One hundred Mars bars and seven loaves of bread for breakfast yeah? Ever wondered how pro rugby players maintain their size and speed? Well, it’s actually on a super-healthy yet darn tasty diet devised by sports nutritionists.

While we’d all love to have top nutritionists telling us what to do and constructing daily menus around our calorific needs – oh, to be an elite sportsperson eh? – it ain’t going to happen. But, we can speak to the nutritionists behind the rugby player’s menus to find out exactly how they eat and get a few recipe ideas.

Emma Gardner, nutritionist for the Northampton Saints  says a typical day’s feed for a player “is created by mixing up the foods that the players enjoy eating [read KFC] with the foods that we recommend they eat,” says Gardner.

“It’s difficult to tell a team full of big, strapping lads that they have to eat this or they can’t eat that, so the challenge for the nutritionists is to find a balance between providing them with all the nutrients they need, when they need them, but ensuring that the meals satisfy them enough to stop any cravings for junk food. The menu we’ve provided here is a perfect example of this and it’s all relatively easy to make.”

Click right for recipes for the following 4 meals

1. BREAKFAST: Baked avocado eggs with toasted rye bread

2. LUNCH: Homemade crispy chicken wraps with salad & homemade sweet potato wedges

3. DINNER: Baked fish with healthy risotto

4. SNACK: Protein Brownies