Diet & Nutrition

According to a study presented recently at a meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, coaches are the number one source of nutritional information among young athletes. We honestly don’t know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. But since it is the reality, we think it’s very important that soccer coaches offer their players some basic nutritional guidance, because we can’t count on their getting it anywhere else. And, of course, it is equally important that the guidance we do provide be accurate, relevant, and practical. The nutrition habits of many youth soccer players are poor. They may be a lot more talented than the average player, and perhaps more motivated, but they are just as likely to live on potato chips and soda as the next kid. Because youth soccer coaches don’t feed their players, there’s only so much we can do to improve their nutrition habits. Here we gladly talk about nutrition with parents who express an interest and we're certain that some players pass along the information they learn to their mothers and fathers. But we’re wary of stepping on parents’ toes, so we focus mainly on influencing what players eat and drink before, during, and after practices and games. And you can do quite a lot to improve players’ fitness, performance, and recovery by teaching them to take in the right nutrients in the right amounts at these times.

Start with a Full Tank

Preventing fatigue starts with the pre-exercise meal. The job of the pre-exercise meal is to make sure the player’s body is well stocked with fluid and carbohydrate before each practice and game. The meal should be mainly carbohydrate with a little protein and little or no fat. A breakfast of low-sugar, whole-grain cereal, low-fat milk, and orange juice eaten at least two hours beforehand is perfect. Low- and moderate-glycemic carbohydrate sources such as whole grain cereals are preferable to high-glycemic carbohydrate sources like donuts because they provide more lasting energy. In a Penn State University study, one group of athletes ate a rolled oats cereal (moderate-glycemic) while another group ate a puffed rice cereal (high-glycemic) before a stationary cycling test. Both breakfasts contained 75 grams of total carbohydrate. Those who ate the rolled oats cereal were able to cycle significantly longer than those who ate the puffed rice due to greater glucose availability. Along with sugary foods, foods that are high in fat, such as whole milk, should be avoided in pre-exercise meals because they slow digestion. The other important consideration is timing. The ideal is to eat a complete meal about three hours before exercise. Eating less and/or earlier could result in low energy reserves by practice or game time. Eating later could result in nausea or cramping.

Water Is Not Enough

Most youth soccer players drink only water during games and practices. By drinking water during exercise, players can keep their body temperature from rising and can play harder and longer than if they drink nothing. But, sports drinks are a better choice than water because they contain essential nutrients for muscle performance that water does not have. Certain minerals called electrolytes are lost in sweat along with water. These minerals play an important role in assisting muscle contractions and in many other functions related to athletic performance. Studies have shown that players who drink sports drink with electrolytes such as sodium and potassium can delay fatigue longer and are less likely to get muscle cramps than players who drink plain water. However, neither water nor electrolytes provide energy. In a high-intensity sport like soccer, most of a player’s energy comes from carbohydrate stored in the muscles and liver. This fuel supply can run out fairly quickly, leaving the athlete exhausted and unable to perform well. But by drinking sports drinks like Gatorade that contains carbohydrate energy, as well as electrolytes, players can conserve their muscle energy stores and prolong endurance.

Traditional sports drinks do not contain any protein, but some of the newer sports drinks do. This is because new research coming out of leading universities has shown that sports drinks that contain carbohydrate and protein in the right balance can delay fatigue even longer than a sports drink with carbohydrate and no protein. In one study, athletes who used a carbohydrate-protein sports drink (Accelerade) during exercise lasted an amazing 24 percent longer than athletes who used a regular carbohydrate sports drink with no protein. The added protein also helps the muscles repair themselves faster after exercise, as it is normal for muscles to experience a certain amount of damage during hard exercise

Better Recovery

After exercise, athletes need more of the same nutrients they need during exercise. They need more water and electrolytes to replace the body fluid they lost during the practice or game. They also need more carbohydrate to restock their muscles, because it’s not possible to replace carbohydrate as fast as it is burned during exercise. And they need more protein, too, in order to repair the muscle damage that occurs during intense exercise. And they need to get all of these nutrients as soon as possible after the practice or game is completed. Research has shown that athletes who take in these nutrients immediately after a hard workout recover much faster and perform better in their next workout than athletes who wait or who eat foods that are high in fat, which slows the uptake of carbohydrate and protein. The simplest way to kick-start the recovery process is to have your players continue drinking a sports drink with protein. Fruit, sandwiches, and low-fat energy bars are also good recovery foods. Players should avoid eating high-fat foods after exercise because fat slows the deliver of other nutrients to the blood and muscles. Nutrition plays a very important role in sports performance and recovery. Most youth players understand this, but they don’t often know what and when they should eat and drink and their actual nutrition habits are typically far from the ideal. Coaches are in a good position to educate their players about proper sports nutrition and change their habits for the better. It’s worth making the effort.

