The heavyweight boxer fuels his body with cutting-edge thinking and home comfort.

Most people have to look up when they encounter Anthony Joshua. Given his height of 6 feet 6 inches, this is unsurprising. What is unexpected, however, is that, unlike many of Joshua’s current heavyweight opponents, he is also one of the leanest men you will ever meet.

It’s clear that Joshua’s muscular physique wasn’t totally built in the gym or boxing ring; at least some of it was created in the kitchen. We sat up with the man himself to discuss how he fuels his body, his mother’s African cooking, and the smarter approach he’s taken to cheat days.

Anthony Joshua’s Breakfast

Once he’s woken up, Joshua says he starts the day with a simple glass of water, which, given that his job requires him to deliver knockout blows, makes sense. According to a study published in Sports Medicine, a reduction in body water “appears to consistently attenuate strength (by approximately two per cent), power (by approximately three per cent) and high-intensity endurance (by approximately 10 per cent), suggesting alterations in total body water affect some aspect of force generation”.

After he’s downed his glass of water, Joshua then moves onto a piece of fruit, which being loaded with vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants, and tons of other nutrients is another smart choice.

“Then I have porridge or something like that,” says Joshua. Similar to fruit, oats are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fibre. They also provide an added to kick to anyone needing energy throughout the day, like Joshua does. “A bowl of their slow-releasing, wholegrain goodness an hour before exercise ensures blood sugar levels remain steady through a workout, while providing enough energy to keep you going,” says BBC Good Food editor, Roxanne Fischer.

Anthony Joshua’s Lunch

Someone of Joshua’s size isn’t fuelling themselves solely on water, fruit, and oats, so it’s at lunch that the heavyweight boxer really gets into his groove when it comes to eating. “I’ll go onto… wild rice, some salmon and a lot of veg,” Joshua tells MH. ”[And then] I’ll probably eat that again.”

Joshua’s choice of salmon is smart. The fish provides ample protein but far less saturated fat content. A 2007 study published in Science Direct linked eating salmon to a hefty decrease in blood pressure, LDL cholesterol (AKA bad cholesterol) and a 25 per cent reduction in coronary heart disease risk. Not bad.

Like fruit, vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients that help keep your body healthy and functioning properly, and Joshua eats a lot of them. As for eating a meal of salmon, rice, and veggies twice? He obviously believes that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Anthony Joshua’s Dinner

But if the idea of eating the same meal twice for lunch doesn’t sound too appealing, then Joshua redeems himself at dinner time, when he goes home for some of his mum’s African cooking.

In an interview with the Nigerian online platform Oak TV, Joshua went as far as to put his success down to eating Nigerian dishes like pounded yam, eba and egusi. Clearly, he doesn’t believe in completely changing his whole diet to a regimented plan, proving that the foods that you’re familiar with can also be incorporated into a balanced, functional diet.

Anthony Joshua’s Cheat Meal

Everyone deserves a cheat day and Joshua is no different, but he says that he tries to box clever when it comes to cheat meals.

If he eats chocolate, for example, it would be gluten free, with no sugar and natural honey. Joshua explains that way, “you’re still treating your sweet tooth, but doing it in a more orderly fashion. I think I can have cheat meals now, but I can be clever about them as well.”