Jake Arrieta On PEDs Suggestion: Plants, Lean Protein 'Are My Steroids'

(CBS) Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta follows one of the most rigorous workout regimens and most detailed nutritional plans of anyone in baseball. It's his dedication to this approach -- and not any singular moment or revelation -- that Arrieta points to when asked what's behind his transition from a struggling pitcher as recently as mid-2013 to having currently authored a historic stretch that's never been seen before in the game.

It's also with that in mind that Arrieta laughs off anyone who may suggest the use of performance-enhancing drugs has fueled his dominance, which Thursday included his second career no-hitter in a 16-0 blanking of the Reds at Great American Ball Park.

"I've gotten that remark from guys I've played against," Arrieta said on 670 The Score with Jason Goff and Barry Rozner. "You know, people asking my teammates, 'Is Arrieta a guy who'd try to cheat the system?' Honestly, hearing that kind of stuff come from some of the best players in baseball is honestly a compliment. I view it that way.

"We're tested eight, nine times a year -- blood tested, urine tested, so I mean, if people think I'm doing something, tell them to increase the testing. I've got no problem with that. It's on me. I've been that way my whole career. Any doubters, that's fine, I'll prove them wrong, just like I always have.

Arrieta spoke shortly after he'd ordered a juice/smoothie concoction of celery, cucumber, beets and carrot juice to go with "a big side of kale, some chicken, a little bit of rice."

"I tell them, 'Hey man, I eat plants and lean protein,'" Arrieta said. "So those are my steroids."

Listen to Arrieta's full interview with Goff and Rozner below.