Erling Haaland, the Norwegian goalscoring sensation, has taken the football world by storm with his incredible performances and relentless pursuit of self-improvement. His dedication to physical perfection is evident in his meticulous diet, rigorous training regime, and unwavering commitment to recovery. This article delves into the details of Haaland's diet plan, exploring the foods he consumes, the science behind his choices, and the other fitness secrets that contribute to his success.
The Foundation: A High-Calorie, Nutrient-Dense Diet
Haaland's diet is a cornerstone of his physical preparation. The striker consumes approximately 6,000 calories a day, more than double the recommended intake for adult men. This high caloric intake fuels his intense training sessions and supports his rapid muscle growth. He has gained 15kg of muscle in the last 15 months. Haaland emphasizes the importance of eating quality, locally sourced food. "Eating quality food that is as local as possible is the most important," he said in his documentary Erling Haaland: The Big Decision.
Meat Lover: Heart and Liver
While vegan diets have gained popularity among modern footballers, Haaland is an unapologetic meat lover. Growing up in a rural community in Bryne, Norway, where he helped his grandfather with potato and pig farming, may have influenced his food preferences. However, Haaland's meat choices are not typical. He consumes cow's hearts and livers, which are rich in essential nutrients.
According to nutritionists, beef heart and liver are among the most nutritionally dense foods. Heart is high in iron content, but tends to be lower in saturated fat than liver. The heart also has high amounts of zinc, which contributes to the proper functioning of the body's immune system and metabolism, helping fight infections and keeping the body in shape. Higher levels of iron, folate, and vitamins B2, B6, and B12 also support the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system. The liver's particularly high amount of vitamin A is important for vision, the immune system, reproduction, growth, and development. In Haaland's case, that will be supporting his heart, lungs and other organs to work at their highest level when under pressure in matches.
However, offal can also contain higher levels of artery-clogging cholesterol than regular meat and is not recommended to be eaten in excess.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Pasta and Lasagne
Haaland's diet also includes pasta, a classic favorite among footballers that has fallen out of fashion in recent years. His father, Alfie, prepares lasagne for him the day before home games, a tradition that coincided with his back-to-back hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. Additionally, Haaland frequents Italian restaurants in Manchester, often dining in private to avoid the public spotlight.
Hydration: Filtered Water and "Magic Potion"
Haaland is meticulous about his hydration. He insists on drinking filtered water and consumes kale-infused milk, which he calls his "magic potion". He has also started to filter his water, believing it can have great benefits for his body.
The Importance of Local and Quality Ingredients
Haaland believes that the quality and origin of food are crucial. He questions the nutritional value of processed meats, stating, "People say meat is bad for you, but which? The meat you get at McDonald's, or the local cow eating grass right there?" Mellor added: "It's also possible that being able to choose grass-fed meat, which tends to be much more expensive, could be part of how he feels about his dietary choices that can improve performance. Often in elite sports, the small gains are related to feeling confident about your diet and routines, which can improve performance. So it's likely a combination of the nutritional quality of the ingredients along with how Haaland feels about the food and drink he uses to maintain his amazing performances."
Training Regime: Speed, Agility, and Endurance
Haaland's training regime is designed to enhance his speed, agility, and overall fitness. Stanislav Macek, Haaland's former coach at RB Salzburg, revealed that the player did 300 press-ups and 1,000 sit-ups a day. Haaland loves cardio, engages in a lot of resistance running coupled with sprinting up hills as often as he can.
His workouts are mainly aimed at improving his speed, agility, and overall fitness in order to maintain his peak performance on the pitch. He conclude his routines with 10-20 minutes of stretching workouts that prevent stiffness and injuries to a great extent.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
Treadmill workout, biking, row machine, HIIT sprints are some of the regular exercises Haaland puts in to boost his endurance and stamina.
He adds weight training, bodyweight exercises and functional movements to enhance his performance, and it's unlike that of a typical bodybuilder but carefully curated by his father and nutritionist, Alfie Haaland.
