FC Barcelona's four nutritional golden rules
FC Barcelona's nutritionist Dr. Toña Lizárraga ensures that the Catalan side are highly aware of the importance of diet for elite sportsmen.
FC Barcelona have been one of the pioneering LaLiga clubs to elaborate a detailed methodology in terms of nutrition with Dr. Toña Lizárraga instrumental in ensuring that Quique Setien's sides' intake is balanced, healthy and sufficient in fuelling elite sportsmen.
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Lizárraga's objective along with chief chef Adriá Ponce is to ensure that the Barcelona squad members assume that nutrition becomes easy and part of their routine day-to-day life. At the Sant Joan Despí training ground, the players eat from a buffet with carefully selected products chosen by the dietary team.
Healthy version
The walls of the Ciutat Esportiva boast posters offering dietary advice for all squad members and other employees with the most prominent stating: "The contents of your fridge reveal a lot about you, fill it full of good food". Another poster refers to match-day preparation with the message: "Ahead of the game, make sure your muscles and stomach are running on healthy concoctions". With the Barça squad now not dining together ahead of home games at Camp Nou, there is, now more than ever, more onus on the players to watch what they eat ahead of matches. The third golden rule at the training centre states: "The blender should be full of fruit and vegetables: energy, vitality and quick reflexes". An allusion to the players preparing healthy shakes which are heavy in vitamins and proteins with the final posted message summing up the previous three stating: "Be a healthy version of yourself".
Nutritionist Dr. Lizárraga and head chef Ponce constantly hold talks with the Barcelona players about the importance of a balanced and healthy diet and also reinforce the ban on eating processed pastries and cakes, cured meats and fried food.