On 10 June 24 football teams will compete in the 2016 UEFA European Championship in France. And according to the insiders the German, French and Spanish teams are the favorites. The 5 A Day campaign, to encourage the consumption of fruit and vegetables, also sees the German team as a potential winner.
Football players and fans need vitamins and other important nutrients to start healthy in the longest championship thus far and endure the four weeks leading up to the final. And fruit and vegetables can help with that.
The team chef: in favor of fruit and vegetable power
The favorite recipes of the players almost always contain fruit of vegetables. Star chef Holger Stromberg, who advises the players of the German national football team, about nutrition since the summer of 2007. He relies on a balanced, varied diet as part of the recipe for success of the national team. Another advantage for the German team, which has high expectations of winning after winning the World Cup in 2014.
The fans: in the European top three
Not only the players but also the fans are in good condition. According to the European ranking of fruit and vegetable consumption Germany plays a good game. The fans of the host country and other favorites, France, only reach a meager ninth place in fruit and vegetable consumption. There are no official statistics on the health and fitness of the Spanish fans; they’ll remain a dark horse. By accident or design? We will be curious to see what the Spanish team and their fans bring to the football tournament this summer.
The ball: round scores
The Beau Jeu (Beautiful Game) is the official match ball of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament, which hopefully will fly often in the goal of the opposing teams. And which fruit and vegetables score with the German consumers? Apples and tomatoes are clearly the winners; so round scores all-round, let’s hope it is a good sign for the German team.
3-0 for Germany?
The 5 A Day campaign can’t predict the football results, but it can give the results of the fruit and vegetable checks. Germany is well positioned as a favorite, and the 5 A Day campaign keeps its fingers crossed for the Euro 2016 and recommends for the exciting days, five daily servings of fruits and vegetables.