Eat to Excel
How fit are you? Do you look after yourself? Do you eat healthily or do you eat anything you like? Premier League football club Aston Villa are encouraging their players and local children to eat healthy food. They know that what you eat is the key to success.
How fit is a footballer?
Could you run ten kilometers in 90 minutes? A professional footballer can. Footballers have to be strong, quick, skillful and creative in their moves. Every Premier League club makes sure it has a good coaching scheme and a well-planned fitness program. They also ensure that players have the practice and training that will prepare them for matches. What else do you think clubs pay special attention to? A good stadium? Anything else? What about the food they eat?
Eating the right thing
A good diet is a fundamental part of sport these days. Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill’s sport and health experts have chosen a secret weapon --- organic food (food grown without chemicals). Fitness manager Jim Henry eats with his players and said: “I chose to switch to organic food for Aston Villa because I’ve read studies showing that organic food has higher levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.” He believes that the best way to get these is to eat the very best fresh food.
What to eat after the match
Head chef at Aston Villa, lan Edge, feeds players with the best food as soon as they finish an away match. He says: “Food is very important to sports stars and particularly after a game. There is an hour of opportunity when they need to eat to get the best muscle strength, so I hand out meals on the coach on the way home. If we can make one per cent difference to the players by using organic food, then it is worth it.”
Teaching healthy eating
Everyone at Aston Villa enjoys organic food at their training ground. But the club is also worried about the unhealthy diet among local children who prefer sweets and unhealthy fast food. As part of their work in the community, Aston Villa has opened up their kitchen and invited children from local schools to come and learn how to cook with the help of the Villa head chef. Villa midfielder, Nigel ReoCoker, visited the children on the opening day. “The kitchen promotes healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle.” he said.
A final word from the kitchen
Head chef Ian says: “Footballers know how important food is to their profession and nine times out of ten, they go for the healthiest option.” Do you watch your diet? If you do and you keep yourself fit, you can be a winner!
小题1:Every Premier League Club provides footballers with ______________.
A．a good coach
B．a fitness center
C．proper practice and training
D．a delicious diet小题2:According to Jim Henry, ___________________.
A．he believes the studies he has read about organic food
B．he will only eat organic food with his players
C．he thinks food is especially important after a game
D．he chose organic food as a secret weapon for footballers小题3:We can learn from the passage that ___________________.
A．people can make one percent difference to players by using organic food
B．only a few footballers pay attention to the healthy eating
C．footballers in Aston Villa usually eat on their way to the match
D．footballers in Aston Villa usually eat some food within an hour after a match.小题4:Why has Aston Villa invited children from local schools?
A．Because they want to teach kids how to cook delicious food.
B．Because they want to teach kids to play football.
C．Because they are fond of the kids in the community.
D．Because they intend to promote healthy eating.
