Carbohydrates are the most important nutrient you can consume to provide energy before a football game. Common carbohydrate foods include pasta, potatoes, cereals and bagels. Electrolyte replacement sports drinks and specially designed energy bars are other sources of carbohydrates. Your body converts carbohydrates to glycogen, the primary energy source stored in the muscles.
When you exercise, your body converts stored glycogen to glucose -- or simple sugar -- and uses it for energy. During the early stages of moderate exercise, carbohydrates provide 40 to 50 percent of the energy requirement. Higher work intensity, such as running the ball full speed down the field, utilizes an even greater percentage of carbohdyrates, note J. Anderson et al. For maximum game-time energy, most food should be out of your stomach, broken down and absorbed by the start of the game.
Renowned coach Chris Carmicheal suggests eating your last full meal at least two and half to three hours prior to exercise for it to be properly digested. Carmicheal notes that eating between. The closer you are to game time, the lower on that range you should aim — for example, if you are eating a snack one hour before play, aim for. A pound player would thus consume about 50 to 95 grams of carbs one hour prior to the game's start.
Avoid downing quick carbs in the minutes before game time. This is where we get into the specifics of football conditioning and training with session plans and diet plans to aid you as a football player or coach.
Join the academy today and become a fitter, faster and stronger footballer! We say the day of a football match, but you should really focus on your meal the night before the game. This gives your body the time it needs to digest all food and distribute all of the macros across your body to the vital areas.
Unlike in the days before the game, you should look to eat a smaller meal that has more of the stuff you need, for example if you have an early afternoon game then for breakfast you should be having simple carbohydrates like cereal, fruits and light dairy foods.
If you have a game later in the afternoon then have a lunch that includes basic macros with low fat like turkey, fresh cheese or yoghurt alongside your simple carbs like pasta or a sandwich or maybe even a rice dish. If you get hungry before the game then you should be looking to have basic fruits and small cereal bars that are low in fat other options include toast, with Jam.
The age old questions from sport scientists around the world is what should a footballer eat day to day?
And the thing is, with so many people trying to make a name for themselves nowadays Read more…. Rather than reaching for the standard sports drinks packed with high fructose corn syrup and artificial colorings, look to choose:. A few simple guidelines will help you establish optimal pre-game nutrition:.
The body is first going to look for the fuel that is easiest to burn. During a soccer game carbohydrates win the contest. There may be small amounts of sugar in the blood that can be used, but when it comes to carbs we are primarily talking about using glycogen, or stored glucose to produce energy. Trying to oversaturate the blood with sugar and simple carbs close to the start of a game may cause insulin to spike and trigger low blood sugar followed by headaches, light-headedness, and fatigue.
Instead, the meal leading up to the event should help top off glycogen stores with at least forty percent of calories coming from real food complex carbohydrates. As part of the pre-game meal, protein helps stabilize blood sugar, provide satiation, and deliver the building blocks needed for post-activity recovery. It also helps initiate the unlocking of fat stores for slow-burning fuel.
Include an average of twenty grams of protein in your pre-game meal — about a deck of cards sized piece of meat, or three large eggs. Most of the fat that is used for energy during soccer will be pulled from existing fat stores, but it is still a good idea to include healthy fats on your pre-game plate for satiation, nutrient absorption, and insulin and glucagon balance for blood sugar stability.
This will dramatically slow and interrupt digestion, causing distress and discomfort if your belly is full of food. Most athletes do best eating a higher calorie meal two to three hours before any intense activity.
Time your meal around the start of the game by working backwards. Clearly defining general nutrition recommendations is nearly impossible due to individual differences including age, skill, exercise intensity and duration, stress levels, food preferences and availability, and the open systems of athletic games.
My number one recommendation is to use this information as a base to build on. With your unique circumstances in mind, find what works for you and the young athletes in your family. Take notes and adjust accordingly. If you run into challenges, seek out the advice of a qualified sports nutritionist to help direct individual needs. Making adjustments for consecutive game fueling, light eaters, and gastric distress are common concerns.
Youth soccer players often participate in more than one game in a day. Refueling after one and before another can help refill glycogen stores and maintain energy levels. Opt for starches such as sweet potatoes, bananas, and white rice to top off muscle fuel. Fruit can help refill liver glycogen and offer refreshing fluids. Protein has been shown to increase the rate of muscle glucose uptake and glycogen repletion , so adding a small portion between games may be helpful.
Avoiding significant fat at this time is beneficial. Fat will slow absorption and digestion and the replenishment of glycogen stores. With young athletes who are small eaters, avoid large quantities of fluid right before and during a meal. Liquids fill the belly and signal satiety without the calories and nutrients to match.
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