SANTA ANA, Calif. — The smell hit first, causing many on the Los Angeles Lakers squad to turn up their offended noses.

There, on the table in the locker room, were slices of organic Genoa salami piled next to a stack of pepperoni and deli meats, including grass-fed turkey and beef. The sight of the platter was as unappealing as it was appalling.

But it wasn’t just meat; there was more. Raw sharp cheddar cheese. Raw almonds and cashews. Naturally fermented pickles.

That’s right, pickles. And the briny green spears were the last thing these elite athletes considered eating before tipoff. Where were the more traditional fruit and peanut butter and jelly?

“I didn’t quite do a double-take, but it was a little bit interesting,” said veteran Lakers guard Steve Blake of his first glimpse of the new pregame fare. Blake said that while he used to prefer his pepperoni on a pizza, the change was “definitely for the best.”

The healthy platter of foods was the first step in the Lakers’ redo of the players’ eating habits. Inspired by Dr. Cate Shanahan, a Napa-based, board-certified physician specializing in health, the Lakers have transformed their plates and palates, moving to a healthier, more scientific cuisine.

Gone are the fruit platter, low-fat Greek yogurt and peanut butter and jelly jars. In their place are platters of meats from grass-fed chickens and cows, nuts and full-fat chocolate milk from grass-fed cows, courtesy of Whole Foods markets.

“At first, some of the players would look at that and call a ball boy over and send them to the concession stand for a hot dog or hamburger,” said Tim DiFrancesco, the Lakers’ strength and conditioning coach.

“But guys started to pull me aside after the second or third game and say, ‘Hey, that’s not bad.’”

Not bad at all. In fact, it’s all good for you. Shanahan said good-fat products and nonsugary foods are keys to proper training and overall dietary health, not just for the elite athlete but also for everyone who seeks a longer, healthier life.

Shanahan said good health doesn’t have to be complicated. She pointed out that the best diet for an athlete is the best diet for weight loss, heart health, cancer prevention and just about everything else. “It’s simply a matter of common sense and old-fashioned cooking,” she explained, drawing from her book “Food Rules: A Doctor’s Guide to Healthy Eating.”

Convinced that her studies of nutrition and its effects on the body were valid, and eager to test her theories, Shanahan sent inquiries and a copy of her book to two NBA teams with rosters of older players. One of the books found its way onto the desk of Lakers head trainer Gary Vitti.

“The Lakers were having all these injuries, and my husband and I thought they would be ready for something like this,” Shanahan said. Vitti, disturbed by the rising number of injuries in the 2012 season, felt the same. Although he has seen his share of diet recommendations come across his desk, he was intrigued by Shanahan’s philosophies.

“It reminded me of the way I was raised,” said Vitti, whose parents are in good physical health at age 92. “My parents are from Italy (and) my mother always had a soup bone in the house, and our diet was in line with Dr. Cate’s philosophy.”

‘Just simple, good food’

Shanahan’s philosophy is simple. Wholesome, natural, organically grown food coupled with grass-fed meats and dairy products — a diet everyone can follow.

“It’s a matter of common sense and old-fashioned cooking,” Shanahan said in a telephone interview from her office in Napa, Calif. “It’s just simple, good food.”

Shanahan and her husband, Luke Shanahan, are passionate health-food advocates, having studied nutrition and the effects it can have on the body. She says good health doesn’t have to be complicated; simply knowing the source and traditions goes a long way toward a long and healthy life.

Shanahan’s diet, outlined in her book, actually involves more than good food. Her diet contains the basics of the Atkins Diet (low in carbohydrates, little fruit, high in good fats) with a few elements of the popular Paleo plan (grass-fed meat, plenty of sprouted vegetables). But Shanahan also promotes eating fermented foods, such as pickles and sauerkraut, which contain probiotics, or good bacteria.

Vitti and DiFrancesco initially had their doubts. Was this just another fad diet? A closer look into Shanahan’s food rules and they determined the diet was nothing new.

