Diver Kerry Hollowell On Her Alkaline Diet [VIDEO EXCLUSIVE]

Free diver Kerry Hollowell maintains a strict diet to prepare for practices and competitions, and she revealed it all in an exclusive interview with uSports.

Hollowell, 41, said she picked up some great diet tips from a nutritionist she met while competing in Greece this year.

“So far, what we’ve learned is an alkaline diet is good to combat the burning in the legs, which is related to the acidity of your blood as it rises,” she explained. “If you have a diet that pushes your acid base levels and your blood closer to the base side, even though it might be just a little bit, it helps with your comfort level in the water.”

Hollowell continued: “Carbohydrates — loading before dives is important. When I start diving really deep I have to take supplements, amino acids, and I have to take iron because otherwise I get really tired pretty quickly.”

Hollowell also works as an Emergency Medicine Doctor in her home state of North Carolina. A former Division I track athlete at NC State, she did not begin deep-sea diving until she was in her 30s. Hollowell can dive up to 75 meters deep and can also hold her breath for over 5:38 minutes.