This is Fernando Alonso’s breakfast and the condition he must meet if he indulges in his favorite ‘whim’

Nutrition is a major part of every athlete’s training. We are what we eat, nothing else and nothing less, and a well-planned diet is key to maintaining a training program. This helps not only to achieve the proposed goals, but also to improve the athlete’s recovery and reduce the risk of injury. This is a key point for Fernando Alonso, at the age of 42, to continue at the highest level. The main thing, as one of his two physical trainers, Edo Bendinelli, told MD, is his mentality and the desire he has to prepare every day to achieve his sporting goals, as if he 20 years old, same way. or even better than when I started in F1. On the other hand, there is his muscular quality and physical capacity. And on the other hand, we must talk about nutrition. Edo Bendinelli also referred to this important point in a chat with Mundo Deportivo.

The first thing to understand is that there is no “normal” day in Fernando’s diet. It is always a planned day “based on what was done the day before and what will happen the day after.” Everything is designed in detail for the perfect performance of the athlete. But in a general way, Edo Bendinelli points out that “the important thing is to have a balanced diet”, although in the case of Fernando, it is focused on the sport he does and the needs it generates: “now, because of what the doing of this sport implies, the portion of protein and fiber must always have less weight than the portion of carbohydrate.” Taking these factors into account, the Asturian coach revealed to MD what Fernando Alonso’s breakfast looks like on a weekday and a race day.

This is Fernando Alonso’s breakfast

“Have breakfast with cereals, a little milk, not much, and also a little protein like a slice of ham and a little egg white. Also, a natural juice. And nothing else, ” Bendinelli points out to MD, speaking of a generic way about a typical breakfast in Oviedo on a day when you don’t get in the car. Fernando follows a strict diet to maintain his weight and physical performance at optimum conditions. But Bendinelli also revealed that sometimes with Fernando they make an exception for breakfast.

“Sometimes we add some cookies and, occasionally, because he likes it, a bit of nocilla!” Bendinelli explained. Of course, he emphasizes that if he is going to ‘sin’ a little, he should also eat the recommended foods. “If you eat nocilla, it should always be with everything else. That’s very important: if you do something, you have to counter it with other things. You can eat a lot of something if you offset it . It’s very important. It’s better or “Less bad” to eat nutella with bread and then a little ham, than a little nutella. You must balance the food and we always focus on doing this, always have a balance,” he said .

What Fernando Alonso eats on race day

The previously mentioned breakfast, on a race day, will be more important and somewhat stronger than on a normal day. “The breakfast is a bit stronger, because on the Sunday of the race the driver eats very early, about three hours before the race, and there is not much food here, only the food you need for the race. race: carbohydrates and a little protein, so breakfast is a little more important because it gets you through the day until the end of the race,” Bendinelli told MD.

So, very early, Fernando Alonso makes a strong breakfast with all the foods mentioned above. Then, three hours before the race, he incorporates into his body the necessary food for the two hours he sits in his car, driving to the extreme, putting his body to the test in every way. And after the race, it’s time to recover and have dinner, something that sometimes there isn’t much time for.

“After the race, he has a protein and amino acid recoverer. You have to think that we are going around the world, so many times after the race the driver has to go with the engineers to have their meetings and then he has to go to get the flight back. So you have to find a place to eat,” Edo added.

“Sometimes he forgets to eat”

Fernando Alonso is very strict in his preparation. He does all the exercises planned by his physical trainers, always at the highest level. And in terms of nutrition, Bendinelli describes him as a “clean” driver, who won’t do too much. On the other hand, he revealed that sometimes, during race weekends, he had to go behind him to remind him to eat.

“It’s pretty neat, but it’s easier to skip food than to eat more than you need. Of course, during race week, when you have meetings with engineers and a thousand things to do, you can forget about food! So, he is in a meeting with the engineers and I prepare a plate with things for him and I enter the room to put the plate there and I give him things. He is totally focused on his work and at this point I do have to give him a little back”, concluded a Bendinelli with a laugh who is a main pillar for Fernando Alonso who is at the highest physical level to pursue his dreams on the track.