World Cup Players' Diets: Carbs, Water and Chocolate Milk

You are what you eat. And in sports like football this is particularly true. Consuming the right or wrong foods and drinks can be the difference between winning and losing a match.

It's easy to think that sports nutrition is just about what you eat when you're playing, but in reality the planning will have started a long time ago. Before even leaving home, teams would have had to think about travel and the effect it will have on their diet. What and where will the players eat when they get there? Will there be familiar foods the players want to eat?

Food poisoning is an ever-present risk that can have massive effects on performance. In 2006 a bout of food poisoning struck down ten of English football club Tottenham Hotspurs' players before a crucial game — it cost them dearly. This isn't something that any team wants to experience. Read more...