Fueling Around the World: Your Grandmother Was Right — Traditional Foods Are Elite Sports Nutrition

Every summer when the world's best soccer players play, the question of what they eat comes up. meals before the match. Recuperation shudders. Guidelines for hydration. And every year, a lot of fans depart with the same impression: elite sports nutrition is something manufactured, something alien, something that exists in a lab.

The opposite is true, according to Dr. Luigi Gratton, Vice President of Health and Wellness at Herbalife, who has worked in sports nutrition for decades. You might be surprised to learn how similar the foods your grandmother prepared in her kitchen, on her stove, and using ingredients from her own grandmother are to the nutrition of elite athletes. The foundations of traditional cuisines from all over the world—balanced macronutrients, seasonal produce, lean protein, whole grains, healthy fats, and an appreciation of food as a source of both community and nourishment—are the same ones that currently power professional athletes.

As the Philippines observes Nutrition Month, this message seems particularly pertinent. Healthy eating is not always the result of expensive wellness fads or unfamiliar ingredients. The traditional home-cooked meals in many Filipino households, especially those prepared by grandmothers, already reflect the same principles of balance, nourishment, and shared mealtimes that encourage active lifestyles and overall wellness. Home-cooked meals have been associated with better diet quality in studies.

As the world focuses on soccer this summer, Dr. Gratton highlights traditional foods from cultures that love football and already fit the Performance Plate framework used by elite athletes.

Mexico and Central America: rice, beans and the complete protein

Corn, rice, beans, tomatoes, cheese, tortillas, and chiles are the main ingredients of Mexican and Central American cuisine. You can see why athletes benefit from huevos rancheros, a local favorite consisting of over-easy eggs with rice and beans. It contains the same components that the guide recommends for a Performance Plate: carbohydrates from rice, protein from eggs and beans, and the kind of identifiable, easily comprehensible profile we look for in training.

Brazil and South America: the recovery stew

According to the guide, feijoada from Brazil is a smoky stew of beans, beef, and pork. This kind of slow-cooked, high-protein, high-carb dish aligns well with the recovery principles we teach. Peruvian ceviche and other lean fish dishes are ideal for a training week menu. The guide also mentions that many elite athletes deliberately use caffeine from yerba mate, a popular South American tea, as part of their fueling.

The Mediterranean: the sports nutrition blueprint

The Mediterranean diet is mentioned in every nutrition study for a reason. The diets of France, Italy, Spain, and Greece are rich in seafood, whole grains, and olive oil. The cornerstones of recovery nutrition—complex carbohydrates, monounsaturated fats, and omega-3 fatty acids—are found in these foods. Spanish paella, which is essentially a carb-and-protein plate for match day, consists of rice, chicken or seafood, vegetables, and saffron. A Greek salad with feta, olive oil, and olives is a great anti-inflammatory side dish for any athlete.

Asia: layered meals that work hard

Athletes can meet their carbohydrate needs with bases of rice and noodles from Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Southeast Asian cuisine, which are then topped with vegetables, lean protein, and tasty broths. A Korean bibimbap is essentially a performance plate in a bowl consisting of rice, mixed vegetables, lean beef, and a fried egg. Japanese miso soup offers electrolytes and fermented foods for gut health. Additionally, because of its anti-inflammatory qualities, which have been demonstrated to speed healing and reduce muscle soreness, turmeric—a bright yellow spice commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisine—is part of my recovery advice.

In the Philippines, common home-cooked dishes like arroz caldo, sinigang, and chicken tinola use the same layered technique. Carbs, protein, vegetables, and broths are all naturally combined in these dishes to promote hydration, recuperation, and general nutrition. According to studies, Filipino diets that are balanced and cooked at home typically have higher nutritional quality scores than those that are eaten out.

The Middle East: dates, hummus and plant-based power

Middle Eastern cuisine contains some of the world's greatest foods for athletes. Hummus is made with plant-based protein from chickpeas and healthy fat from tahini. Falafel is high in protein. A potent source of micronutrients is tabouleh. Dates, a popular food in the region, are also among the best natural pre-training carbohydrates available, offering quick-absorbing sugars and potassium for hydration. The traditional foods that break a fast at dusk are actually exactly what the body needs after a long fast, so athletes who observe Ramadan can work with a sports dietitian to meet their energy needs while honoring their fast.

Africa: jollof, shakshuka and the everyday athlete

A complete athlete meal is West African jollof rice, a spiced tomato-based rice dish served with grilled fish or chicken. Eggs are poached in a tomato and cumin sauce to make Northern African shakshuka, a high-protein, micronutrient-rich breakfast that can be eaten before or after exercise. These hacks have nothing to do with sports. Generations of players throughout the continent have been fueled by these staple foods.

The elite-to-everyday message

I've learned from all of this that giving up your food culture is not the aim of elite sports nutrition. It's about realizing that the fundamentals of healthy fueling—colorful produce, whole foods, balanced macronutrients, hydration, and an activity-appropriate rhythm—apply to everyone. Every cuisine in every nation that loves soccer has its own interpretation of the Performance Plate. The components are distinct. The ideas are the same.

This summer, as you watch the world's best athletes compete, remember that the food they consume is not as dissimilar from your own kitchen as you might think. The same principles that motivate Cristiano Ronaldo, Joseph Paintsil, Riqui Puig, and the rest of the elite game also motivate you, whether you're chasing a ball on a sunny Sunday morning or just chasing your kids around the park. Your grandmother was right. A foundation was always present. The game just gave it a new name.