Recovery: Sleep, Cryotherapy, and Meditation
Haaland prioritizes recovery as much as his diet and training. He understands that adequate rest and recovery are essential for preventing injuries and maximizing performance.
Sleep: A Top Priority
Haaland considers sleep "perhaps the most important thing in life". He aims to get to sleep by 10.30pm and turns off his technological devices long before he climbs into bed. He also uses modern technology to help him get the rest he needs.
He puts on orange, blue-light glasses before going to bed which hide natural light, and wears an Oura ring on his finger to measure the quality of his sleep and his heart rate. He will play matches in the evening under floodlights, which would keep him awake at night. By taking in the morning light, he is in a sense resetting the clock.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
Cryotherapy: Icing Out the Competition
Haaland has installed a €50,000 cryo-chamber at his Chester mansion. The insert cap can reach temperatures of -200 degrees Celsius and requires that protective gloves be worn when in use. It pumps liquid nitrogen into the air surrounding the cylinder to cool the body and rehabilitate body tissues. The chamber can only be used for a maximum of five minutes to prevent serious health risks, including hypothermia and frostbite.
Cryotherapy, which is also loved by Usain Bolt, is thought to help reduce inflammation and swelling in injuries.
Meditation: Finding Inner Peace
Haaland also meditates daily as part of his routine and has taken to celebrating his goals by posing with his legs crossed, eyes closed and hands on either side of his knees.
He told Esporte Interativo: “I like to meditate. Meditation has helped me a lot and finding inner peace, so it's been good for me. It makes me feel calm and gives me peace of mind. That's why sometimes I celebrate like that when I score." Meditating or practicing other mindfulness techniques in the evening are also important for settling the body into sleep.
Professor Foster said: “This is really important. It's one of the best things you can do at the end of the day."
Other Fitness Secrets
Blue-Light Glasses
Haaland also wears blue-light glasses at night to block the rays from electronic devices that can keep us awake.
In an interview with Red Bull, he said: "We are always trying to do everything better and we are looking for things that help me and can make me even better. (My friend) Alexander advised me to wear glasses in the evening that filter the blue light from the TV and mobile phones. This has a positive impact on the sleep hormone melatonin - which helps me sleep better and my body heal better."
But the science is a little less clear on how effective this is. Professor Foster said: “Blue light is a bit more complicated. Research suggests that sensors in the eyes are more sensitive to blue light and this can affect your rhythm. However, the amount of blue light you'll get in the evening - watching a laptop or TV - isn't high enough to have a very big effect. So while the science on blue light is clear, more research is needed on how effective wearing glasses is," Foster added.
Generosity and Teamwork
Despite his individual success, Haaland is known for his generosity and teamwork. During a Premier League win over Leeds, Haaland passed up the opportunity to add to his goal haul when City were awarded a penalty, offering the ball to Ilkay Gundogan instead so the midfielder could complete his hat-trick.
Guardiola has also spoken of how pleasantly surprised he was to see how much Haaland celebrates when his team-mates score: “It’s difficult to find a striker with these numbers and normally you think, ‘Oh, it’s just me, me, me and me’, and he’s a guy who’s completely the opposite. That’s what surprised me the most about Erling since he arrived."
Haaland also showed his generous side when leaving Borussia Dortmund last year, gifting each player in the squad a Rolex watch worth around £5,000 each.
A Likeable Personality
Haaland comes across as likeable, down to earth and natural. He is personable with his team-mates, striking up a strong relationship with John Stones as well as Grealish. He went viral for lovingly mocking Stones' pronunciation of 'The Louvre' during the filming of a recent advert, while earlier in the year he had an animated debate with the defender and Rodri in the gym over whether they would rather have to run away from a crocodile or a hippo.
Cheat Meals
"I really like kebab (meat). I love it," Haaland would admit. "That doesn’t mean I eat it all the time. I eat it a couple of times a year when I’m in my hometown - I almost never eat it, but it’s still my favourite food." Besides kebabs, Haaland is said to have a craving for steak, oysters, lobsters, Indian food, duck and Chinese sweet and sour chicken.