Football nutrition advice -
Carbohydrates are the go-to source of energy for intermittent sports, like football, where glycogen stores are often depleted during long workouts and training, says Machowsky. The amount required and how often to consume it will vary based on the time of year such as off-season, pre-season, etc.
Choosing a variety of whole grain breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, fruits and vegetables ensures players are getting not only the carbs necessary to perform but also essential vitamins, minerals and fiber, which have a slew of important functions. In particular, these help to decrease inflammation and support recovery.
Carbohydrates in the form of sports drinks, gels and similar products should generally be limited to game day and practice fueling, not part of a player's day-to-day eating routine, says Machowsky. Refined carbohydrates, including white bread, cakes, candy, cookies, pies, high-sugar cereals, sodas, and juices, should be consumed sparingly, he adds.
Players need enough protein to stimulate muscle protein synthesis build muscle , and also to repair muscle damage that occurs during training. Choosing lean, high-quality protein at meals, but also before and after every workout, is imperative, says Machowsky.
Research shows that consumption of excessive amounts of protein offers no benefit to stimulating muscle protein synthesis and will more often displace other important nutrients your body needs. This requires a diet that includes high-quality sources of protein spread throughout the day among properly timed meals and snacks.
Chicken or turkey, lean red meats, beans, dairy, eggs and fish are all good options. Branched chain amino acids, or BCAAs, which are often touted in supplements, are readily found in dairy and meat. Protein supplements can be useful if it becomes difficult to get in the amount of protein needed during the day, or for game day and practice fueling.
Football players also need fat, but the nutritious kind. Too much fat usually hydrogenated and saturated can lead to increased risk of heart disease and excess calorie intake that can lead to undated weight gain, says Machowsky.
Too little fat can affect nutrient absorption and ultimately impact performance as well, so moderation is the name of the game here. Include 1 to 2 servings of fat in meals in the form of fatty fish, nuts and nut butters, seeds, meat, dairy, avocado and olive oil.
Snacking on real food about 2 to 3 times per day keeps players satisfied and adequately fueled between meals. Optimizing performance means players need some serious nutrient bang for their calorie buck and whole foods win the nutrient density competition every time.
If you want to play at the top of your game, reduce the junk food. Remember that food is functional, and it serves a purpose. When that purpose is helping players recover after two-a-days, that food needs to be filled with as much high-quality nutrition as possible.
Think whole fruit such as apples and bananas with ¾ cup low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt, a handful of nuts or 2 tablespoons of nut butter on a piece of whole grain toast, lettuce roll-ups with turkey, avocado and mustard, a protein shake or smoothie made with plain Greek yogurt, fruit and 1 to 2 tablespoons of almond butter, for example, or pop a few turkey meatballs a common player favorite.
We all need to ensure we get an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals. That includes iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, selenium, sodium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, B6, and B But for footballers these are particularly important to health and performance.
Many of these can come from regular foods but in some cases supplements can plug gaps. Iron : Athletes use iron stores more quickly than non-athletes and a lack of iron can induce fatigue, impairing training and match performance.
Calcium : Needed for strong bones and experts recommend athletes, including footballers, should aim for 1, to 1, mg of calcium daily from food or supplements. Sodium , potassium and magnesium : Support energy metabolism and muscle function. Zinc : Required for growth, cell reproduction and testosterone production and has been shown in some trials to help speed recovery from colds.
Eggs, peas, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds are all good sources, though the doses used to fight the colds in the studies required supplements. Easily blitzed in a smoothie or added to salads, this supergreen has high levels of iron plus vitamins A and K which can help reduce inflammation, support bone health and reduce fatigue.
Poached or boiled, eggs are a great source of protein and essential amino acids. Protein-packed oily fish like salmon and mackerel are also high in omega 3, making them ideal recovery fodder and great fighters against inflammation.
Low-fat, low carb, high-fibre veggies like broccoli, kale, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables offer excellent nutritional bang for buck. These plant-based compounds can help reduce inflammation and support recovery.
Smashed up on wholewheat toast or added to energy-boosting smoothies, avocados are full of good fats and loaded with vitamins and minerals the long list includes vitamin K, Folate, Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorous, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2 and Vitamin B3.
