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Purple Power: Let’s Eat & Drink to Win!
Did you know that…
Performance can drop as much 15% with as little as 1% of body fluid lost?
Good nutrition can improve performance by as much as 15%?
Read the following advice regarding good nutrition for soccer players from Michele Macedonio, a licensed nutrition consultant from Nutrition Strategies and sports dietician for the Cincinnati Bengals football team.
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Multiple Games Mean Increased Energy Demands!
Tournaments present unique opportunities and challenges for the individual soccer player and the team as a whole. One of the most important challenges is supplying adequate fluid and food to fuel the athlete participating in multiple games throughout the tournament period. What makes the challenge especially complex is the two-fold nature of the dilemma, that of supply and demand.
A single soccer game may deplete most of a player's fluid and nutrition reserves. During a tournament, games may be as close as an hour apart, leaving little time to rebuild fuel reserves. Consequently, fatigue sets in sooner; speed, skills, accuracy and concentration are compromised; and the risk of dehydration increases. In warm weather, the degree of dehydration and its associated dangers are even higher.
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Fluids Fuel Players
Choose a sports drink, because water alone doesn't cut it. Water blunts thirst and doesn't supply needed nutrients to fuel the body. Gatorade supplies 14g carbohydrates (CHO) per 8 oz, a good choice for quickly replenishing fluids and electrolytes lost in sweat and supplying carbohydrates during exercise.
Follow these guidelines from the National Athletic Trainers Association:
• Drink 17 to 20 fluid ounces 2 to 3 hours before the game.
• Drink 7 to 10 fluid ounces 10 to 20 minutes before the game.
• Drink 28 to 40 fluid ounces per hour during the game (7 to 10 ounces every 10 to 15 minutes of play)
• Drink 20 fluid ounces per pound of weight lost during the game, within 2 hours of finishing the game. Players should weigh themselves before and after several games to estimate weight loss during games.
Skip the soda. The carbonation makes it harder to gulp down enough fluid plus carbonation can bloat the stomach causing indigestion.
Cut the caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic increasing fluid loss, impairing rehydration.
It needs to be stressed to the players the importance of getting plenty of fluids when training or playing in hot weather. It is important that players drink plenty of fluids in the days leading up to a hot weather game. However players should also be advised about the importance of game-day hydration. Get them to drink fluids en-route to the game. Don't wait till the game is under way and then have to play catch-up to the fluid drain.
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Carbohydrates Power Performance!
Days Before the Game
The most important food the girls can eat is not on the actual weekend of competition, but 2-3 days before competition starts. It is vital that players increase the fraction of their total diet that is carbohydrates. This will help the muscles load up extra Glycogen (the main fuel for muscles) for the games.
Studies show that soccer players with the most pre game muscle glycogen run the farthest at the fastest speeds during a game!
Foods to eat:
• Baked potato
• Pasta
• Bread
• Rice
• Cereals
• Jams
• Spaghetti
• Oatmeal
Before the Game
Pre-game meals should be eaten 2 to 3 hours before a match to allow food to empty from the stomach. Remember the more calories (i.e. fat and protein) in a meal, the slower the food leaves the stomach. Carbohydrates are always the best choice over sausage, egg, gravy, fries, burgers or most other choices on the menu at a fastfood place.
Foods to eat:
• Fruits
• Cereals
• Juices
• Pancakes
• Waffles
• Baked potato
• Sandwich
• Pasta
• Bread
• Lean meat (turkey/chicken)
• Clear candies, jelly beans, gummy bears, skittles, etc.
Foods to avoid:
• Fast Food
• Dairy products
• Fried food
Between Games
Immediately after a game, the hunger sensation may be blunted, so it is crucial that foods or beverages consumed at this time be high in carbohydrates (CHO), the preferred fuel for the physical demands of soccer. In order to store those carbohydrates as muscle glycogen, the body also needs sufficient fluid.
Muscle is most receptive to carbohydrate replacement in the first two hours after exhaustive exercise. It is important that the players eat carbohydrates between games. To quickly restore lost muscle glycogen, soccer players should consume 2g CHO per kg (.9g CHO/lb) body weight within the first 2 hours after a game. Frequently, the interval between games may be too close to digest a standard high-carbohydrate meal. In that case, athletes are wise to select easy to digest, carbohydrate-rich foods that will provide quick energy for the next game.
Tournament concession stands offer limited selections, often with many high-fat foods. Fast food restaurants may be an option but careful selection is necessary to ensure adequate amounts of carbohydrates. When possible, the best bet is to bring a supply of "sport-friendly" foods and beverages to the tournament. Even when traveling far from home, there are some simple tips for ensuring a supply of portable foods and fluids that meet the high-energy demands of soccer tournaments.
Try combining several of the items below:
• Energy or fruit Bars
• Fresh fruit
• Fruited yogurt
• Bagels, muffins, cereal mixes with dried fruit and nuts
• Cheerios with skim milk and raisins
• Peanut Butter and Jelly/Jam on bagels or sourdough bread
• Graham crackers and cottage cheese
• Chex Mix
• Nutri-Grain bars
• Low-fat vanilla wafers
If an athlete feels uncomfortable eating solid food between games, consider these convenient liquid options:
• Carbohydrate-rich drink
• Liquid meal
If players feel tired, drained or weak during practice and games, a handful of clear candies, Jelly beans, skittles, gummies, etc, during a water break or halftime can give a welcome energy boost.
Later meals should include moderate glycemic index foods like bananas, orange juices, corn, pita bread, oatmeal cookies, and pasta.
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Final Tips for Soccer Players...
• Choose foods with the highest carbohydrate and lowest fat count. Carbohydrates should make up 55-65% of the diet. Choose, for example, bagels over sliced bread, baked potato over french fries, a high carbohydrate cereal over a low carbohydrate cereal (read the labels!).
• A teenage or adult athlete should eat 450-600 grams of carbohydrate a day (spread it out over 24 hours-think you can eat that amount of spaghetti in one sitting? That’s over 2 dry pounds of spaghetti!). Younger players would eat less because they are smaller. The rough formula is 7-10 grams/kg/day.
• If you make poor food choices and train regularly, you can't refill your glycogen levels before tomorrow's practice. Thus, glycogen levels stair-step down as the week goes on. Ask any trainer of a team training daily-most injuries happen late in the week. It is important to eat plenty of carbohydrates during training, not just for matches.
• Your muscles are the most thirsty, for glycogen right after exercise. So try to eat a good supply of carbohydrates within the first 2 hours after play. Have carbohydrate rich foods available right after a game. This is especially important if you are playing in a tournament with many games in a short timeframe. Give yourself every advantage and refuel for the next game. Pack food and stay away from the drive-through window. Pack fruit juices, carbohydrate replacement drinks, bagels and jam, fresh or dried fruit, PB&J sandwiches, pasta salads, and uncooked Chex Mix. If candy is acceptable, choose clear candy like gummi candy, jelly beans, etc. (chocolate-based candy has too much fat and calories). Stay away from the chips, burgers, fries, nachos, etc, because they have too much fat and not enough carbohydrates.
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