CELEBRATE SENSIBLY
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING THIS MONTH…
1THE END of the professional season can threaten all of those body composition improvements that have been achieved throughout the campaign, writes nutritionist James Morehen.
As amateurs know, players can ‘let it go’, meaning returning to pre-season a little heavier than first planned. Having said this, it’s also very important that the biggest moments are enjoyed and players treat themselves with some enjoyable food. One option that’s always a massive hit with players is pizza.
I’ve had some big wins in the past linking up with local Italian restaurants and ordering thin-based, oven-baked
“I’ve had some big wins in the past linking up with local Italian restaurants”
pizzas and requesting extra meat and veggie toppings. The toppings on a normal, traditional pizza aren’t really enough to ensure players gets the required amount of protein in a serving.
Even if you need to pay more, those extra toppings ensure you optimise the benefit from your treat. And just because it’s a pizza and you want to get that protein hit, don’t ignore your veggies. As ever, we should always try to eat a colourful array of fruits and veg.
Before your pizza arrives in the changing room, I would ensure – almost as a non-negotiable – that the players consume their recovery carbohydrate or protein shake and hydration solution beforehand. This way they have ticked an important box. Stage 1: Carb/protein shake. Stage 2: Hydration solution. Stage 3: Performance-focused pizza.
Finally, if you really want to push the boat out a bit, Italian gelato with mixed berries sprinkled on top can help kickstart your glycogen resynthesis and fight inflammation.
2 FULL MONTY PIZZA MAKES ONE
1 Make your pizza dough in advance. It’s important to use fresh dough – trial and error, find your favourite dough. Roll thin. 2 Heat the oven to 200°C. Place chicken in a roasting tin, with onion and pepper at the other end. Drizzle with two tablespoons of oil, cook for 15 minutes. 3 Spread the salsa over the pizza base and sprinkle on the mozzarella. Top with the chicken, onion, pepper, pepperoni, Peppadews, jalapeños, olives, basil leaves and any extra toppings of your choice – adding protein. Cook for 15 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.