subject: Nutrition in football [print this page] Nutrition in football Nutrition in football
Sports nutrition plays a fundamental role in the success of any professional athlete, and even amateur sports people realise that diet can have a major impact on their performance levels.
Nowhere is the importance of good nutrition more apparent than in the world of professional football. The sport demands a combination of speed, strength, endurance and agility, and none of this can realistically be achieved without the right diet.
Due to the aerobic demands of training and competition, footballers' diets usually contain high carbohydrate levels. Hydration is also a major concern, as some players can lose up to a kilo in weight when training and it can take as much as 24 hours to re-hydrate properly.
Fitness requirements for footballers vary from position to position, but as a general rule, the diet during training periods should be high in nutritious carbohydrate foods, with moderate levels of protein and low fat intake. As such, a typical footballer's diet is heavily based on bread, cereals, pasta and rice, as well as fresh fruit, vegetables and light dairy products.
Eating the right foods not only allows players to fully prepare for the rigours of competition, but it also helps their bodies to recover after matches. Many professional teams have matches as often as every three days, so it is vital that players prepare properly. Players usually have a high carbohydrate, low-fat meal around 3 hours before a match and drink steadily until kick-off to stay hydrated.
During matches, players can drink isotonic drinks to replace carbohydrates and keep their blood sugar and hydration levels topped up. After the match, the same drinks are consumed to help restore carbohydrate levels and aid the speedy repair of muscle damage. Low-fat snacks such as yoghurt's, cereal bars and sandwiches may also be consumed, before a more substantial meal a few hours later to restore levels of other important nutrients.
Modern-day football clubs take sports nutrition very seriously, and gone are the days where players would celebrate victories with a drinking session at the local pub. Most clubs are highly conscious of projecting a professional image to the public, and have strict guidelines on players' alcohol consumption. While moderate, infrequent alcohol intake is unlikely to adversely affect a player's recovery, most professional footballers are advised to steer clear of alcoholic drinks to maximise their performance levels.
