‘Rarely have I heard him want to cheat': Shreyas Iyer's nutritionist Nicole Linhares Kedia shares cricketer's IPL meal plan
Shreyas Iyer has been in top form over the past couple of months. After a series of stellar performances during the ICC Champions Trophy in March, he has returned as skipper of the Punjab Kings for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. In a quick conversation with his sports nutritionist and integrated health coach Nicole Linhares Kedia, indianexpress.com explored the diet and fitness strategies behind his impressive run. Read edited excerpts below:
Q. What does Shreyas' diet look like?
Nicole Linhares Kedia: Shreyas' meals are planned and decided upon daily based on his training load, with precise macronutrient targets for protein, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber. While no two days look the same, the structure remains consistent.
Q. Can you walk us through what he eats in a day during the IPL season?
Nicole Linhares Kedia: We focus on variety, seasonal ingredients, and traditional roots, ensuring nutrition never feels like a chore but something he genuinely enjoys and benefits from. Here's an example of a meal plan during the tournament season:
Breakfast: A power-packed antioxidant smoothie paired with a warm South Indian meal—balanced for sustained energy and gut comfort.
Lunch: A mix of protein sources like chicken, lamb, or fish with rice or bhakris, plenty of vegetables, and tasty curries or Buddha bowls.
Snacks: These vary based on his activity—examples include avocado pesto chicken toast, sweet potato with sprouts, or bone broth for recovery.
Dinner: Generally mirrors his lunch in composition, but is kept lighter if it is close to bedtime. We rotate proteins and cooking styles—tandoori grills, coconut-based stews, or baked dishes to keep it exciting while still meeting his recovery needs.
Q. How does his diet differ from when he was training for the Champions' Trophy?
Nicole Linhares Kedia: The Champions' Trophy was an ODI series while IPL is in T20 format, so his diet changes a lot. IPL includes a lot of travel, so we have to take into consideration differences in weather, water and availability of food sources while curating his meal plans. Recovery can be challenging on some days, so we have to keep that in mind as well.
Q. How does his fitness routine change from off-season to tournament season?
Nicole Linhares Kedia: Since I began working with Shreyas, there hasn't really been a true 'off-season'. He doesn't entirely switch off, and his inclination towards healthy choices remains steady throughout the year. He's deeply attuned to his body, which is an ideal trait to work with.
In terms of fitness, working closely with his strength and conditioning coach, Mr Sagar, has allowed us to align training, recovery, and nutrition into a seamless performance system. Shreyas has been consistently following the nutrition programme we designed over six months ago, and the results have been inspiring.
Q. What are some of his favourite cheat meals?
Nicole Linhares Kedia: I think Shreyas' cheat meals would just be a greasier version of what he eats anyway. His choices are innately nutritionally very healthy. Rarely have I heard him want to cheat. If at all, he would go for a good old burger or a Japanese meal without any restriction on quantity.
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