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Nutrition & Soccer Performance



You wouldn't put low octane gasoline in a race car, would you? Yet, even today, with all the research on nutrition and athletic performance, athletes still fail to realize the connection between the food they eat and their ability to compete in sports. The time for a reminder is now.



Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are the main components of your diet. Protein supplies amino acids for many processes in the body, but supplies little energy for exercise. Despite all the bad press, fat is a necessary ingredient. Fat insulates nerves, carries substances in the blood, packs organs and serves as a warehouse for energy, some of which is used to play soccer. Carbohydrate is the main source of energy in your diet. How much carbohydrate you eat will directly affect your ability to run and is the subject of this article.



Carbohydrate is found in many foods like vegetables, fruits, breads, grains, pasta, and dairy products. When eaten, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose and stored in your liver and muscles as a string of glucose molecules called glycogen. If your ability to run far and fast is related to how much gas you have in your tank (glycogen in your muscles), then the more you have stored, the farther and faster you can run. In addition, if you eat properly after heavy training, you can actually store more glycogen than if you ate improperly. So you could cover even more distance at a fast pace. Is fat used for energy in soccer? Yes, during low intensity work like walking and slow jogging. You won't run out of fat for fuel, but you can run out of glycogen. You need glycogen to go fast - remember, soccer is not played at a walk.



Do we know anything about muscle glycogen and soccer? Plenty.



1. Most soccer players make poor food choices (too much protein and fat) so they enter games with less than a full tank of gas (less muscle glycogen than most athletes should have).



2. Most the glycogen in the muscles is used in the first half of a game. By the end of the game, glycogen levels are almost zero. Your sprints get shorter and less frequent as the game goes on.



3. The more glycogen, the further and faster players run. A research study showed that players who ate lots of carbohydrate ran the most and only walked about 25% of the total distance. Players who ate a "normal" meal covered about 25% less distance and covered most of it at a walk. Can you guess who won this game?



Any suggestions for soccer players when choosing foods to eat?



·       Choose foods with the highest carbohydrate and lowest fat count. Carbohydrates should make up 55-65% of the diet. Choose, for example, bagels over sliced bread, baked potato over french fries, a high carbohydrate cereal over a low carbohydrate cereal (read those labels!).



·       A teenage or adult athlete should eat 450-600 grams of carbohydrate a day (spread it out over 24 hours-think you can eat that amount of spaghetti in one sitting? That's over 2 dry pounds of spaghetti!). Younger players would eat less because they are smaller. The rough formula is 7-10 grams/kg/day.



·       If you make poor food choices and train regularly, you can't refill your glycogen levels before tomorrow's practice. Thus, glycogen levels stair-step down as the week goes on. It is important to eat plenty of carbohydrates during training, not just for matches.



·       Your muscles are the most "thirsty" for glycogen right after exercise.



So try to eat a good supply of carbohydrates within the first 2 hours after play. Don't wait. Have carbohydrate rich foods available right after a game. This is especially important if you are playing in a tournament with many games in a short time. Give yourself every advantage and refuel for the next games. Choose fruit juices, carbohydrate replacement drinks, bagels and jam, fresh or dried fruit, uncooked "Chex Mix" types of finger food. If candy is acceptable to your parents, choose "clear" candy like "gummi" bears, jelly beans, etc. (chocolate-based candy has too much fat and calories). Stay away from the chips, burgers, fries, nachos, etc.; too much fat and not enough carbohydrates.



The smart athlete will try to give himself or herself every advantage to help their team to win. Knowing you are going into a game with a "full tank of gas" means you are ready for the highest demands of the game. Also, if you have eaten properly and are playing a team who played yesterday (who likely hasn't eaten properly), you know you are at an advantage and will be fresher in the second half.



This sports science article comes from the Sports Medicine Section at the Duke University Medical Center 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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Nutrition



This is taken from an article from Erin O’Neill, a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at Virginia Tech.



Athletic Nutrition for Young Athletes



In a period when many parents enroll their children in organized sports, it is imperative that basic nutrition guidelines for young athletes be followed. This will help these children to progress to their desirable potentials. Along with their improvement in performance, a healthy diet may reduce injury, reduce recovery time between competitions, make them feel better both physically and mentally, and create healthy eating habits for life.



The guidelines to youth sport nutrition focus on getting the athlete enough energy and the right kinds of energy for the rigorous demands on their active bodies. A child should always receive a good meal at least an hour or two before practice or competition. In addition, you must encourage your youth athlete to eat a lot of food frequently. They need more fuel than the normal adult population due to their growth alone, but when physical activity comes into play, an increased amount of energy is called for. An effective way to ensure that your athlete does not go hungry is to place nonperishable items such as pretzels or sports bars in their book bags or practice gear bags. Even extra calories, such as those found in fruits or a sports drink, during practice is highly recommended.



The food pyramid is an excellent guide for parents to follow when deciding on what to feed their young athletes. Youngsters should be ingesting plenty of carbohydrates with unsaturated fat. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and easily digestible foods are recommended. Junk foods, which are high in simple sugars and saturated fats, should be avoided, especially before activity. The sugars may create a quick burst of energy followed by a dive in energy levels. The fatty foods are hard to digest. For the adolescent athlete, it is important to watch calcium and iron levels. In periods of rapid growth, athletes are especially susceptible to deficiencies in these areas. Most importantly, proper hydration must be stressed. Dehydration greatly hampers performance and may even lead to heat stress or even heat stroke in extreme cases. Water (or sports drinks or diluted fruit juice) should always be on hand and readily available for young athletes at practices and competitions.



Lastly, refueling your athlete after activity is equally important but it is often overlooked. Nutritious meals help speed up the recovery process and replace nutrients that have been lost. If the athletes are rewarded for their performances in the way of sweets or fast food, it must be stressed that they should only receive these treats after their game and not as a replacement for regular meals. Following these guidelines will result in a youth athlete who can perform at optimal levels.

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