooked.
When it comes to nutrition I’m conscious of what I put in my body, but I’m not perfect by any means. I still like pizza and chicken wings, but I’m very selective. I like to read and educate myself on a variety of ways to keep me healthy, including how proper nutrition can help prevent illness and reduce the need for taking a lot of medications.
My breakfast this morning consisted of three scrambled organic free-range eggs. But if I’m on the road, I always get poached eggs. It’s the healthier way to eat eggs when you don’t cook them yourself, and you don’t know how they’re being prepared. I also had some of yesterday’s leftover green beans because I needed some greens, along with a handful of blueberries and raspberries. Usually, I have a carbohydrate in the morning, but I knew I was going to be eating carbs for lunch in four hours, and I didn’t want to overload on them.
For lunch today, I had a six-ounce grilled salmon fillet with a brown rice and quinoa blend and sautéed kale. I have a variation of the same breakfast and lunch every day. And I always try to eat wild fish, organic produce, organic free-range chicken, and grass-fed meat. I try to avoid dairy and gluten because they can cause inflammation in the body.
During games, I always have a bag of mixed organic nuts and berries on hand for an energy boost. The nuts have good fats you can burn off quickly after a lot of intense physical activity. And when I need help speeding muscle recovery after a tough workout I’ll just eat a handful of berries—I love blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
My favorite green vegetables are spinach, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and zucchini. I go through phases, though. I prefer eating my vegetables steamed and plain with maybe a little bit of Himalayan salt, but no butter. I know grass-fed butter and ghee are considered healthy right now, but I don’t like the taste of butter at all.
My favorite smoothie is one with almond butter and half a banana. Usually, I don’t eat dairy because it is inflammatory, but occasionally I add in a little Greek yogurt for extra calories when I have a hard time maintaining weight. I’ll also add a vegetable protein, so I am not consuming so much dairy or animal product.
When I am on the road with the team I find a health food store and get some basic things to eat like fish, chicken, quinoa, and kale salads. I always try to make the best possible choices since I can’t prepare anything myself. You’ll always find water, almond milk, fruit, maybe some guacamole, and nuts in my refrigerator at home.
Eating smart is definitely a process of changing your palate, especially when you’re used to the richness of certain foods. I’ve started adding coconut oil to a lot of meals and snacks. A decent snack for me is almond butter and coconut oil on gluten-free bread. It’s a healthy treat, but you have good fats, and you have a more sustainable carbohydrate.
Playing professional baseball motivates me to eat well, but the main reason I’m so conscious of nutrition is for long-term quality of life. I just try to make the best possible choices I can about eating well. I want to delay taking any medications for as long as I can. If I live eighty years, I want to live eighty quality years.
The same way we feed our bodies, we should be feeding our minds, which is why I always try to read and educate myself. I’m extremely spiritual in the sense that I believe everything is happening for you, not to you or against you. You just have to open your eyes and recognize that the world is not out to get you. It’s especially important to remember that during tough moments. I try to learn from every situation and understand what the universe is trying to teach me about myself so I can become the best human being possible.
with Kale and Avocado Pesto
SERVES: 2 // PREP: 10 minutes // COOK: 10 minutes
This easy kale and avocado pesto is enhanced with nutty, cheesy nutritional yeast and is a great accompaniment to simple poached eggs. Nutritional yeast is loaded with protein and vitamin B-12, and can be sprinkled on almost anything—making it the ideal ingredient when cheese cravings strike nondairy eaters like Chris Archer.
1 teaspoon pumpkin seeds, toasted
2 cups chopped curly kale leaves, tough ribs removed first
1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1½ teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 garlic clove, grated
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Poached Eggs (recipe follows)
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and toast for 6 minutes, until they just begin to brown. Set aside.
3. In a food processor, pulse the kale, avocado, oil, lime juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, and red pepper flakes until somewhat smooth but still textured, about 30 pulses. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Divide the pesto between 2 plates. Place 2 eggs on top of the pesto in each plate and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds.
POACHED EGGS
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
4 large eggs
1. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a slow simmer over medium heat. Add the vinegar.
2. Crack 1 egg into a small bowl, then gently slide it into the water. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Be sure the water continues to slowly bubble as the eggs set and become solid enough to remove with a slotted spoon. Poach the eggs for 3 to 4 minutes for a runny yolk and 6 to 7 minutes for a harder one.