“It’s the oldest stuff in the book,” DiFrancesco said.

The men knew that all the training and on-court work wouldn’t be as effective without being supported on the back end by good nutrition. So the question became, “What is good nutrition?” They preach that “you can’t out-train a bad diet,” and with the number of injuries mounting on the team last season, Vitti and DiFrancesco were willing to listen to Shanahan.

Midway through the season, Vitti turned over the task of changing the Lakers’ eating habits to DiFrancesco, who joined the Lakers’ staff in 2011. DiFrancesco is founder and owner of TD Athletes Edge, which offers high-level, research-based performance training for athletes and clients of all levels. Despite his previous training and research regarding healthy eating, he quickly became a disciple of Shanahan’s practices, recognizing the benefits of her food rules.

Vitti said he decided to partner with Shanahan because her food rules were “backed by science.” He and Shanahan they have developed a system called PRO Nutrition, which stands for Performance, Recovery and Orthogenesis.

“It’s called that because those are the benefits,” Vitti said. “Our players perform better because they are energized by the food they eat.” Eating protein and the right kind of fats instead of sugary energy bars or drinks eliminates the crash syndrome and the fueling of inflammation.

“The players recover better and keep inflammation down because they refrain from foods that are inflammatory to the body, and the diet benefits the articulating cartilage to their joints.”

Changing minds

Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, two Lakers veterans, already had their understanding of how nutrition matters, and they were ready “to sink their teeth into the concept,” Shanahan said.

The rest of the team, however, wasn’t so eager to change its ways, she said. Among those who had trouble initially adapting to change were Jordan Hill and Jodie Meeks.

But, Shanahan said, once the younger players saw Bryant, Nash, then-Laker Dwight Howard and Steve Blake reach for the pregame platters and post-game salads and sandwiches from Whole Foods, they joined the food revolution.

“You’re always going to have early adapters and others who are watching what they do,” Shanahan said. “They started to see a true connection of what you eat is how you feel.”

Bryant had adhered to his own food rules before Shanahan came aboard, cutting out personal favorites such as sugar cookies, Sour Patch Kids candy and pepperoni pizza. The 18-year NBA star had reduced his intake to lean meats, fish and vegetables, and credits this way of eating for helping him extend his career.

Now, he includes a dose of good fats, whole-grain waffles and eggs, meat from grass-fed chickens and cows, and bowls of homemade soup made from beef or chicken bones. He is convinced the bone soup, stock that contains all the valuable nutrients found in animal bones, has helped in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon.

“It’s helped. I feel great,” Bryant said from Santa Barbara three months after having surgery.

Most of the health problems Shanahan has seen over the years stem, she says, from inflammation caused by dietary imbalance. According to the doctor, once your body is caught in an inflammatory state, it can no longer eliminate fat cells or transform them into muscle.

How does that work? Say you sprain an ankle and can’t exercise until the swelling decreases. The rate at which the inflammation goes away can take longer if a dietary imbalance exists.

One of the hardest aspects of Shanahan’s food rules to grasp is the reliance on good fats. Shanahan said good fats, such as butter and cheese from pastured cows, whole milk and bacon are crucial because bodies need fat to burn as fuel. According to DiFrancesco, the type of fats in grass-fed dairy and meat products can actually help lower cholesterol and improve good cholesterol.

“It’s not your typical diet,” DiFrancesco acknowledged. “Most athletes and people in general are told that if you eat your veggies and eat your fruits and you eat all low-fat and lean meats or proteins you will be healthy. But you need your carbohydrates, too.”

But only the kind of carbohydrates that provide long-lasting energy, such as good fats, sprouted grains and breads. DiFrancesco said relying on the energy coming from carbohydrates and sugars, such as energy bars, is like building a fire with sticks and twigs.

“If you put a bunch together and light them, they would burst into flames and then die out quickly,” he said. “Switch to good fats, such as proteins and nuts, and an athlete’s energy level will burn longer.”