Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford revealed pre-match meal options at Leeds United on the My Mate’s a Footballer Podcast. In the 37-minute episode, Bamford talked about all the options at the hotels before kick-off.
There’s loads of options. We have to fill a form in on the way. It’s like pre-ordering.
-Patrick Bamford via My Mate’s a Footballer Podcast
Nutrition is a big part of an athlete’s preparation. Have the wrong plan and all the hard work goes down the drain but a solid scheme can do wonders for an athlete’s performance.
Every other professional club makes sure that the right food goes down their player’s intestines and Leeds United is no different. Eating at a hotel comes with a lot of options. However, the players are restricted to the healthier section of the buffet.
Bamford revealed that there are loads of options before kickoff as the players have the autonomy to order. The players have to fill out a form so that the club makes sure that the required meals are available.
The majority of players, probably about 80%, will have pasta before a game. Either pasta or Gnocchi or something like that.
-Patrick Bamford via My Mate’s a Footballer Podcast
The Leeds No.9 also revealed that about 80% of the players will have pasta before the game. The Italian dish being high-carb and easily digestible is the top choice at Elland Road which also provides a sustained energy release during games.
QUIZ: Can you name the missing player from these 10 famous Leeds United photos?
|
|
Pasta, pasta and more pasta at Leeds United
80% of Leeds United players prefer pasta before games
On the way down we’ll get sent a Google sheets form where you put in your name and it says you have a choice of one of the pastas; Penne, Gnocchi, Gluten Free Penne or Fusilli.
-Patrick Bamford via My Mate’s a Footballer Podcast
Patrick also mentioned that the players have four types of pasta to choose from. Penne, gnocchi, gluten-free penne and fusilli seem to be the front runners in the race.
As mentioned above pasta provides a sustained energy release post-consumption, unlike other carbohydrate sources that have a faster rate of release.
This is because pasta has a moderate glycemic index. This makes sure that the players have sustained energy throughout the 90 minutes.
Those are the pasta options then the sauce options, and you can mix and match if you want, are green pesto, healthy bechamel white sauce, tomato and basil sauce, olive oil and red pesto.
Then you can add as many of these as you want; peppers, chestnut mushrooms, peas, diced tomatoes, red onions, spinach, chicken, king prawns, chilli flakes, feta, cheddar and parmesan.
-Patrick Bamford via My Mate’s a Footballer Podcast
Another reason for pasta’s popularity is its customizability. You can add in whatever you like which allows for a balanced nutritional index as needed by each player.
Leave a Reply