You may be surprised how Elton Jantjies fuels for training and game days.
“I try to eat very little carbs during the week, with only one high-carb meal,” explains Lions and Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies. “That is usually on a Wednesday when I will normally have a big sushi meal that also includes a lot of salmon.”
According to Jantjies he has been eating a super high-protein diet for about four or five years now and has never struggled with energy issues.
He also practices the 16-hour intermittent fasting programme so eats a solid meal only after 12 in the day on most days. “I will have my big meal at about 20:30 in the evening, but I do drink a lot of water and use a stimulant-free meal replacement shake from Bespoke Nutrition to keep me topped up,” he says.
Jantjies usually has one shake in the morning and then another somewhere in the late afternoon.
On game days, Jantjies will have breakfast and a light meal about an hour before kick off. “For breakfast I have three eggs (scrambled), some raw salmon and a big bowl of salad,” he says, adding, rather surprisingly that his pre-game meal is also ‘just’ a salad.
“My secret is to try and keep my weight 100 percent consistent, so that how much I weigh during training is how heavy I am when I start a game. This means I can’t be having a big, carb-heavy pre-game meal.”
Jantjies calls his salad a basic ‘green’ salad, which consists of lettuce, cucumber, tomato and pineapple.
“I know it sounds like I eat nothing before a game and a lot of people have asked me how I maintain my energy but that is what works for me. I also keep my sugar levels topped up with tonic water,” he jokes.
After the game he will have a regular meal, as he would on week nights, nothing bigger or much different.
