Here to explain: How a perfect diet is Germany's secret to success

In 2019, Nils Walbrecht applied to the German Handball Federation and asked if they needed a chef. At the “German Handball Day” 2019 and other courses, he was a kind of test cook, his food was tasty, his creations were praised - and since then he has always been there when Germany coach Alfred Gislason and his national players meet.

Before a big tournament such as a World Championship or an EHF EURO, Walbrecht contacts the chefs at the team hotels early on to discuss freshness and quality, and of course what should be served on which day. He then stands at the stove himself with the chefs from the team hotel.

“In general, the collaboration with the chefs went very well; sometimes I had to convince them why someone else would be cooking in their kitchen and telling them what dishes would be served when,” says Walbrecht.

This means that the teams have different meals in the same team hotel. At the EHF EURO 2024 in Germany, things will be easier for Walbrecht simply because there are no language barriers in the kitchen, but also because he obviously knows the supplier network in Germany much better – and he knows what fresh food he gets where.

“It's about variety, quality, freshness, but also, for example, how much sugar or fat is used in cooking, which is communicated in detail in advance. And of course the dishes are adapted to the local conditions and what is available fresh,” says Walbrecht, who previously worked for several top German chefs such as Johann Lafer or in ‘Aqua’, a three-star restaurant in Wolfsburg.

“It's always exciting to get involved with new colleagues in the hotel kitchens, and of course it varies completely how many chefs I have to help me,” explains Walbrecht. “Unfortunately many chefs changed jobs in Covid times, so there aren’t that many of us anymore.”

At an EHF EURO, Walbrecht is responsible for four meals per day for 30 people: breakfast, lunch, the snack before games and dinner. For breakfast, for example, there is homemade Bircher muesli, homemade porridge, baked muesli with berries and a berry-ginger shot to strengthen the immune system.

“At the start of tournament preparation, this shot is given several times a day to properly build up the immune system,” says Walbrecht.

After every game or training session, the players immediately receive a shake with lots of protein and nutrients - in different flavours, all according to his own recipe, sometimes with red berries, sometimes with bananas.

“In the first 30 minutes after physical exertion, the body absorbs all the nutrients like a sponge, so things have to happen quickly after the game.”

Fish is on the menu at least once a day for lunch or dinner. On match days and the evening before games, red meat and hearty dishes are taboo. But there is also a goulash or something similar for the German team in preparation. In general, the chef prefers more easily digestible dishes such as turkey, chicken or veal.

“I control purchases at the team hotels, so I know exactly what’s on the buffet,” says Walbrecht. It is important that carbohydrate stores are always well filled during a tournament. "We use only whole-grain muesli, whole-grain rice, whole-grain pasta or sweet potatoes, and I always mix oat flakes with the spinach because of the carbohydrates."

The snack before the games is always structured similarly: sometimes meat, sometimes fish, sometimes rice, sometimes puree, sometimes pasta - and always a homemade rice pudding.

“Of course it depends on when the game is played. If we play in the afternoon, lunch is smaller, if we play late in the evening there are even small portions to take away on the bus or even for the cabin, then usually a banana cake and dried fruit,” Walbrecht adds.

The chef’s famous oatmeal cookies and energy balls are also popular with the players , who eat the last energy intake with fruit and carbohydrates immediately before warming up.

From the post-game shake onwards, the diet is designed to not only replenish energy stores, but also to support rapid recovery.

“After a game, the players still have a lot of adrenaline and can't fall asleep easily, so dinner shouldn't be too heavy in their stomachs to be digestible quickly. Because the most important thing to regenerate properly is sleep,” says the chef.

“We look forward to everything Nils cooks because we think it’s great that someone cares so intensively about nutrition for us,” says German national player Kai Häfner.

Walbrecht says: “Most of the time the players thank me for the food, there is a lot of positive feedback, but of course there is also criticism if something wasn't tasty. But we can talk about it openly. Above all, the players are looking forward to fresh ingredients, as the clubs still have some catching up to do, especially for away games.”

Once in every tournament preparation there is also the famous burger evening as a reward. “But of course there is only high-quality beef there too, I bake the whole-grain rolls myself according to my own recipe, plus there are fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and sweet potatoes instead of French fries,” says Walbrecht.

If a player or team member has an allergy or intolerance, such as to lactose or gluten, their needs are of course also met.

“Other teams look a little jealously at the German team at a tournament because we have our own chef,” says Walbrecht, who also emphasises: “A chef or a healthy diet doesn’t score goals, that’s what the players do.

“But the right diet can help players recover more quickly or be less susceptible to injuries, which accounts for around five to 10 per cent in this area. And I, along with the coaching staff, take care of the health of the players. For example, I coordinate this with performance and athletic coach Simon Overkamp, who is also responsible for performance management. If there is a harder training session, the food before and after is tailored accordingly.”

Photos © DHB/Sascha Klahn