Navitas Naturals interviewed NBA All-Star & philanthropist Al Horford while he was training with the Dominican Republic National Basketball Team for the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship in Argentina. The tournament winner gets a guaranteed spot in the 2012 Olympics in London. Al knows a thing or two about big basketball tournaments, having won back-to-back NCAA Championships with his teammates at the University of Florida before joining the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Navitas Naturals' Maca is his favorite superfood.

• NBA All-Star
• Philanthropist
• Atlanta Hawks
• Loves Navitas Maca
• Kids Basketball Camps

Interview With Al Horford

Navitas Naturals interviewed NBA All-Star & philanthropist Al Horford while he was training with the Dominican Republic National Basketball Team for the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship in Argentina. The tournament winner gets a guaranteed spot in the 2012 Olympics in London. Al knows a thing or two about big basketball tournaments, having won back-to-back NCAA Championships with his teammates at the University of Florida before joining the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Navitas Naturals' Maca is his favorite superfood.

Mic LeBel, Navitas Naturals: Good luck in the FIBA Americas tournament. Compared to the NBA, it must be fun to play on a team with guys from your native country, against teams such as Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil and Canada, what is the coolest aspect of international tournaments like this one in Argentina?

Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks: It's a great experience, to be able to represent your country and play against other great teams. Also having a chance to make history and to qualify for the Olympics, which has never happened in Dominican basketball.

NN: Here at Navitas Naturals, we love to learn about foods from around the world. What do your teammates that live in the Dominican Republic typically eat during their basketball season, and are there any nutritious superfoods from the Caribbean that Navitas should know about?

AH: My teammates from the DR mainly eat rice, beans, chicken or beef, avocados, plantains and salads. As far as superfoods I have definitely made them aware of the benefits. One thing I have them doing is drinking coconut water.

NN: What is your favorite Navitas Naturals superfood, and when do you typically eat it in relation to training, practice or game times?

AH: My favorite Navitas superfood is maca, I consume it before practices and games and it gives me great energy. I drink it in smoothies or take it in pill form. I also like chia. I use the sprouted chia powder on cereal, usually after games or at breakfast. I also snack on the Navitas Trail Mix and the goji berries.

NN: When you are home in Atlanta during the NBA season, what are your favorite places to shop for healthy foods, and is there a restaurant you favor there?

AH: I like to shop at Whole Foods, simply because they have fresh foods and I find all of the Navitas products. I also visit Arden's Garden in Atlanta. It is a smoothies and snack shop where I can go and get wheat grass shots or healthy snacks.

NN: Some pro athletes need to work hard to stay very lean and trim, but it seems that to play Center and Forward in the NBA an athlete would have to eat and train to be as big and strong as possible and gain weight and power so that you are more difficult to push from under the basket, is that the case for you?

AH: I feel like you can be lean and also be strong. The way you can accomplish this is by the way you eat and take care of your body. These superfoods really give me energy and make me feel good and that's what is important to me.

NN: When you are out on the road playing games in cities across the country, how do you maintain a healthy eating routine, and is there a restaurant on the road that is a favorite?

AH: I have become more educated when I eat on the road. You have to work harder to eat the right way. But Whole Foods always has nice spreads, also True Food Kitchen is a west coast restaurant that carries organic health foods. They are probably my favorite restaurant to visit when I'm on the road. I also carry snacks with me like Navitas Trail Mix, pistachios, and goji berries.

NN: Have you changed your diet and training significantly with the Atlanta Hawks compared to when you were playing college hoops at the University of Florida? In other words, were you pretty much eating regular dorm food at Florida or did they have the team on a specific diet program?

AH: My diet has changed drastically since college. We had regular dorm food and I wasn't aware of superfoods or organic foods. Four years after college, I'm eating very healthy and as a result my body has changed in a big way, I am leaner and feel more athletic then I did in college and that result has a lot to do with my diet.

NN: Are you strictly a gym guy when it comes to training, or do you practice yoga and other forms of "alternative" fitness that you think helps with basketball performance?

AH: I'm all about alternative trainings. I do yoga, boxing, recently started biking and also enjoy swimming. It keeps me in shape and entertained. I'm always open to trying new alternative workouts.

NN: We admire your work in the community, for which you've been honored as a two-time recipient of the NBA Cares Community Assist Award. Is there a philanthropic project that you are passionate about and active with right now?

AH: I just hosted my basketball camps in Michigan and Atlanta, which were a great success. We will soon have some in the Dominican Republic. As a pro athlete and role model, I emphasize the importance of education, this is a fundamental principle I teach in my camps and to kids coming up.