Pre-match
Energy-boosting stir-fry
When to eat: 3 hours before kick-off
In the fridge and cupboard
1-2 lean chicken breasts, sliced into strips
A handful of spinach leaves
1 pepper, sliced into strips
A handful of mushrooms, sliced
1 pack of instant noodles
½ lemon or lime (or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice)
1-inch piece of ginger
What to do with it
Stir-fry the chicken for five minutes, then add in the spinach, mushrooms and peppers with the lemon juice and ginger, if you have any. Cook for an additional two or three minutes. Cook the noodles. Keep them plain, so that your stomach isn’t overworked trying to digest strong flavours, and add them to the stir-fry at the end. Pad out the meal with a small tossed salad. Cucumber, lettuce and plain yoghurt will do the job, seasoned with salt and pepper for flavour.
Why it’ll help
They’re not called super noodles for nothing: get carb-loading and come kick-off time you will be ripe and ready for the 90 minutes ahead. Putting the chicken and mushrooms in there gets vital protein into your system, while the peppers have anti-oxidant properties and the iron in spinach improves cardiovascular endurance, so you can go the full 90 minutes or more without dying. The lemon and ginger provide taste, mostly, but also vitamin C (lemon) and better circulation of the blood (ginger), which will help to settle your stomach should you start to suffer from any pre-match nerves.
Post-match
Eggs à la recovery
When to eat: 1-2 hours after the game
In the fridge and cupboard
3-4 eggs, beaten
1 rasher of lean bacon, sliced
1 sausage, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 pepper, sliced into strips
A handful of mushrooms, sliced
A sprinkle of cheese
What to do with it
Fry the bacon, sausage and onion until browned, then add the pepper and mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes. Add the eggs, and season with salt and pepper. Scramble together and mix in the cheese, but not too much of it. The result won’t look pretty, but it’ll taste good and repair your aching body.
Why it’ll help
The protein in the eggs make them great for post-match recovery, and they’re easy to digest, too. Bacon, sausage and cheese all get a bad reputation, but if you have decent lean meats in the fridge and don’t go overboard on quantity, the protein within will justify the great taste.