Pre Match Nutrition Strategies

  • Players should be fully hydrated prior to a match by consuming adequate amounts of water 2 days before the match (hydration can be checked by players looking at their own urine, if its not transparent or straw colored then water consumption should be increased).
  • A pre-match meal should be eaten 3 hours prior to competition (eating later than this means players could experience intestinal problems, eating earlier may cause players to be fasting their glycogen stores prior to the match).
  • Ideally players should eat 4g/kg of body weight of carbohydrate (representing 280g of carbohydrate for a 70kg player) before the match with a little protein and little to no fat.
  • An ideal meal would have 2 types of carbohydrate such as vegetables and potatoes or vegetables and pasta with a little light meat such as chicken or fish if desired.
  • If players cannot eat enough solid carbohydrate before the match then a carbohydrate drink could also be added to the meal.
  • Most teams do not have the facility to provide a set pre-match meal to their players that follow these principles.
    • Therefore the coach needs to educate their players about these principles, so that they can be followed at home prior to a game without the coaches’ guidance.
  • Players should drink a carbohydrate drink immediately before kick off or no later than 30 minutes before kick off (this should a 5-10% solution e.g. 500ml drink should have at least 25-50 grams of carbohydrate in it).

During The Match Nutrition Strategies

  • Players should attempt to stay hydrated and top up their glycogen levels.
  • Ideally players will drink 200ml every 15-20 minutes during the match. Therefore the coach must get players to drink whenever there are pauses in the game such as injuries.
  • It has been debated whether players should drink water or a carbohydrate drink (drinking water will mean it is emptied from the stomach and from the intestine quicker, but a carbohydrate drink will top up glycogen levels).
  • The basic principal adopted is during the 1st half players consume a carbohydrate drink that is 2-3% carbs (will reflect 10grams of carbohydrates per 500 ml)
  • At half time players should drink a carbohydrate drink that has 6-7% carbs and also consume a small amount of solid quick release carbohydrates such as sweets.
  • In the second half players should continue consuming the 6-7% carbohydrate solution.
  • Players should have consumed 600-800ml of fluid through the match. NOTE: All fluids consumed should contain 0.5 grams of sodium (salt) per liter of fluid to ensure that the water is utilized and not passed through urine.

Post Match Nutrition Strategies

  • Nutrition immediately after the match will have a huge impact on how players recover from the match.
  • Players need to consume 10g/kg body mass of carbohydrate over the 24 hours after the match (reflecting 700grams of carbohydrate in our ‘average’ 70kg footballer).
  • Players also need to consume 1.5 x body mass losses of fluids (e.g. if our player weighed 70kg prior to the game and weighs 67.5kg after the match then 3.75 liters of fluid should be consumed over the next 12 hours - remember the sodium!)
  • 2 hours after a match reflects the time when the body will respond the most to proper nutrition therefore this is the time when coaches should get players to eat and drink maybe with a team post-match meal. However the sooner within this 2hours you can get players to hydrate and eat the better, e.g. players should be encouraged to consume a carbohydrate drink when coming off the pitch.
  • Over this 2-hour period 2-3g/kg body masses of carbohydrates should be eaten with at lest 6 grams of protein being consumed.
  • Players should therefore drink a 10% carbohydrate drink immediately after a game and then eat a meal that has quick release carbohydrates such as mashed potatoes and white rice including some protein such as a chicken breast or some tuna.
  • Due to the rigors of the game some players may not be able to ‘stomach’ solid foods therefore they should be encouraged to drink large amounts of a carbohydrate drink to ensure muscle glycogen is replenished.

References

  • Clark, K. (1994). Nutritional guidance to soccer players for training and competition. Journal of Sports Sciences, 12, S43-50.
  • Maclaren, D. (1997). The nutritional demands of football. Insight, 1(2), 22-24.
  • Maclaren, D. (2001). Dehydration and rehydration. Insight, 1(5), 48-49.
  • Maclaren, D. (2003). Nutrition. In Science and Soccer (ed. T. Reilly & M. Williams), 73-95. Cornwall: Routledge.
  • Saltin, B. (1973). Metabolic fundamentals in exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports, 5, 137-146.