- Powerlifter Blaine Sumner told Insider he eats eight meat shakes a day to fuel his gains.
- His go-to shake is 1.5-2 boiled chicken breasts, sweet potato, spinach, almonds, and water, he said.
- Registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert said eating a balanced diet with a variety of foods is important for health.
World champion powerlifter Blaine Sumner consumes 8,000 calories per day in the form of eight 1,000 calorie meat shakes.
Sumner told Insider he blends cooked chicken or beef with sweet potato or rice, spinach, almonds or olive oil, and water, for each of his eight meals.
The reason he does this, he said, is that he needs to get so many calories in every day but doesn't have a huge appetite. He said he doesn't enjoy the shakes, but says they're practical, as he can consume each in seconds and get on with his day.
However, registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert, who works with athletes and everyday people to improve their nutrition, told Insider that balanced diets include variety, and meat shakes in high quantities are not recommended.
Sumner sees his shakes as pure fuel
Sumner, 34, said he's been drinking his shakes for about 10 years.
"I was always trying to get as big and strong as possible, but I don't have a very big appetite to consume enough calories and protein," he said.
To build muscle, eating in a calorie surplus is optimal, and protein is important for muscle recovery and growth, as well as strength training.
Sumner also works full-time as an engineer, so finding the time to eat eight meals is a challenge.
"With a busy job, every 90 minutes going and getting food and trying to choke it down, there's just not enough time in the day," he said.
So he experimented.
"I figured I can blend everything up and drink it in about 10 seconds," he said. "I don't look at it as anything for taste or pleasure, it's just fuel."
Plain boiled chicken breasts blend best, Sumner said
Although he currently holds the most Open World Records in powerlifting, Sumner said he receives most questions and reactions on social media about his unusual approach to food.
His go-to shake contains 1.5-2 chicken breasts, cooked as plainly as possible before blending. Sumner said he's experimented with spices, but found the most palatable shakes are made with plain boiled chicken.
He occasionally blends ground beef, steak, or fish, but finds the fat and oil in them can make them "nasty."
All the shakes are "unpleasant" but they keep him full, Sumner said.
"I've gotten more used to them over time, but every time I need to get mentally prepared to drink it," he said.
If Sumner runs out of meat, he sometimes substitutes a protein powder, but prefers to eat whole foods.
Lambert said that although Sumner's shakes include a balance of macronutrients, his diet lacks variety.
"Having the same thing means that the diet lacks other important nutrients that are needed for both physical and mental health," she said. "What's important is that we have a varied and balanced diet that suits our individual needs and lifestyles."
Lambert also said that liquid diets are not generally recommended.
"Chewing is an important mechanism of digestive system and most people need it to feel satiated," she said. "Plus there's faster absorption of sugar into the blood stream from food when drinking."
Occasionally Sumner eats a normal dinner with his wife, which he said he does enjoy.
"Chewing food's pretty cool," he said.
