Ever wondered what WSL teams eat? Here, we asked Dr Richard Allison, former head of performance nutrition at Tottenham Hotspur Women’s FC, how he fuels female athletes – and the four failsafe meals he swears by to maximise performance.
When it comes to fuelling an entire Women’s Super League football team, there are two key priorities nutrition needs to support: performance and energy availability. It’s something Dr Richard Allison, a member of Herbalife’s Nutrition Advisory Board, kept front of mind in his former roles as head of performance nutrition at Arsenal Men’s FC and Tottenham Hotspur Women’s FC.
“When I work with professional footballers, I am less interested in exotic ‘performance foods or silver bullets’ than in meals athletes can repeat reliably across a demanding season. Consistency is key,” he says. “The best nutrition strategy is the one a player can execute before an away trip, after a late training session or during a congested match-week, without needing a chef, a blender or an overcomplicated plan. However, a performance chef is a key investment for any elite sports team.”
When a player is underfuelled, they’re more likely to fade during a match, recover less effectively between fixtures and experience wider consequences for menstrual function, bone health, immunity, mood and long-term health. That’s why getting the nutritional balance right matters. “Carbohydrate remains the primary fuel for high-intensity football, while adequate energy intake, high-quality protein and key micronutrients such as iron underpin adaptation and resilience,” says Dr Allison.
Female footballers differ in body size, position, training load, menstrual history, gastrointestinal tolerance, food preferences, cultural requirements, injury history and lifestyle, which means there is no one-size-fits-all fuelling strategy. That said, there are a few key considerations Dr Allison always keeps in mind when working with players:
- Energy availability: female footballers need to eat enough to support both performance and overall health, so they need to increase their intake on heavy training and match days to help protect recovery, bone health and menstrual function.
- Carbohydrates: carbs are the primary fuel source for football, so players should increase their intake around intense training sessions and matches.
- Iron, bone and menstrual health: iron deficiency, low energy availability and menstrual health issues can all affect performance, making regular monitoring and a nutrient-rich diet all the more important.
- Menstrual cycle: the menstrual cycle can affect athletes differently, so nutrition strategies should be tailored to the individual.
- Personalisation: successful sports nutrition plans are built around each player’s individual preferences, habits, tolerances and lifestyle to ensure they are practical and effective.
4 meals Dr Allison swears by
When designing a personalised nutrition plan, Allison considers the demands of each day and works closely with coaches, medical staff, strength and conditioning teams and catering staff to ensure the approach is embedded across the athlete’s routine. When it comes to meals, these are the four he uses as the backbone of an athlete’s week. “Each one is simple, adaptable and easy to scale for different training demands,” he says.
1. Breakfast: porridge with yoghurt, banana, berries and honey
“My go-to is oats cooked with milk or a fortified plant alternative, topped with Greek yoghurt, banana, berries, honey and a small handful of nuts or seeds. This is the breakfast I return to most often because it’s familiar, flexible and easy to modify. Oats provide carbohydrates for training; milk or yoghurt contributes protein, calcium and fluid; fruit adds carbohydrates and micronutrients; and nuts or seeds provide useful fats without making the meal too heavy.
“On a heavier training morning, I would increase the oats, banana or honey. For an athlete with a sensitive gut, I might reduce the seed mix and choose lower-fibre fruit, because comfort before a session matters as much as nutritional theory.”
2. Lunch: chicken, rice and roasted vegetables
“My go-to is grilled chicken thigh or breast, basmati or jasmine rice, roasted peppers, courgette and tomatoes, with olive oil and yoghurt or tzatziki. This is the workhorse lunch of a professional football environment. It’s easy to prepare in volume, familiar to most players and simple to adjust. It provides carbohydrates to support training and replenish glycogen, high-quality protein for muscle repair, and vegetables for micronutrients and variety.
“Rice is particularly valuable around training because it’s generally well tolerated and easy to increase or decrease. Chicken thighs can suit players with higher energy needs, while chicken breasts may be preferred by those who want a lighter option. This meal also lends itself well to iron-focused adaptations – adding lean red meat, lentils or beans, or serving it with peppers to support iron absorption.”
3. Dinner: salmon, potatoes and greens
“My go-to is baked salmon, new potatoes or roasted baby potatoes, tenderstem broccoli, spinach and a lemon-and-olive-oil dressing. Dinner is where I want players to feel properly fed rather than restricted. Salmon provides high-quality protein and omega-3 fats, potatoes provide dependable carbohydrates, and leafy greens add micronutrients including folate and iron. This meal works especially well the night before a match. It’s satisfying without being overly rich, and it creates a clear pre-match routine. For players with higher fuel needs, the potato portion is the first thing I would increase.”
4. Pre-match snack: banana and rice cakes with honey
“My go-to is a banana, two or three rice cakes with honey or jam, and fluids. If there’s more time, add a small pot of low-fibre yoghurt. It may not be glamorous, but it’s one of the most useful fuelling tools in football. In the final 60-90 minutes before kick-off, the priority is rapidly available carbohydrates, low gastrointestinal burdens and familiarity. A banana and rice cakes with honey deliver that without making a player feel heavy.”
Ultimately, the main question Dr Allison asks: are the athletes eating enough to match what their bodies are being asked to do? “The best nutrition plan is not the most restrictive, complicated or impressive looking one,” he says. “It’s the one that helps an athlete train hard, recover well, stay healthy and perform when it matters.”
Images: Adobe