"Did You Know?" series: AJ Griffin's Diet
Despite picking up Chick-fil-A for his teammates for many trips on the road, Atlanta Hawks rookie forward AJ Griffin doesn't get anything for himself. Why not? He became a pescatarian (someone who eats seafood but no meat or meat products) prior to the start of his first NBA season.
"Don't forget the sauce, Rook!" shouted Atlanta forward John Collins as I asked AJ about his fast food runs. AJ laughed and said his meal of choice is often pasta-related. Becoming a pescatarian was a result of talking with his teammate Tyrese Martin, "He talked about it this summer. He got me onto it, and I loved how I felt after trying it for a few weeks."
Those first two weeks of AJ not consuming meat were rough, but after that time passed, he found it easier to live without it. "I stopped noticing that I wasn't even eating chicken, it just came natural." The transition hasn't been tough for when the Hawks hit the road as AJ sticks to what he knows, "I just try to get as much pasta, shrimp, noodles, whatever you can get." He is averaging 9.3 points off the bench on 47.7% shooting. Among rookies, AJ is 7th in total points for this season (fewest total minutes played out of those in the top 10), 4th in total three pointers made, and 7th in total steals.
"Don't forget the sauce, Rook!" shouted Atlanta forward John Collins as I asked AJ about his fast food runs. AJ laughed and said his meal of choice is often pasta-related. Becoming a pescatarian was a result of talking with his teammate Tyrese Martin, "He talked about it this summer. He got me onto it, and I loved how I felt after trying it for a few weeks."
Those first two weeks of AJ not consuming meat were rough, but after that time passed, he found it easier to live without it. "I stopped noticing that I wasn't even eating chicken, it just came natural." The transition hasn't been tough for when the Hawks hit the road as AJ sticks to what he knows, "I just try to get as much pasta, shrimp, noodles, whatever you can get." He is averaging 9.3 points off the bench on 47.7% shooting. Among rookies, AJ is 7th in total points for this season (fewest total minutes played out of those in the top 10), 4th in total three pointers made, and 7th in total steals.
