US Soccer: The 10 Nutrition Rules To Live By
- COME BACK TO EARTH: Choose the least processed forms of food such as fruits, veggies, whole grains and high fiber carbohydrates.
- EAT A RAINBOW OFTEN: Eat fruits or vegetables with each meal. Choose a wide variety of colors for the biggest benefit.
- THE LESS LEGS THE BETTER: Include a LEAN protein source with each meal.
- EAT HEALTHY FATS: Include healthy fats in your diet like olive oil, nuts, natural nut butters, seeds, avocado, fish, flaxseed and flaxseed oil.
- EAT BREAKFAST EVERY DAY: When you eat within 30 minutes of waking up, you jump start your metabolism. This gives you more energy to get your day going.
- THREE FOR THREE: Eat smaller portions more often, spread evenly across the day. No excuses – you should be eating 4-6 meals/day! Aim for all three macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) every three hours for optimal fueling.
- STAY HYDRATED: Dehydration = Decreased Performance. Drink at least three liters of non-caloric beverages (water/green tea) every day.
- DON’T WASTE YOUR WORKOUT: Have a post-workout recovery meal or shake that combines both carbs and protein immediately after your training.
- SUPPLEMENT WISELY: Fuel first and supplement second. If you are not getting what you need through food, add a multivitamin supplement into your daily routine.
- SLEEP: Aim for at least eight hours of sleep. If you can’t get eight hours daily, consider power naps when you can. The body recovers and repairs best when it is sleeping.
Below is an article written by Stuart Coggin for ThoughtCo.com that has the most useful diet and pre and post game nutrition information I have found
The importance of a soccer player’s diet cannot be underestimated when planning the path to success on the field.
As Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger once said: “Food is like kerosene. If you put the wrong one in your car, it’s not as quick as it should be”.
The Frenchman famously changed his players’ eating habits after arriving from Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight in 1996 and his methods have been incorporated at other Premier League clubs. Boiled fish, pasta and vegetables became a staple of the average Arsenal player’s diet.
If a player does not have a healthy diet, they will not be able to train as hard, will struggle to improve their play and be more susceptible to tiredness.
What to Eat:
Below are some essential nutrients which players need.
Simple carbohydrates: found in sweets, cakes, soft drinks, jam
Complex carbohydrates: found in rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, cereals, fruit
Saturated fats: found in butter, margarine, cheese, pasties
Unsaturated fats: found in sunflower oil, salmon, nuts
Protein: found in milk, chicken, eggs, fish, yogurt
Vitamins and minerals: found in fruit, vegetables, dairy products
Fiber: found in seeds, peas, beans
Water: found in foods, drinks, formulated sports drinks.
*Soccer players need energy, which is most commonly found in carbohydrate. This should account for nearly 70% of a soccer player’s diet, which many fail to realize.
The optimal carbohydrate calorie intake for a player is 2400-3000, but many players fail to get near this, meaning their glycogen levels are sub-par. Those who start a game with low glycogen levels can struggle after half-time because they have little carbohydrate left in their muscles by the time the second half starts.*
Good carbohydrate intake can be achieved by snacking throughout the day, rather than three regular meals, and it is particularly beneficial to refuel just after training or a match to replenish the energy stores in the muscles.
Bananas, muesli bars, crumpets, bagels, low fat rice pudding, yogurts, milkshakes and fruit are just some of the snacks that are high in carbohydrate but low in fat.
A healthy diet means a player has the possibility to recover more quickly from an injury.
Villarreal club doctor Hector Uso told uefa.com what he believes are the ideal meals for a young player to eat before and after a match.
What to Eat Before a Match
“The meal before the match should consist of carbohydrates with just a little or no protein because proteins might cause difficulties with digestion. At that moment you could say that the energy basis of the player is set up so no complex carbs – no whole grains or roughage veggies, those are for 1-2 days prior. (unless training in afternoon, then for breakfast is fine)
“You have to try and maintain glucose in the blood by giving it some carbohydrates like in pasta or rice and always in combination with vegetables and a small amount of protein, and as free from fat as possible. So fish is ideal. That would be the perfect meal before a match. We usually eat three hours before a game but I would recommend eating even a bit before that; something like three-and-a-half hours before would be perfect.”
What to Eat After a Match
“When the match has finished I would recommend eating 30 minutes after the final whistle. The reason for trying to eat as soon as possible after a match is because there is a period of time, up to 45 minutes after physical exercise, or there is a window of recovery for the body, where you can feed it with carbohydrates and protein. At the end of the match, the muscles in the hepatic portal system of the player are completely exhausted so in this phase you have to recover glucose and carbohydrates via pasta or rice. I say pasta or rice because they are the best things to eat at that moment.
“And you also have to restore the player’s damaged protein balance so the player is fit again for physical exercise the day after and does not suffer from muscular problems. So to prevent that you need to take proteins. We usually eat on the bus. We have a cold pasta salad with tuna, eggs and Turkey to ensure that the players eat something in those 45 minutes after the match which gives them the proteins and carbohydrates to rebalance their bodies.”
What to Drink
The best fluid to drink is a diluted carbohydrate/electrolyte solution, such as Gatorade and Powerade.
It is best to drink before, during and after a training session, and also to ensure that fluids are taken on regularly throughout a match. Avoid drinking too much at once because this can make you bloated and put you at risk of getting an upset stomach. Taking on small amounts of fluids on a regular basis is key.
Nutrition: 24-48 Hrs Prior to Heavy Training or Competing
Step One: What are the groups?
Level 1 Carb – Pure hyper (sugars) energy in simplest form.
Level 2 Carb – This is fast energy available within 1 – 4 hours. They are the simple carbs that contain white flour and starches such as pancakes, waffles, pizza, white rice, white bagels, cereal bars (not whole grain), bananas, and oranges)
Level 3 Carb – This is energy available within 3 – 7 hours. They are complex carbs like whole grains, brown rice, whole wheat breads and bagels, pasta, roughage vegetables.
Protein – These are meats and nuts. Remember that the less legs the better, especially on game or training days. The best protein for pre-game meal (3-3.5 hours before) will have fish.
Fats – Peanut butter is a good fat, olive oil, nuts, seeds
Step Two: What do we need to use for fuel?
Your body burns mostly carbohydrates for fuel. Your body uses fats and proteins too but uses what’s easiest first. Fuel is first stored in red blood cells, muscles, and in the liver as Glycogen. When the reserves are full, your body stores the excess as body fat. Athletes that must perform for really long periods of time such as long distance runners start to burn fat for fuel. But for intense training sessions or game stints that are most often limited to about an hour or so, that is not the case so building up reserves and then refueling is crucial.
Your stored fuel will last different lengths for different athletes. At around 60 – 120 minutes of continuous, hard exercise, your stored fuel (your glycogen reserves) can start to be depleted. This is called hitting the wall.