Shohei Ohtani’s eating habits have likely changed since getting married, but before marriage, his approach to food was remarkably simple.

As he once put it:

“For me, taste comes second.”

During his time with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani rarely ate out and often cooked for himself.

His meals were extremely straightforward:

“I cook rice, grill meat or fish, and boil broccoli.”

Most people, even when cooking at home regularly, try to add variety so they do not get bored.

Ohtani was different.

Rather than seeking variety, he preferred eating the same meals repeatedly.

According to him, the amount of rice and vegetables stayed almost exactly the same every day. The only thing he adjusted was the amount of protein depending on his training load.

Why?

Because eating the same foods in the same quantities allowed him to clearly understand how his body responded.

If his weight changed, or if he felt different physically, he could identify the reason more easily.

Was it because of training volume?

Because of nutrition?

Because of recovery?

By keeping his meals consistent, he could measure those changes more accurately.

If the menu or portion sizes constantly changed, it would become harder to know what was actually affecting his body.

That is why Ohtani valued repetition and consistency.

What makes his mindset especially unique, however, is his willingness to say without hesitation that taste itself was secondary.

For Ohtani, food was not primarily about pleasure.

It was fuel for performance.

Even his diet reflected the same philosophy that defines the rest of his life:

Everything is organized around becoming a better baseball player.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

『Number 1048』, p.16