SERVES: 2 // PREP: 20 minutes // COOK: 20 minutes
Light and flavorful, this nourishing and versatile meal is not limited to lunch or dinner. Quick to put together, it can also be a side dish or topped with eggs for a hearty breakfast.
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1½ teaspoons coconut oil, melted
1 cup quartered and trimmed Brussels sprouts
½ cup thinly sliced fennel
½ cup peeled, trimmed, and quartered pearl onions
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups small broccoli florets
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
1½ teaspoons grated lime zest
½ teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger root
2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice (see this page)
2 cups chopped dinosaur kale, tough ribs removed first
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and toast for 6 minutes until they just begin to brown. Set aside.
3. Raise the oven temperature to 425°F.
4. On a baking sheet, toss the coconut oil, Brussels sprouts, fennel, and onions with salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the middle of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway, until tender.
5. Meanwhile, in a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the broccoli, cover, and steam for 1 to 1½ minutes, until tender. Remove from the basket and set aside.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice and zest, and ginger. Add the roasted vegetables and broccoli and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. In a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the kale, cover, and steam for 1 minute. Remove from the basket.
8. Stir the rice and kale into the dressed vegetables until well combined. Divide between 2 serving bowls. Serve topped with the toasted pumpkin seeds.
SERVES: 6 // PREP: 15 minutes // COOK: 45 minutes
Coconut nectar is a low-glycemic natural sweetener and an excellent alternative to the sugary sweeteners found in many store-bought breads. Most grocery stores stock it next to other natural sweeteners like maple syrup and honey. To keep this gluten-free bread fresh and delicious for up to 10 days, wrap it tightly and store it in the refrigerator.
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, plus 2 teaspoons to grease the baking dish
¾ cup oat flour, plus 2 teaspoons to dust the baking dish
1½ cups almond flour
¾ cup garbanzo flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons coconut nectar
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons pumpkin or sunflower seeds (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Coat a glass 5 x 9-inch loaf pan with the 2 teaspoons oil and an even dusting of oat flour. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, ¾ cup oat flour, garbanzo flour, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, nectar, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour into the loaf pan, smoothing the top, and sprinkle evenly with seeds, if using. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the bread to fully cool before slicing. Covered tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated, the bread will keep for up to 1½ weeks.
with Almond Butter and Blackberry Jam
SERVES: 1 // MAKES: 2 toasts with 2 tablespoons almond butter and 2 tablespoons jam // PREP: 5 minutes
This clean take on a traditional PB&J is mouthwateringly good. Coconut sugar in place of granulated sugar is the healthier way to go when making jam. Blackberries are a great fruit for making jam and a favorite of Chris Archer’s, but almost any kind of berries can be used to make this childhood treat.
2 (½-inch-thick) slices of gluten-free bread (such as Big League Bread, this page), toasted
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons Blackberry Jam (recipe follows)
Toast the bread until golden. Spread 1 tablespoon almond butter on each slice. Spoon 1 tablespoon blackberry jam over each piece of toast and spread to cover.
BLACKBERRY JAM
SERVES: 1 // PREP: 5 minutes // COOK: 25 minutes
1 pint blackberries, halved
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
In a medium saucepan, bring the blackberries, sugar, and 1 cup water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the fruit reaches a jamlike consistency, about 25 minutes. Let the jam cool before refrigerating in an airtight container. The jam will keep for up to 2 months.
SERVES: 1 // PREP: 5 minutes
Maintaining weight for some athletes, including Chris Archer, is sometimes challenging. This rich smoothie is full of healthy fats without any added dairy or refined sugar. For the banana, frozen is best for providing a hint of coolness without adding ice.
1½ cups chilled coconut milk (see this page)
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 ripe banana, sliced (frozen is best)
1½ teaspoons unsweetened cacao powder
1 tablespoon hemp hearts
1½ teaspoons cacao nibs (optional)
3 mint leaves (optional)
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
In a high-powered blender, combine the milk, almond butter, banana, cacao powder, and hemp hearts (and the cacao nibs, mint, and/or cayenne, if using) and process until smooth.
