Revealing a special menu to help increase physical strength for Vietnamese players
Gerald Prinz, culinary director of the hotel where the Vietnamese team stayed before attending the Asian Cup, revealed that the players' daily menu included ginseng.
A day at the hotel, the team eats 3 meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Usually, breakfast starts at 8am. After that, everyone moves to the gym or swimming pool to practice and has lunch at 12pm. In the afternoon, before going to the training ground, the players have a light meal to have the best physical strength and usually have dinner after finishing the training schedule.
Ginseng is prepared every morning for the players to drink when they wake up. This drink is said to help increase resistance, increase the body's defense against harmful stimuli. Ginseng also helps the body reduce fatigue, increase thinking ability and physical strength thanks to its medicinal properties that support the process of inhibition and excitement of the cerebral cortex, and quick recovery.
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The players ate buffet at the hotel. |
According to Gerald Prinz, after drinking ginseng, the players are served sticky rice, white rice or eggs to fill their stomachs. The lunch menu usually includes shrimp, fish, chicken, beef, vegetables... "Vietnamese players love to eat fried rice, eat a lot of fruit and limit meat consumption," said Mr. Gerald.
In the evening, the hotel kitchen often changes the way of preparing dishes, ensuring variety and deliciousness. In addition to the main meal, the players are also provided with energy from light meals. The main dishes are pasta, bananas, fruits to prevent muscle tension and provide nutrition.
Players should not eat too much to ensure they have the best physical strength during training and competition.
After each meal, the players have fruit, sweet soup or cake for dessert. The most popular fruit is banana. "This is the top fruit on the menu," the chef shared.
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Mr. Gerald Prinz after completing lunch for the players. Photo:Thuy An |
"To create a menu for the team, the chef must clearly understand the requirements from the fitness trainers along with advice from culinary experts," said Mr. Gerald. With continuous training intensity, a nutritious diet is an important factor in improving the physical foundation of the players.
To prepare a meal for the team, about 20 people participate including chefs, managers, waiters, and cleaners. Preparation time is about 4 to 5 hours. Dishes are brought up and displayed about 20 minutes before the meal.
Meals for players are arranged in buffet form so that everyone can eat independently, saving personal time and catering to different tastes in the group. When eating, players usually sit in fixed groups, while the coaching staff has their own dining table.
With a tight training schedule, mealtimes are often rushed. Afterwards, players rest and continue training as planned.
On the morning of December 27, the Vietnam National Team left for the 2019 Asian Cup and will have a friendly match with the Philippines in Doha, Qatar on December 31.
Vietnam's first match at the 2019 Asian Cup is against Iraq on January 8. The next two opponents are Iran (January 12) and Yemen (January 16).
