Wednesday Guest Post: Eat Like A Brazilian

Nutrition with Women’s Professional Soccer

In the latest news, Women’s Professional Soccer (*WPS) kicks off the final week of voting for the WPS All-Star Game presented by U. S. Coast Guard Reserve on June 4, so do your voting at now www.womensprosoccer.com! The upcoming kick-off the men’s World Cup—the largest sporting event in the world—is a prime occasion to celebrate the sport of soccer and the countries and cultures that play it. Brazil is a prime example. In addition, there are a number of Brazilian stars in Women’s Professional Soccer. The advent of summer also brings out the barbecue. However, rather than the typical large hunks of meat often consumed in the U.S., we can all take a lesson from Brazilian-style radizio.

Women’s Professional Soccer celebrates its share of Brazilian players, among the top in the league and in the world for both men and women. This soccer culture, which plays what is called in Portuguese Juga Bonita (play beautiful, as in: skillfully) has a few typical dishes that lend themselves well to sports performance. Rodízio is a style of eating in both Brazilian and Portuguese restaurants, where food is brought to the tables, usually barbecued meats on a skewer such as sirloin steak or chicken, and distributed in small amounts until the customer has had enough (so it is not a massive piece of meat calling to you from the plate!). Barbecued pineapple or banana serves as a dessert. Rice and beans, a derivation of Caribbean influence, and a combination that forms a complete protein dish, are also typical Brazilian fare. In addition to bean-based recipes, try Sky Blue FC’s Rosana’s Fejioada, a Brazilian classic, and featured in Food Guide for Soccer.

*Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer—Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Women’s Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com.

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