How To Eat Like Captain America

Chris Brewster is a stuntman for the stars and is well known for his work as a stunt double for two of Marvel’s biggest superheros, Daredevil and Captain America. He’s also performed in Guardians of the Galaxy. Here’s how he eats to move with speed, power and flow.

Dealing with taxing work

As a stuntman, you’re performing high level, extremely physical, and sometimes- dangerous feats daily. We execute action sequences for up to 18 hours in a day then have to recover to be at 100% to film the next day. It’s important to always be at your best physically, mentally, and spiritually, so proper nutrition is absolutely vital to all of that.

Eating for action

I train as hard as I can, so I fuel myself constantly. Either with breakfast or an hour before my first workout, I have a protein shake smoothie. I’m pretty hooked on the Isopure Perfect 3000 for weight gain or Isopure Perfect Whey for 100% whey protein isolate, depending on my needs. I also sip on BCAAs and creatine throughout workouts.

Sticking to basics

My wife makes some amazing meals, like steamed kale and poached eggs. It’s such a simple meal, but it’s perfect for so many reasons. A lot of nutrition is based on availability, so convenience is key. Meals that can be prepared in a short amount of time make it easier to feed your body and mean that you’re less likely to make poor choices for your health.

Everyday gains

My go-to recipe is three scoops of whey, three spoons of almond butter, a banana, some spinach, oatmeal and some berries. I have some variation of this shake at least once a day.

Liquid sharpness

The key for me to stay mentally sharp is drinking a lot of water. When I’m feeling foggy or having trouble concentrating, I drink a couple extra glasses of water and I feel much sharper.

Hero dimensions

Staying lean is more about filling yourself with the good stuff; less about avoiding bad stuff. I eat healthily, but I don’t have any crazy diet. I’ll still enjoy pizza and ice cream but make sure that I get a lot of vegetables and lean protein

Finding balance

A stunt performer’s schedule shifts from day shoots to night shoots, from eight- hour rehearsal days to 18 hour filming days. It is very hard to maintain and balance nutrition when you are constantly on the go. For me, the trick is always to have a few mixer bottles filled with Isopure protein powders or pre-made meal replacements. I’m also a fan of pre-made meal delivery services.

Eating for injury

When you’re injured, that is the most important time to eat healthily. If I get the smallest injury, I treat it like I’m an athlete at the Olympics. I take my vitamins, double up on my joint supplements and load up on veg and Isopure protein, while avoiding anything that will slow me down, such as processed foods. If I’m tempted to eat unhealthily, I ask myself “would I rather heal this injury, or eat this?”

Changing tactics

When I was younger, competing on the martial arts world circuit, I lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cocoa puffs cereal. I now know that part of my job is being as healthy as I possibly can. I’ve found that I perform better and feel better when I am eating healthier and literally feel better now than I did as a teenager.