Cotto feasts on vegetables

Cotto feasts on vegetables By NICK GIONGCO October 16, 2009, 7:57pm A diet fit for a king. This is how Miguel Cotto's personal chef describes the food intake of the Puerto Rican puncher, who is revving up for the biggest life of his life: the November 14 duel with Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao. Armed with 15 years of experience in Puerto Rico's best hotels, Chris Ortiz told the newspaper El Nuevo Dia that Cotto feasts on a low-sodium and low-fat diet of vegetables and fiber and occassional red meat needed for strength. To start the day, Cotto is given fresh fruits like melon and grapes, yogurt and eggs, and gourmet greens like coriander and parsely. Ortiz also knows that protein is neede for energy, that is why Cotto also gets a sampling of meat, turkey, chicken, and seafood, like salmon with white wine and asparagus during dinnertime. Ortiz said the feeling of being tapped to serve as chef for somebody like Cotto is "tremendous" and an unforgettable experience as well. Een the 28-year old Cotto is pleased with the recruitment of Ortiz. "Having a chef is very important since we have completely forgotten the aspect of preparing our own meals," said Cotto, whose training is being supervised by chief cornerman Joe Santiago and conditioning coach and nutritionist Phil Landman. Cotto and Pacquiao are mandated to come in at 145 lbs. or less as agreed on the contract. (Tempo News)