I just don't understand vegetarianism. I can't imagine not eating meat. I love beef, lamb, red meat in general. I don't really count chicken as a proper meat. And my diet is definitely an improvement on what it was. When I was a twentysomething cricketer, there was no such thing as a healthy fitness routine. Back then I lived on my own in a flat in Manchester. That didn't do much for a healthy lifestyle. I'd eat takeaways, never cook, go out and drink as much beer as I wanted, basically live like single young man. You could get away with it then because cricket was a summer sport. Then I started being criticised for my weight and fitness, and cricket suddenly stopped being a seasonal sport, so we all had to get fit. Yes, it's weird seeing yourself in the paper, but that's not why I keep fit. I care about my health and weight because of the game. Nowadays my biggest vices are chips and red wine, but it's hard to get decent chips abroad.
As a kid I ate normal kid food. Fish fingers and peas, that sort of thing. Now I have a family, and it's usually my wife Rachael who cooks, and she cooks well. Rachael understands healthy food. I am a very basic chef. I can make pasta and the odd fry-up. We try and sit down as a family with the three kids, but I'm away for most of the year.
During the winter we can be on tour anywhere from the West Indies to India and Sri Lanka. We stay in nice hotels, so the food's always spot on. If we're by the coast I'll eat a lot of fish and seafood. I loved the St Kitts lobster on the last tour. I like to have a crack at exotic food when I'm abroad, but I wouldn't touch the stuff back home. We generally eat in restaurants or order room service when we're on tour, so you have to be careful about how much you eat. Our doctor usually keeps an eye on that sort of thing. Most of the lads have had food poisoning in India at some point. They can't avoid it. Even though they'll stick to basic food, like plain chicken and veg, they still get ill. Me? Never. I order the local stuff, lots of dry curries like tikka and tandoori, and have never got Delhi belly.
The only time I crack is over Christmas. Then I eat what I want, but that's only because we get a very short break from training. Now that I'm concentrating on my bowling, I have to be extra fit, which means no more bread and pasta and probably a lot more salad. My normal day would start with breakfast, which is usually a poached egg on toast. Then I'll go to the gym and have a salad there and then eat whatever the family are eating for dinner, preferably something with red meat.
But what I really love, and by that I mean what I was brought up on but what I haven't even dared to ask for while I'm abroad on tour, is fish fingers, chips and baked beans. Not those organic fancy fish fingers, just plain old frozen Birds Eye, with some bread for the butty. No ketchup. When it comes to fish fingers, I'm a purist.
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Poached egg
It transpires that eating eggs does not raise your cholesterol levels. Eggs are highly nutritious - ideal for someone like Freddie, who needs to keep up a good intake of protein to preserve his muscle mass.
Chips
Deep-fried foods have adverse effects on health. Potato is devoid of nutritional value and upsets blood-sugar and insulin levels, causing weight gain. To stay fit, Freddie should avoid such carb-filled fuel.
Tandoori curry
A key ingredient in food cooked tandoori- style is turmeric. This spice has natural anti-inflammatory properties, and is thought to help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Fish fingers
This fish is usually white, though Birds Eye offers some made from salmon. Freddie should opt for these, as the omega-3 fats they contain are linked with health benefits for both body and brain.
Red meat
This protein-rich and nutrient-dense food is ideal for someone as physically active as Freddie. About half the fat in red meat is monounsaturated (the same type of fat found in olive oil).
Beer
Beer adds to the carbohydrate load in the diet and causes fat to be dumped around the midriff - hence the term "beer belly". The less of it Freddie drinks, the less work he'll have to do to stay in shape.
Baked beans
Beans are a "whole" food that give a nice, slow release of sugar into the bloodstream. The main downside is the added sugar and salt. Overall, though, they're a half-decent convenience food.
