Emil Johansson isn’t the typical athlete I’d feature on here, since normally I write more about women on this particular site, but when I interviewed him, his story of coming back from autoimmune disease (and back injuries) and how it impacted his eating was so interesting, and so impressive. I’ve been talking to so many different cyclists for this Bicycling feature, from MTBer Kate Courtney to roadie Tayler Wiles, but talking to a dirt jumping slopestyle rider? I assumed he would be all about the Doritos and Red Bull, since he’s a 22-year-old extreme athlete. But that wasn’t the case. Emil eats pretty much the same as Tayler Wiles does: lots of whole foods. The main difference is that he’s much more limited, since he got a ton of testing done when diagnosed with autoimmune in order to optimize his diet to avoid foods that were causing gut issues and inflammation. The result? One of the most mature approaches to food I’ve ever heard from an athlete.
About Molly Hurford
Molly Hurford is a journalist in love with all things cycling, running, nutrition and movement-related. When not outside, she’s writing about being outside and healthy habits of athletes and interviewing world-class athletes and scientists for The Consummate Athlete. She’s the author of multiple books and her most recent project, Shred Girls, is a young adult fiction series and online community focused on getting girls excited about bikes. She also writes regularly for publications including Bicycling magazine, Outside, Map My Run, and Nylon. Molly is a little obsessed with getting people—especially women—psyched on adventure and being outside, and she regularly hosts talks and runs clinics for cyclists and teaches yoga online and IRL… And in her spare time, the former Ironman triathlete and cyclist now spends time racing ultra-runs on trails. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @mollyjhurford
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