Soccer Players Need to eat Breakfast

For any soccer team that has some tournaments coming up this summer, you may want to let your players know about this...

I was talking to a sports nutritionist (who also happens to be a friend of mine) the other day about performance of athletes and since we were on the soccer field, specifically about soccer players. We got onto the subject of breakfast, and how breakfast for a soccer player is so key to their performance.

What she said was this, when athletes wake up in the morning, they are nutritionally deficient. Many times they have gone more than 12 hours without eating. Their energy levels are thus low and their body needs to be fed with excellent nutrients for them to perform at a high athletic level. Many players however, will not eat well in the morning and this will cause lower productivity for these soccer players. Breakfast high in good carbohydrates will make a lot of sense for any player who will be playing a morning game or have a morning practice.

So get some good carbs in ya and have a great day!

Gary
www.soccerandspeedcoach.com

PS If you go to my website and register, I will let you know when our championship foods report is coming out. This free report outlines what the best normal foods, beverages and friuts are to have before games/practices and AFTER games too to enhance athletic performance.

Nutrition Questions Answered for Soccer Players

With some soccer tournaments coming up, it is important to know as much as possible about nutrition. Below is a series of several questions soccer coaches have asked us and that we have answered through a panel of sports nutritionists.

Q: Why is nutrition so important to an athlete's performance on the game field or practice field?

A: It is vital that an athlete properly fuel their body. You would not expect a car to work without the right type of gas; similarly you cannot expect your body to run efficiently without the right fuel (foods/fluids) either. Eating the right foods and consuming the right fluids at the right time can help the athlete achieve their peak performance!

Q: Why is proper nutrition important for an athlete prior to a game and some general suggested foods that make sense to consider an hour or two before a game?

A: Fueling properly before practice or game is imperative to an athlete’s performance. An athlete must "top off" their energy stores by consuming a high carbohydrate snack prior to practice or competition. Ensuring that the snack is high in carbohydrates, (not high in protein or fat) is important since carbohydrates are quickly converted to energy that the body can use to fuel sports activity. Examples include, fruit, granola bars, raisins, pretzels and bagels.

Q: Why is proper nutrition important for an athlete after a game and some general suggested foods that make sense to consider within an hour of a game for recovery purposes?

A: Post-workout and/or post-competition, it is crucial for an athlete consume a snack that is high in carbohydrates and moderate in protein within 30 minutes. The 30 minute time window is important to help decrease recovery time. Meaning, an athlete will be able to recover faster from one workout to the next. Examples include flavored low-fat milk, peanut butter & jelly sandwich, cereal & milk, and trail mix.

** It is important for the athlete and coach to understand that even with the right type, amount and timing of your nutrition it will take the body approximately 20-22 hrs to fully recover its energy stores.

Hope this information helps you with your players nutrition for game days and recovery days!

Have a great day!

Gary
www.soccerandspeedcoach.com

When to eat before a soccer game.

Some athletes try and not eat before a soccer game because they feel eating may cause stomach cramps or nausea. Unless you eat just before your game or practice this is unlikely to happen. Your ability to perform on the field could suffer though if you don’t eat before your game or practice.

For those athletes who choose not to eat prior to a game, they may experience as much as an 80% decrease in their liver glycogen storage (main source of glucose) depending on whether they compete in the morning or later in the day.

We have learned that eating properly is paramount to an athlete’s success, but when to do it is also key. Eating too much just before your game is bad, but also not eating before your game could be just as bad. Skipping meals or not eating before an early morning game or workout lowers the stored energy in your body and can negatively affect your performance. So when should you eat?

If you eat your meal one to three hours before your game, your stomach will almost be empty during the event. In general it takes your body 1-4 hours for your stomach to digest your food and empty it into your intestines.

Below is a guideline for when to consume food prior to a game or workout:

Time Before A Game/ Meal Type/ Calories
3 - 5 hours/ Large Meal/ 300 - 500
2 - 3 hours/ Light Meal/ 200 - 300
1 - 2 hours/ Liquid Meal/ 100 - 200
½ - 1 hour/ Snack/ 50 - 100

In future posts, I'll be talking about what are good meals, snacks, fruits and beverages to consume prior to a game or practice.

If you go to www.soccerandspeedcoach.com and register, I will be offering the full Championship Food Booklet in a future download. Register today so that you won't miss it when this fabulous, excellent nutrition rich download is available for you.

Have a great day!

Gary