Soccer Diet - Pre/Post Game Meals
A soccer player will constantly look after improving his or her body, increasing its maximum potential and forcing it over the natural "limit" that the average human body possesses. This is done through hard training and professional athletes spend most of their careers improving themselves, training out at some extent almost every day of the year. With that much effort comes an equally high energy consumption and that's where a diet will come in.
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Unfortunately, it's not just a
case of "work more, eat more". In order to keep your body healthy and
keep
yourself in optimal shape for soccer, you'll want to hit two important
points
with your soccer diet: high energy and healthy nutrients.
High energy can be obtained through
a diet which is rich on carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the main fuel
and
energy source of the body and you'll need loads of them if you want to
keep up
with that heavy rhythm of soccer training and matches that you're
likely to be
involved in. But like I said, you can't simply solve this issue by
eating more,
since you'll also have to be very
careful on what you eat.
Eating foods rich in healthy
nutrients will be a problem, because there's a lack of options when it
comes to
food that is also very healthy and contains a good amount of
carbohydrates. You'll also want a soccer diet
containing good amounts of proteins. Proteins help with muscle growth
and with
strength becoming an increasingly important issue in soccer, you'll
probably
want to get your muscle mass to a reasonable level.
Unfortunately you'll
stumble upon an issue regarding proteins as well: the problem is that
most
foods that contain proteins (different types meat or animal products
for the
most part) also have a large quantity of fats. Some of these fats are
useful
and even essential for the body, but others can be problematic.
Animal fat for example, clogs up
arteries and hinders blood flow, which not only lowers your
performance, but
may also cause you serious problems later on, including a higher risk
of heart
diseases. Again, getting a balanced protein/fat diet is essential for a
soccer
player and for any other type of athlete for that matter.
Although the general dietary rules above will work well around the week, you'll be much better off following specific diets prior and after playing a match.
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Eating a normal course just
before a match will have several disadvantages. You don't want to feel
"full"
before a match or before practice, since it will hinder your ability to
run,
your agility, jumping and so forth. Not eating at all before a match or
practice is not a good idea either. Going into a match without eating
will have
you playing in a weakened state and won't allow you to perform at your
maximum
potential.
So what you need to do is find
something to eat that is light but can still provide you with a good
source of
energy to cope with the upcoming effort. These pre-match snacks can
contain
fruits or vegetables or some light bread product. Not all fruits and
vegetables
are ideal though. You'll also want to pick up those that are rich in
carbohydrates, in order to charge
yourself up with energy before the
match.
Some of the most carb-rich fruits
out there include apples, peaches, oranges, and grapefruits. Breads
are usually harder on the stomach, but they also offer you a rich
carbohydrate
base. So a slice of toast or some crackers could
be beneficial.
You'll also want to pay attention
in your soccer diet to the GI value of the food you eat in your pre
game meal. The GI is
short for
Glycemic Index and it's a scale of how much a certain type of food
raises the
level of blood sugar in comparison to pure glucose. Before matches,
it's
recommended that the food you eat contains as low GI value as
possible
because low GI foods help conserve energy during effort. You'll find a
list of foods with GI of 55 or less at the bottom of the this soccer
diet article.
Soccer
Diet - Post Game Meals
A good post game meal is equally important as the pre game one. Pre match, your food had to be light and full of carbs to give you the energy and mobility to put off the best performance, but after the match the purpose of the meal will be entirely different. Your post match diet will have to cover all the nutrients you lost in your recent effort and get your muscles in shape again.
Post match diets are usually
fluid-heavy but a good stream of carbohydrates in the plate will also
help you recover easier
and high GI carbs work best in this situation.
So basically, high GI food is the best for refueling yourself
after the game, getting your energy levels back on track in the same
day. High
GI foods include rice, potatoes and bread, but you can find a more
extensive
list of low and high GI food below.
| Low GI Foods | Medium GI Foods | High GI Foods | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabbage | 10 | White Rice | 56 | Golden Grahams | 71 |
| Mushrooms | 10 | Pita Bread | 57 | Bagel | 72 |
| Chillies | 10 | Wild Rice | 57 | Corn Chips | 72 |
| Onions | 10 | Banana | 58 | Watermelon | 72 |
| Artichoke | 15 | Blueberry Muffin | 59 | Honey | 73 |
| Asparagus | 15 | Cheese Pizza | 60 | Kaiser Roll | 73 |
| Avocado | 15 | Papaya | 60 | Mashed Potatoes | 73 |
| Broccoli | 15 | Baked Potatoes | 61 | Cheerios | 74 |
| Cauliflower | 15 | Couscous | 61 | Cream of Wheat, Instant | 74 |
| Celery | 15 | Hamburger Bun | 61 | Graham Crackers | 74 |
| Cucumber | 15 | Icecream | 62 | Doughnuts | 75 |
| Eggplant | 15 | Macaroni & Cheese | 64 | French Fries | 76 |
| Green Beans | 15 | Raisins | 64 | Frozen Waffles | 76 |
| Lettuce | 15 | Instant Oatmeal | 66 | Total Cereal | 76 |
| Low Fat Yogurt | 15 | Pineapple | 66 | Jelly Beans | 80 |
| Peanuts | 15 | Angel Food Cake | 67 | Pretzels | 81 |
| Spinach | 15 | American Rye Bread | 68 | Rice Cake | 82 |
| Zucchini | 15 | Taco Shells | 68 | Cornflakes | 84 |
| Tomatoes | 15 | Whole Wheat Bread | 69 | Baked Potatoes | 85 |
| Cherries | 22 | Melba Toast | 70 | French Baguette | 95 |
| Plum | 24 | White Bread | 70 | Dates | 103 |
| Grapefruit | 25 | ||||
| Peach | 28 | ||||
| Wheat Tortilla | 30 | ||||
| Dried Apricots | 31 | ||||
| Whole Milk | 31 | ||||
| Fat Free Milk | 32 | ||||
| Fettuccine | 32 | ||||
| Spaghetti | 32 | ||||
| Sweetened Yoghurt | 33 | ||||
| Nutella | 33 | ||||
| Apple | 36 | ||||
| Butter Beans | 36 | ||||
| Pear | 36 | ||||
| Tomato Soup | 38 | ||||
| Carrots, Cooked | 39 | ||||
| Meat Ravioli | 39 | ||||
| Natural Muesli | 40 | ||||
| Canned Chickpeas | 42 | ||||
| Custard | 43 | ||||
| Grapes | 43 | ||||
| Orange | 43 | ||||
| Macaroni | 45 | ||||
| Banana Bread | 47 | ||||
| Instant Noodles | 47 | ||||
| Long Grain Rice | 47 | ||||
| Grean Peas | 48 | ||||
| All Bran | 50 | ||||
| Brown Rice | 50 | ||||
| Cheese Tortellini | 50 | ||||
| Rolled Oats | 51 | ||||
| Kiwifruit | 52 | ||||
| Special K | 54 | ||||
| Canned Fruit Cocktail | 55 | ||||
| Linguine | 55 | ||||
| Oatmeal | 55 | ||||
| Popcorn | 55 | ||||
| Sweet Corn | 55 | ||||
The information on this website is intended as an educational and informational source only. It doesn't replace the advice of a qualified nutritionist, so it's advisable that you visit a specialist before taking up any of the nutritional suggestions on the website. The author himself is not a dietician, so make sure you consult your family physician or dietician before starting any type of diet, lifestyle or nutritional change. Some diets may be harmful for persons suffering from certain medical conditions and the author of the website cannot be held responsible for any harm or injury that might occur by following the instructions and tips found here.
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