Beetroot is full of nitrate that can improve stamina to help you push harder, for longer, improve blood flow, and help lower blood pressure. This is more highly concentrated in beetroot juice shots. The fairly recent introduction of drink breaks into the pro game shows the importance of hydration for footballers, not just for performance but for safety too.
So if you want to play at your best for the full ninety, the right approach to replenishing fluids is as important as what you eat. From fatigue to muscle cramps, and even feelings of faintness or dizziness, dehydration comes at a cost. Your heart works harder to shift blood around your body too, so your on-pitch efforts feel harder when fluid levels are diminished.
You can avoid this by building good hydration habits into your every day. The NHS recommends drinking 1. But remember, your fluid replacement needs on and off the pitch are unique.
Duration, intensity, temperature and sweat rate also play a big part in hydration levels. Thirst and the colour of your urine the lighter the better provide good hydration cues.
It may also be useful to weigh yourself before and after a match as a guide to your own sweat rate. A rule of thumb: every kilogram of body weight lost is equal to 1 litre of sweat loss.
When we sweat we lose important minerals too. It also livens up plain water with some fantastic refreshing flavours. A high carbohydrate meal, often based on gluten-free sources of carbs such as rice, sweet potatoes or quinoa.
Around hours before kick off, players will eat a meal rich in carbohydrates, with moderate protein but lower in fats and fibre. Some will reach for oats and cereals again, others will choose from things like rice, couscous, beans, fruit juices, flavoured yogurt and fresh fruit.
Some players use caffeine to boost mental alertness and reduce feelings of fatigue. Caffeine can take up to an hour to peak in the bloodstream though this is highly individual and so players time their intake carefully.
Immediately after a game, players reach for a classic protein and recovery shake. For the pros, these are often personalised but for example, this would be a ml with 30g of protein and 50g carbs. So teams from Wolves to Juventus now commonly also have healthy hot snackable food in the changing rooms.
Kick off time will dictate whether you eat breakfast and lunch and what you eat. But the main aim of your pre-match meals is to top up glycogen stores. The later the kick off, the more likely these will be depleted during the day. Shoot for meals that offer slow-burn carbs and come low in fibre, lower in fat to avoid any stomach troubles and moderate in protein.
Last-minute fuel-tank top-ups can help see you through the first 45 minutes. Energy bars make good snacks more than an hour before kick-off, while gels, carb drinks and chews can be eaten for extra calories post-warm up and even right up to kick-off.
Half time top-ups need to tick two important boxes. They should provide fast-acting carbs to power your second-half performance and — crucially — play nice with your gut. Our bitesize boosters, energy chews , also make it easy to take on smaller amounts of carbs, and tailor your intake as necessary.
That means replenishing glycogen stores and providing your body with the protein building blocks it needs to repair muscle. Or stick a Veloforte Mocha bar in your kit bag to support muscle recovery. From Recovery Bars to Recovery Shakes, Veloforte now offers an all natural way to get your golden ratio.
Forza and Mocha offer up to 12g of protein, Recovery Protein Shakes up to 23g! Having this overview will help to refine your fuelling needs. Not to mention looking at shifts between the on and off-season. There are many variables to good hydration and understanding your unique needs requires trial and error and attention to detail.
Monitoring your sweat rate in different conditions, paying attention to thirst and urine colour can all help you build a sensible approach to fluid intake. Veloforte exists to help active people fuel better. By Team Veloforte June 28, Cart 0 items. FREE shipping will be applied at checkout Sorry, looks like we don't have enough of this product.
This site has Football nutrition advice support for Liver cleanse capsules browser. We recommend switching to Edge, Advife, Safari, or Firefox. Nutrotion £40 more for FREE shipping. FREE shipping will be applied at checkout. An effective football diet plan should be highly personalised, taking into account everything from your age, gender and the level you play at, to the frequency of your training, the position you play, your work rate and even kick-off times. There are plenty of variables too. Foootball nutrient requirements Advics based on your body size nutritin position. What works for one player may not Emotional changes during menopause the best strategy for someone else. But, all players can benefit from the following guidelines:. Organize the food on your plate into a peace sign. Consume at least three meals per day with snacks between. Try to eat every four hours.
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