The Baltimore Ravens will face the Houston Texans in their first playoff game Saturday after locking up the No. 1 seed in the AFC — and this classic lunch item helped them get there.
Ravens players ate 30-60 packs of Uncrustables, the crust-less peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, every day this season for a total of 7,500, the Baltimore Banner reported.
“I’m surprised at how many people eat at least one PB&J a day, and they don’t get tired of them,” Sarah Snyder, the Ravens’ director of sports nutrition, told the Baltimore Banner. “I know the texture is a big part of it, the texture, flavor, taste, all those things contribute to them coming back to them.”
NFL players aren’t the only professional athletes who enjoy a classic peanut butter and jelly. The sandwich has become a pregame staple for NBA players, dating back to 2007, according to ESPN.
The tradition has evolved over the years. While in Portland, Damian Lillard reportedly had to have crustless toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before games.
What snacks do NFL players eat?
The Ravens’ second-favorite snack were beef jerky sticks. Players consumed 6,200 sticks this season, the Baltimore Banner reported.
The Uncrustables and beef jerky are only a couple of snacks that make up the snack wall in the Ravens’ facility. Synder keeps the wall stocked with healthy snacks that players will enjoy. Players can also find granola bars, chews, energy bites and the occasional bags of potato chips.
“When you see the display out there, a lot of guys walk by and are like, ‘I didn’t know those were healthy options,’” right tackle Morgan Moses told the Banner. “So not only do you get to pick and choose what you want, you’re learning as you go these are healthy options you can grab at home.”
Snyder makes sure players have access to food while on the practice field, too. She carries around snacks like granola bars as well as pickle juice to relieve players’ cramps.
Studies have shown that individuals experiencing muscle cramps felt relief a little over a minute after drinking pickle juice, according to Nebraska Medicine.
How much food does an NFL team eat in a week?
NFL offensive and defensive linemen need to eat up to 6,000 calories a day, Snyder told the Banner. That amounts to quite a lot of food.
The number of calories needed for other position groups still significantly exceeds the number needed for the average human being.
In 2017, Tyrod Taylor, the Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback at the time, consumed 3,500-4,000 calories every day of the season, ESPN reported.
According to ESPN, in 2017, the Bills’ kitchen staff served:
- 700 pounds of rotisserie chicken (24 chickens every day) each week.
- 500-600 pounds of grass-fed beef imported from New Zealand each week.
- Over 250 pounds of salmon each week.
- 50 bunches of asparagus every day.
- 60 pounds of broccoli every day.
- 56 pounds of strawberries every day.
That season, the Bills were also aware of players’ love of peanut butter and jelly, but instead of Uncrustables, the team served sandwiches made with sprouted bread and homemade jam.
For training camp, the Kansas City Chiefs have a tradition of getting traditional Kansas City barbecue catered, and the meal is often a rookie’s or free agent’s first taste of the city’s famous cuisine, according to Fox 4 Kansas City.
The team has had local restaurant Zarda BBQ cater at least one meal during camp for over 30 years. To feed 150 players and team staff members one meal in 2017, the restaurant prepared:
- 100 pounds of burnt ends.
- 75 pounds of brisket.
- 10 gallons of burnt end baked beans.
- Seven gallons of white cheddar macaroni and cheese.
- Seven gallons of cheesy potatoes.