We know that professional athletes have a strict diet regime, but what foods and drinks do they actually consume in order to get the best out of their bodies on match day? And for those of us who play sport at local level, what can we do to help get an edge over our opponents.
Port Adelaide sports scientist, Harry Routledge, has revealed the match day food diary for Power stars Travis Boak and Robbie Gray for a traditional afternoon fixture.
The players' diets in the 24 hours around a game are particularly high in protein to ensure the body is ready for a match and also to help aid recovery post game.
The night before a game, Boak's dinner is a simple steak and salad, with contains 35 grams of protein and 18 grams of carbohydrates.
Breakfast on match day then consists of cinnamon and banana pancakes (36g protein, 31g carbs).
Lunch, which will be a few hours prior to the game, is a wholemeal chicken wrap (22g protein, 32g carbs). Unlike dinner and breakfast, this meal is high in carbs in order to produce a slow release of energy during the game and also aid recovery after the game.
Then, just before the match, Boak will have some glucose based lollies as a snack before running out.
As the professionalism of the sport as increased over the years, post-game recovery has become more and more important. We often see images of the change rooms after a match with players tucking into a sports drink and several snacks. The Power players are no different.
The first thing the Port Adelaide players consume post game is an OAK Plus sports drink. This has 30 grams of protein and 40 grams of carbs and contains the protein required to begin the muscle rebuilding phase.
For dinner, Boak has an almond coated chicken burger with sweet potato wedges, which contains 27 grams of protein and 28 grams of carbohydrates.
Teammate Robbie Gray is not dissimilar in terms of the amounts of protein and carbohydrates he consumes, however, as with anything, he has different preferences when it comes to his food choices.
The night before a game, Gray has salmon with salad and sweet potato wedges for dinner.
Gray's game day breakfast consists of oats with fresh fruit, while his lunch, like Boak's is also a wholemeal chicken wrap. Pre-game, he also has some glucose based lollies, while post game is also an OAK Plus sports drink.
For dinner, Gray prefers a chicken and rice burrito.
Port Adelaide's head of high performance, Darren Burgess, has three key rules for a good recovery;ย good sleep, good nutrition and an active recovery.
Burgess stresses that recovery begins immediately after a game or training and should includeย a high protein diet, before and after a game to help to get back on the field as soon as possible.
Travis Boak food diary
Night before the game:
Dinner: Steak and salad โ 35g protein, 18g carbs
Game day:
Breakfast: Cinnamon and banana pancakes โ 36g protein, 31g carbs
Lunch: Wholemeal chicken wraps โ 22g protein, 32g carbs
Pre-game snack: Glucose based lollies or drink
Post-game: Vanilla OAK Plus โ 30g protein, 40g carbs
Dinner: Almond Coated Chicken Burger with sweet potato wedges โ 27g protein, 28g carbs.
Robbie Gray food diary
Night before the game:
Dinner: Salmon with salad and sweet potato wedges โ 25g Protein, 15g carbs
Game day:
Breakfast: Oats with fresh fruit โ 31g protein, 28g carbs
Lunch: Wholemeal chicken wraps โ 22g protein, 32g carbs
Pre-game snack: Glucose based lollies or drink
Post-game: Vanilla OAK Plus โ 30g protein, 40g carbs
Dinner: Chicken and rice burrito โ 27g protein, 28g carbs
