Nutrition for the Soccer Athlete

Our players engage in significant amounts of intense physical training and competition.  Nutrition is critically important to fueling all that activity and optimizing performance on the field during practice and games, and off the field during school and other activities.   FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, has developed an excellent nutrition guide for soccer athletes.  In particular it gives guidance regarding nutrition in preparation for competition.  Check it out here.

Here's their summary on important points to keep in mind:

Carbohydrate supplies the muscles and brain with the fuels they need to meet the stress of training and competition. Learn what foods you should choose to meet your carbohydrate needs as well as how much carbohydrate to eat and when you should eat carbohydrates.

Foods rich in protein are important for building and repairing muscles, but a varied diet containing everyday foods will generally supply more than enough protein. A well-chosen vegetarian diet can easily meet protein needs.

A varied diet that meets energy needs and is based largely on nutrient-rich choices such as vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, cereals, lean meats, fish and dairy foods should ensure an adequate intake of all necessary vitamins and minerals. Excluding any of these food groups means that more careful food choices must be made.

Maintaining hydration is important for performance: Fluid intake before, during where appropriate and after exercise is important, especially in hot climates. When sweat losses are high, food and drink consumed will need to contain sufficient water and salt to replace what is lost in the sweat.

Players are cautioned against the indiscriminate use of dietary supplements since they may contain undeclared forbidden substances that could trigger a positive doping test.

More on Health-Fitness

Preventing ACL Injury
The Importance of Hydration
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