How Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs Eats

In a town known for deep dish pizza and hot dogs, it's amazing anyone in Chicago can stay fit. Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo stays in World Series shape thanks to moderation.

"Really, it's all self-discipline," the three-time MLB All-Star told MUNCHIES about his diet. When the Florida native started playing professional baseball in 2007, his diet didn't change much thanks to his focus on balance.

"I still try to enjoy the foods that I like," he said. "I try to put in my body the things that are necessary to recover the right way, and and to put the things in there that make it function the right way. Some foods just wear you down."

As his last name suggests, Rizzo is Italian-American with family roots in Sicily. Food has always been a major part of his family life. "My mom always cooked, [along with] my dad, my grandparents. I'm always eating," he said. "My favorite meal still to this day is pasta with sauce and probably chicken cutlets."

Before games, Rizzo opts to avoid heavier Italian food and goes for egg dishes like omelettes or scrambles, lots of fruit, or sandwiches. The key is not to get too full. "I usually play toward an empty stomach," he said. "I don't know why, I think I play best on an empty stomach."

During the season, he eats a lot of his meals at work (you know, Wrigley Stadium).

"The Cubs do a really good job of making it convenient for us and supplying us with a lot of healthy food and a lot of options," he said. "We have chefs that will cook us basically anything we want that is very healthy. And then they cater food, too, that is delicious and sometimes healthy, and sometimes pizza."

Rizzo stays away from alcohol during the season, opting for water and electrolyte drinks like Bodyarmor, a sports drink brand he's been working with for a few years. "I pretty much can't go through a workout without one—I don't know if that's good or bad," he said. "It keeps my levels high throughout my whole workout. I love it because it's natural ingredients, it's not processed stuff."

Outside of the stadium, Rizzo has a handful of staple spots around Chicago he sticks to. He's called the Windy City home since he was traded to the Cubs in 2012.

"Probably my favorite is Bari," he said for his favorite lunch spot. "It's like a grocery store. They make subs in and it's usually my go-to."

"For Italian I always go to La Scarola, which is a smaller mom-and-pop shop," he said. "I would probably say Chicago Cut is my favorite dinner steakhouse."

Any steakhouse splurges, even in the offseason, are easily offset with Rizzo's varied workout schedule. "I do Pilates at least once a week and do some yoga as well," he said. "I love swimming too; it's peaceful, it's hard, and it loosens up all of your joints."

Rizzo also calls on his longtime trainer Tom Flynn to help keep him in shape. The two were introduced right after Rizzo graduated high school and have now been working together for nine years. "I workout with him in the offseason. During the year, he'll come out once a month and make sure I'm not slacking off and work me out a little bit."

Even though the two are buds, the workouts aren't necessarily pleasant. "Honestly, I always say to my trainers, 'If I like it, then we're not doing something right,'" he said. "They try to always push me to the limits that we think are unattainable and we blow by them."

Rizzo is used to pushing limits. In 2008, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"I was just tired, really tired. They ran some tests and found it a couple weeks later," he said of discovering the cancer. "It was not the best news I've ever had in my life, but I just try to turn all of the negatives into positives."

He underwent six months of chemotherapy and focused on his recovery. "During the chemo it was strictly subs, brownies, milkshakes—the things that tasted good to me."

Three months later, he started to get his strength back and move like he used to, just according to his plan. "There was never a doubt. It was all a matter of beating the cancer," he said. "I was always optimistic about that."

Less than a decade later, Rizzo helped the Cubs win the World Series in 2016.

"I couldn't really ask for anything much more," he said.