Why Robert Lewandowski follows a 'backwards eating diet' that sees him eat dessert first

Robert Lewandowski follows a backwards diet plan whereby he eats his dessert before his main meal.

Parents all over the world tell their kids that they've got to eat their main course before they can get stuck into their sweet or pudding.

Yet Lewandowski, one of the best strikers in football history, is doing things a little differently. Pep Guardiola, who managed the Poland international at Bayern Munich, described him as "the most professional player" he has ever worked with and said he "thinks about the right food, sleep and training 24 hours a day."

In terms of food, Jonathan Liew wrote in the The Guardian. about Lewandowski's unique eating order and how it led to a few raised eyebrows at Bayern.

But it turns out there is method to the madness. Lewandowski has been advising to switch around his courses by his wife Anna, a former karate champion who specialises in fitness and nutrition.

The idea is that because that sweeter, sugary foods are digested quicker, re-ordering meals ensures they don't mix with other food groups such as proteins and carbohydrates.

Image: Getty

This approach can also be useful in a bid to burn fat quicker, which benefits Lewandowski, who is shredded and in sensational shape.

"He is a guy who is hungry to improve as a player, and for that reason, he has a special diet that his wife gives him," former Poland teammate Thiago Cionek told ESPN.

"She is a nutritionist and is well known in Poland. Robert even told me that the big change in his career, when he reached the elite clubs and in the national team, was when he radically changed what he ate.

"On game day, he eats a lot of protein. And there is always tuna for breakfast. He also avoids anything with gluten and lactose. The day before playing, after dinner, he still finishes off with a bowl of rice pudding to fill the body with carbohydrates and glucose to play the next day. Then, in recovery, there are lots of vegetables and avocado."

Image: Getty

The 35-year-old is incredibly superstitious and always makes sure he puts on his left boot first before a game following a chat with a psychologist that urged him to stick to the same routine.

He also exclusively sleeps on his left side. This particular alteration was suggested to him by a sleep therapist, the feeling being he is taking care of his trusty right foot.