Interview with Paul MANETTI, Doctor and Nutritionist ACF FIORENTINA
We meet Dr. Paul Manetti doctor and nutritionist of the ACF Fiorentina team that plays in the Serie A of the football league and that from August 2013 feeds with organic products Probios.
The sports center is a new building, a modern environment where the boys meet not only for training but also to eat togehter, but also spend some time to relax and deal with the technical staff.
We are very interested in the organization of this team, a symbol of fair play in Italy and Europe, which together with this new way of eating can be a really positive example for the younger generation who look to their idols often imitating them.
How is the food service for athletes of Fiorentina organized? Do they eat at the sports center?
There is a canteen inside the sports center managed and coordinated by qualified personnel in close contact with the needs that we require.
Athletes are invited for breakfast (mandatory) when the workout is in the morning and they often have lunch in the post workout.
Are diets personalized or do they follow general guidelines?
They follow the general guidelines associated with those who are specific,
due not only to weight control, but also to religious (Muslims) or ethical (vegan) needs.
Which foods do you prefer for the diet of Fiorentina and which are "banned"?
Given that everything can be eaten in moderation, we limit the use of animal fats and fried.
We encourage the use of extra virgin olive oil, whole grains, and especially vegetable proteins derived from legumes and soy. The most consumed food, however, remains meat and grated cheese.
The use of fruits and vegetables has been facilitated by using a blender that provides excellent preparations. The type of cooking is important, and we prefer grilling or steaming.
Do you have any athlete that has food allergies or celiac disease?
Many athletes are "atypical" and therefore especially close to the training we avoid foods high in histamine release (shellfish, chocolate, nuts).
How is the synergy between sport and organic food? Do you think it is a plus for maintaining the health of a professional athlete?
Food supply is essential for each of us. We are what we eat!
For an athlete who expresses his abilities only if he is healthy, this is even more important.
An organic diet provides various and different products in order to take foods that are less sophisticated as possible, within the limits of hygiene and safety.
In the Fiorentina team there is a heavy use of tofu and seitan, what are the advantages of a mostly vegetarian diet for an athlete? Is it possible to forebear from eating meat?
The animal proteins are part of the diet of Fiorentina, we simply try to associate plant proteins that can contribute to the protein requirements of the sportsman, without increasing the production of oxidative stress that results from absorption of animal proteins.
Some dietary advice for our readers before and after training?
We refute the error that carbohydrates make you fat: before and after training they contribute to the resynthesis of muscle glycogen which is the storage of energy essential to repeat workouts close to each other.
In addition, we value the breakfast; yet many sportsmen are not used to it and if they do breakfast does not represent a balanced and appropriate meal for the characteristics of the athlete.
