Topics: World Cup, Football, Sport, Food and Drink
As England is facing Norway this Saturday in the FIFA Men’s World Cup, a chef to the football stars has shed some light onto what professional players eat and what they might want to avoid instead before a big match.
Jonny Marsh, also known as The Football Feeder, has prepared meals for around 100 Premier League players, including England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Quizzed about the ideal football player diet during a big tournament such as the World Cup, Marsh has revealed what the players are likely to be tucking into and the two popular condiments they should steer clear of.
The chef explained that the team are likely to eat large quantities of beetroot in the build-up to the quarter-final. Beetroot is an athletes’ favourite, explained Marsh, as it has the ability to support exercise performance naturally. Due to root vegetable’s benefits, the chef said that the squad could even be downing beetroot shots before kick-off.
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It goes without saying that nutrition before a big match starts a few days before the game, with Marsh explaining that the pre-match dietary regime kicks off with a gradual increase in carbohydrate consumption beginning on Thursday for a Saturday match.
"For a Saturday kick-off, nutrition actually starts a couple of days earlier on Thursday, when you begin gradually increasing carbohydrate intake,” he told the Daily Star.
“The day before the match, both lunch and dinner are more carb-focused, often with foods like pasta or rice to help top up energy stores.”
"On match-day morning, players typically have a lighter meal with some protein and a small amount of veg, but fibre is kept low. The focus shifts back towards easily digestible carbohydrates so they are fuelled without feeling too heavy going into the game."
When asked about whether professional footballers need to avoid certain foods before a match, he said: "A few years ago things like ketchup and mayonnaise were pretty much cut out in a lot of setups, not just with England but across the Premier League too. It wasn't really a single manager's rule, more a general shift in how clubs approached nutrition. It was mainly down to them being high in sugar and fats, so players were encouraged to avoid them with meals.”
He adds: "I expect hydrating ingredients like watercress and cucumber to feature in salads they are eating. Players will also be taking hydration sachets throughout the day, along with fresh juices made from melon, beetroot, oranges and lemons to help maintain fluid balance."
