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Eating & being well rested to play:
Sleepovers are outlawed before game day or a tournament.
Nutrition for Soccer
by Neil Bradford, Director of Coaching
Tunnel Home
Soccer is a player's game which consists of two forty-five minute halves, with a short interval between halves. The game of soccer is characterized as a high intensity intermittent exercise that utilizes both the aerobic and energy system.
The individual soccer player tends to have qualities that include highly skilled feet, strong physique and is very fast and agile. Players can vary widely in body size and stature however, most tend to be well muscled with a low body fat level to maximize speed and agility.
Nutrition is a key ingredient in the preparation for the athlete to perform at the peak of his/her powers on game day. It is therefore necessary to eat correctly and take care of your body during the day, week and the season. This in turns allows you the best opportunity to perform to your maximum potential.
In the following pages are tables showing food and drinks that an athlete should or should not be eating prior to competition and after competition. Pre-event nutrition can have a major impact on game day performance. Player's diet should therefore be high in carbohydrates and low in fat. The target for this is 60-70% carbohydrates and 10-15% proteins. We will begin looking at the meal the night before competition. This meal is important as it can have dramatic effect on performance the next day. Reasons offered for this is that energy reserves are made up from previous day's meal, not as many people think from the breakfast or meal on the day of competition.
These are only suggestions but for further ideas, please contact your nutritional specialist at the local doctor. Meals such as breakfast and lunch (in the tables following) should be eaten three hours before competition to allow food to be digested.
Recommended Drinks Recommended Foods Recommended Desserts/Snacks
Orange Juice Potatoes Fruit
Apple Juice Lean Meats Pretzels
Water Spaghetti Cheese & Crackers
Fruit Juice Tomato Sauce w/Meat Popcorn
Vegetable Juice Rice steam or boiled Plain Biscuits
Milk Fish
Salad
Vegetables
Pizza
Bread
Breakfast - The Day of Competition
On competition day the breakfast can often be the pre-game meal. This offers very little to the athlete in terms of the energy production system. However, if the wrong foods are consumed it can cause much damage to performance later in the day.
Drinks Foods Snacks
Orange Juice Bagels Fruit
Apple Juice Raisin Bran Pretzels
Water Toast Cheese & Crackers
Fruit Juice Yogurt Popcorn
Vegetable Juice Pancakes Plain Biscuits
Milk Bread
Lunch
In a tournament, you can often play two games in a day; lunch therefore becomes a key factor on how you play in the afternoon's game. The meal will have very little effect on the energy production systems but as stated earlier can have an adverse effect if the wrong foods are consumed.
It has been suggested for the player to perform to their maximum potential, the player needs to enter the field of play with an empty stomach. The thought process for this is that when there is food in the stomach, the heart has to pump large volumes of blood to the stomach to aid digestion. This effects performance in that when the game begins the heart re-directs the blood to the working muscles, therefore preventing the digestive process. This can result in stomach cramps and gas, making the player feel uncomfortable on the field of play affecting the player both physically and psychologically.
Drinks Foods Snacks
Orange Juice Bread Fruit
Apple Juice Sandwich - Meat, Fish, or Poultry Banana
Water Soup Cheese & Crackers
Vegetable Juice Bagels Pretzels
Milk/Milkshake Vegetables Small Bar of Chocolate
Pre Game Snacks
The Goals
An empty stomach and gastrointestinal tract, but enough fuel for the muscles and enough food to prevent hunger.
A settled stomach and a confident athlete
A well hydrated and a comfortable athlete
Why?
This enables the blood to go the working muscles not the digestive organs
Muscles rely primarily on fuel stored from meals eaten in the day to day before competition
Food eaten on game day fuels the brain and keeps muscles topped up when the competition is long or intermittent
This helps in keeping pre-competition nerves from upsetting the stomach
Drinks Snacks
Orange Juice Fruit
Sports Drinks Fruit Bars
Water Raisins
Fruit Juice Apples
Banana
Small Bar of Chocolate
3 hours Before the Game
Sandwich with meat, fish or poultry
Potato or Rice
Cereal, Fruit, Yogurt or Toast
2 hours Before the Game
High Carbohydrates, Low Fat, Moderate Protein
Cereal, Banana, Milk
Plain Muffin and Fruit Juice
Toast with Jam and Milk
1 hour Before the Game
High Carbohydrates, Low Fat, Moderate Protein
Milk and a medium Banana
Plain Muffin and Fruit Juice
Toast with Jam and Milk
Small bar of Chocolate
These are just samples and ideas on how to improve performance during sporting competition. There are many ideas and it is through trail and error that you will find out what works best for you. Good luck with your soccer. If you need further assistance contact coaching @saysoccer.org.
Food and Sleep
As the intensity of workouts increases, the importance of proper nutrition and adequate rest becomes critical. In some cases the workouts automatically addresses the need for rest because that is all athlete wants to do after a tough practice. Each player should drink 6-8 large glasses of liquid such as water, juices and milk per day. Dietary factors also enable a athlete to perform at a high level, i.e., eating a balanced diet with the proper mix of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Try to shift to carbohydrate-rich foods such as beans, bread, cereal, corn, fruits, leafy vegetables, lentils, macaroni, milk, pancakes, peas, potatoes, rice and waffles. Reduce the intake of sweets, fries, hot dogs and other junk foods. Substitute unsaturated fats such as corn oil, margarine and soybean oil in place of butter. Olive oil and peanut ! oil are OK, as are nuts in their natural state. Meats, including fish and poultry, are an important and necessary source of protein and iron. Remember that we are not trying to cause a revolution in your family, but only to make suggestions based on available nutrition literature.
