World Cup Soccer: Getting Dutched

I posted recently about Brazil and world cup soccer, so thought it time to talk about another country.

The Netherlands has been giving Australia a beating recently, first against the Hockeyroos in the gold medal game at the recent hockey world cup, then last week in the soccer. Thankfully, the Kookaburra’s beat them 6-1 in their gold medal match at the hockey world cup, and then there was Cahill’s much talked about goal! The Netherlands will be taking on Mexico tonight, in a bid to move through to the quarter finals.

So what do these athletes do during a game? Is there anything they can do nutritionally to maximize performance? In both soccer and hockey, people are allowed to substitute at any time during the game, thus making use of this for regular drinks breaks to ensure adequate hydration, either through water or carbohydrate/electrolyte drinks. Some players may also need to consume carbohydrate during the game, either as a drink, or through use of energy gels. This of course does depend on the player, their position and their specific requirements. Use of caffeine can also be useful, as can the supplement ‘beet it’.

Now, a traditional dutch recipe! I have to give all credit to SBS Food for this one! It can be found on their website here.

Dutch Chocolate Pancakes

Ingredients

• 200 g buckwheat flour
• 45 g muscovado sugar
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg
• 350 ml milk
• 25 g dark chocolate (60–70% cacao solids)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus extra
• raspberries, to serve

Chocolate sauce

• 50 ml hot water
• 1 tsp pink sea salt or sea salt
• 200 ml maple syrup
• 100 g dark chocolate (60–70% cacao solids), finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cream

Method:

In a large bowl, place the flour, sugar and bicarb soda and mix to combine. Add the egg then slowly whisk in the milk until you have a smooth batter. Finely grate the chocolate into the batter and fold to combine.

Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and smear the surface of the pan with butter. Drop ¼ cup of the batter into the pan to make 3 small pancakes. Cook for 1–2 minutes until small bubbles appear on the surface and the underside is golden. Flip and cook for a further minute. Transfer the pancakes to a plate and place in a low oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining batter.

To make the chocolate sauce, dissolve the salt in the hot water in a small saucepan then add the maple syrup. Place over a low heat and bring to 60–70?C or until the maple syrup is hot but well below boiling point. Pour the maple syrup over the chocolate, add the cream and stir gently until melted (if chocolate doesn’t melt completely, return the pan to a low heat and stir until smooth).

To serve, stack 3 pancakes on top of each other and drizzle over the sauce. Decorate with raspberries.

Enjoy!

Chloe McLeod is a dietitian at BJC Health. This blog focuses on diet & nutrition generally and diet & nutrition in relation to the treatment of arthritis and arthritis-related diseases. Contact us if you’d like our help in managing diet-related health issues