Part 5 - Soccer Nutrition

In soccer, or any sport for that matter, proper nutrition is always undervalued.

Players and coaches alike assume that diet only becomes a factor at the highest level of the game -- that extra edge where the tiniest advantage can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Not so!

Nutrition makes a significant difference -- at all levels and ages!

Eating and drinking incorrectly before a game for example, can cause a sudden rise in insulin, followed by a sharp drop in blood sugar. The result is lethargy and jelly-like legs. Another example...

Eat too close to kick off and it can leave feeling sick and nauseous. Why? When food is in your stomach, it becomes your body's highest priority...

Blood is directed to the digestive system in order to process the meal quickly before the food has chance to spoil and ferment. When you exercise heavily, blood is shunted away from major organs (and the digestive system) in order to supply working muscles with their increased demand for oxygen. A feeling nausea is the body's way of limiting exercise so that blood can be directed once again to the digestive system. Ignore it, or push too hard and the only option left is to physically expel the food from your system!

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Ideally then, you should eat a suitable meal 3 hours before kick off. More than 3 hours and you could go into the game feeling famished and weak from low blood sugar. Any sooner and you run the risk of feeling sick.

Following a game is a different story however. You want to eat as soon as possible to replenish carbohydrate stores. Having snacks to hand is a useful strategy rather than waiting until you get home for a big meal. You have a "window" -- a period of time after exercise when it's best to replenish your energy stores. Beyond this window it becomes much more difficult to replace carbohydrate stores and can take up to 2-3 days. No good if you are playing or training a day or two later.

What about drinking and optimal hydration

There are several different types of sports drinks:

• Hypotonic
• Isotonic
• Hypertonic

We discuss these (and how yo ca make your won at home) in Total Soccer Nutrition, which comes FREE with both Total Soccer Fitness For Juniors and Total Soccer Fitness (High Performance). For now, isotonic drinks are best before a game (but not to close to kick off) and hypertonic drinks are best after a game. Hypotonic drinks are useful during hot weather conditions when the most important factor is dehydration.

Total soccer Nutrition also shows you how much to drink and when. Too much fluid can actually be detrimental to performance and more is NOT necessarily better.

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Of course eating before and after a game is only one aspect of nutrition. What you eat on a day-to-day, meal-to-meal basis is equally as important.

If you play soccer competitively you may be training and playing 3-4 times a week or more. This increases your demand for energy and possibly some vitamins and minerals, so it's important you eat more to meet these increased demands. But eating anything and everything is not a wise move...

Soccer players tend to be quite lean because the sport is so physically demanding. Sometimes players and coaches believe that this allows them to eat all manner of junk food without consequence.

While weight gain may not become a problem, your overall health and performance will be adversely affected. Too often, health and fitness is judged by weight. But the old adage "you are what you eat" is as true for soccer players as it is for everyone else. With proper nutrition every system, organ and cell can function more effectively. The net result is greater athletic potential.

Total Soccer Nutrition examines in detail, a suitable diet for a soccer player -- the amount of fat, carbohydrate and protein they should aim for. It looks at the best foods to eat that are both energy and nutrient rich. It also provides a sample meal plan and snack ideas that soccer players can use in between games

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Sports supplements are becoming more and more popular amongst soccer players. They promise the world and often deliver very little. Manufacturers have been quick to expand from the bodybuilding market, paying well-known sports stars millions to endorse their products. But celebrity endorsement does nothing to prove their effectiveness.

A few supplements do have a measurable, proven effect and can enhance performance. However, substances like anabolic steroids (which is a drug not a supplement), while effective are also dangerous and illegal.

Coaches and players should be aware of what supplements are safe and effective and which aren't. Beware of researching the internet however. You'll quickly discover one-sided, subjective reviews designed only to part you from your hard-earned money.

Of course Total Soccer Fitness has no such hidden agendas ;-). It takes a completely impartial stance reviewing popular sports supplements so you know what works and what doesn't, what's safe and what's not.

Total Soccer Nutrition comes FREE with both Total Soccer Fitness For Juniors and Total Soccer Fitness (High Performance). Combined, they are designed to help you become the best player (or team) you can. Correct nutrition and proper fitness training can have such a dramatic effect on performance, that NO supplement can come close to matching it's effect!

Phil Davies.
Author, Total Soccer Fitness