Research defines four categories regarding the timing of eating: training days prior to competition, day of competition, during competition and after competition. In brief, carbohydrates are the best choice so choose foods that give the most carbohydrate per serving.
Days Prior To Competition: "glycogen loading" concept, increase carbohydrates. This will help the muscles load up on extra glycogen (the main fuel for muscles) for the game. Studies on soccer players have shown that those with the most pre-game muscle glycogen run the farthest at the fastest speeds during a game. Five to ! six grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight over a 24 hours period is the typical suggestion so read those labels on food packaging. Remember, 1 pound of body weight/2.2 = kilograms of body weight.
Day of Competition: Most pre-game meals are eaten in the 3-4 hours prior to competition. But realize that the food eaten will have little to do with the energy expended in the game. That comes from what was eaten in the 2-3 days prior to the game.
Most players eat what they like so they won't still feel full come game time. Remember that the more calories (i.e. fat and protein) in a meal, the slower the food leaves the stomach. Carbohydrates are always the best choice as fruits, cereals, juices, pancakes/waffles etc. over sausage, eggs, steak, or many choices on the breakfast menu at a fast food restaurant.
Food in general and carbohydrates in particular, should be avoided in the last hou! r before play. Carbohydrates stimulate an insulin response which lowers blood sugar and also stimulates the production of serotonin, a chemical in the brain that reduces arousal (makes you listless and sleepy). Both are obviously counterproductive to competition. If something must be eaten, choose low glycemic index foods as they cause less of an insulin response.
Immediately prior to competition (in the minutes before kickoff), carbohydrates can be taken in. The excitement of the game will counteract the insulin response and the fresh carbohydrates give the muscles an extra source of fuel. The type of carbohydrates is important. Foods should be of a moderate or high glycemic index (see table).
Carbohydrate supplement drinks work great. "Clear" candies (jelly beans, "Gummy" candy, Skittles etc. you get the idea) are another choice.
Eating During Competition
During the game, carbohydrate supplement drinks given before the game and at halftime have been shown to increase running volume and intensity in the second half in soccer players. This is important to consider because goals become more frequent later in the game as players get tired.
If you have more energy than your opponents, you are more likely to have an advantage over the opposition and hopefully, score more later in the game. As you can see from the table below, the ubiquitous orange slices at halftime are pretty low on the priority as a carbohydrate source.
Eating After The Game
The game uses muscle glycogen (carbohydrate) so it must be replaced. Research has shown that muscle is the most receptive for carbohydrate replacement in the first two hours after exhaustive exercise. Therefore, it is important to eat some mode! rate to high glycemic index foods in the first two hours after a game.
From the table, you see there are quite a variety of options for food, most of which require a little planning and typically do not come in a bag or a tray from a fast food restaurant. With games at 12 noon and 4 pm, it is necessary to get some carbohydrates back into the muscles quickly.
Remember, fast foods are high in fat and protein and can remain in the stomach at the start of the next game (depending on when it was eaten and how much was eaten) and doesn?t return much in the way of carbohydrates to the muscles, therefore should be avoided.
A nutritionist gave me a good suggestion: make up bags of Chex Mix with some pretzel sticks added (forget the oil and baking requirement) and let the players eat this after the game. Clear candy is also good as are raisins, cakes, pies,! bagels.
Ideally, eat 50-75 gra ms of carbohydrate every two hours until you reach the total based on your weight (5-6 grams/kg body weight).
But don?t get the idea that all the carbohydrate can be replenished in a couple of hours. Under the best of conditions, it can take 20 hours to fully replenish muscle glycogen from muscles that have been completely depleted.
Eating for sports performance requires a bit of planning and clock watching, but can lead to improvements in performance. When done properly, the players will notice they have more energy late in games as well as when they have multiple games with minimal recovery between games.
For more information, try:
http://www.olympic-usa.org/inside/ - USOC website for nutrition information including some sample menus.
http://www.mendosa.com/gi.! htm - a complete discussion of the glycemic index.
http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm - for a long list of foods with their glycemic index.
Glycemic Index Table
High Glycemic Foods
Syrups (e.g. maple, corn, cane); Honey; Bagel, white bread, jams, jellies; Potato; Most cereals; Raisins, banana, watermelon, pineapple; Carrots, cooked; White rice; Maltodextrin; Jelly beans, Skittles, pretzels, most candy bars
Moderate Glycemic Foods
Whole grain bread; Spaghetti; Corn; Oatmeal; Oranges, grapes
Low Glycemic Foods
Yogurt; Peanuts; Beans, peas; Apple, peach, pear; Milk and milk products.
This sports science article co! mes from the Sports Medicine Section at the Duke University Medical Ce nter and UNC Hospitals. The authors are members of the US Soccer Sports Medicine Committee including from UNC Dr. William E. Garrett, Jr (US National Teams Physician and Committee Chairman), and John Lohnes. From Duke are Dr. Don Kirkendall (exercise physiologist) and Patty Marchak (athletic trainer for 1996 US Women's Olympic Team).
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