What you eat daily, weekly and monthly will affect your energy level, performance

and overall health. Energy in means energy out!

EAT RIGHT AND GIVE YOURSELF THE EDGE!!!

•Nutrition needs to be a priority of any athlete’s

training. What they eat daily, weekly and monthly

will affect your energy level, performance and overall

health.

•Energy in means energy out! It is so important that•Energy in means energy out! It is so important that

soccer players eat a well balanced diet high in

complex carbohydrates and low in fats

•Proper nutrition not only benefits an athlete

physically, but also mentally and that is half the

battle on the field.

•If the brain is not well fed, then the player will not

play to the best of their ability. Without the right

food, a player can suffer from the inability to

concentrate.

Nutrition Information:

When people think about being a good soccer player, they tend to talk about an individual’s

abilities. Can he or she dribble well? Is he or she fast? Do they have a knack for scoring goals?

What most people forget is that for any individual at any level, being a good soccer player

starts with being healthy and eating right.

Energy – required by the body for all sorts of functions (especially when playing soccer)

Nutrients – substances that provide nourishment essential for growth and maintenance

of life

Carbohydrates – the body’s preferred method of receiving food and turning it into

energy

Protein – the building blocks for the human body

Fats – an essential nutrient, often confused with obesity and chronic health issues

Recovery: the 3 R’s of Recovery

Rehydrate – do not stop drinking water when

practice or a game ends, the body needs fluids

Nutrition is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. There is no golden ticket when it

comes to nutrition and eating right. Every player has their own unique challenges that must be

addressed.

practice or a game ends, the body needs fluids

after exercise

Refuel – eat certain foods an hour after exercise

because muscles during exercise use fuel and

that fuel needs to be replenished

Rebuild – muscles during exercise get fatigued

and damaged, you need protein to help them

rebuild

•Dairy

•Meat

•Vegetables

•Fruit

•Grain

•Protein- although the body requires the intake of protein, carbohydrates and fats, the

component most athletes need to focus on and make sure they have enough of is

protein.

•Why??? Protein is a part of every cell in your body. It is arguably the most important

nutrient you need to keep you functioning and healthy.

•The body uses protein to produce hormones and chemicals that help support the

overall function of the body, such as building bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.

All in all, protein is a pretty great thing for our bodies.

Good protein choices:

•Fresh Meat (chicken, turkey, pork and beef)

•Fresh Fish (cod or salmon)

•Animal Products (milk, cheese, eggs and

yogurt)

Bad protein choices:

• Processed Meats (turkey, ham, chicken,

sausages and burgers)

•Vegetable Product (tofu, soy protein, soy milk,

legumes, lentilsand nuts)

•Whey Protein (Isolate

Think of carbohydrates as energy. Like

proteins, they are essential to your body.

However things get a little trickier here:

for every good carbohydrate there are

hundreds of bad carbohydrate choices.

Good Carbs vs. BadGood Carbs vs. Bad

•Good carbs (whole/simple) provide the

body with the fuel it needs for energy.

Your body needs them to function.

•Bad carbs (refined/complex) are easily

spotted. Typically anything that has been

processed or is not in its natural state.

Additives, preservatives, or flavorings are

not what you need.

- Why bad carbs are bad….. They spike your body’s blood sugar/glucose levels.

Sugar is enemy #1

•We all have blood sugar

Processed Foods

Enemy #2

•Most contain lots of sugar, •We all have blood sugar

levels in our bodies. If, over

a period of time, we raise

our levels too high, our

body releases insulin.

•This insulin sends our

blood sugar levels back too

low, thus making the body

hungry and fatigued.

•Most contain lots of sugar,

harmful chemicals, additives,

preservatives, etc.

•If you can drive-thru it, then

DRIVE THROUGH IT! Pick out

the fast food restaurants with

no drive thru, as they are

usually healthier

Fats are absolutely essential to our body. The take home message is when introducing fat

into your diet make sure it is the good fat and not the bad fat. Eat good fat= burn fat. Eat bad

fat = store fat.

Good Fat Choices:

Nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts,

pecans)

Bad Fat Choices:

Butter and lard

Processed meat

Vegetable Oils (olive oil, canola oil,

peanut oil)

Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew

butter

Fish (salmon, herring, sardines, trout)

**high in good omega-3 fatty acids

Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame)

Avocado

Processed meat

Fried chicken

Palm oil, palm kernel oil

Dairy foods (cheese, butter, milk, cream,

ice

cream) **skimmed is fine

Cookies, cakes, pies, pastries and fast food

In general, most fast food restaurants are dangerous places for our bodies. Why? Because they

typically specialize in all of the bad things discussed earlier. Bad fats, bad carbs, processed foods

with high levels of additives, and typically terrible protein: fat ratios.

•Do they taste great? Absolutely!

•Is it convenient, or the easy way? Absolutely!

•Is it inexpensive? Absolutely!

Is it for someone who wants to take care of his or her body, has a healthy life, and/or is a studIs it for someone who wants to take care of his or her body, has a healthy life, and/or is a stud

athlete? Absolutely not!!

Interesting Facts…

•2/3 Americans are obese or over weight.

•Each day 1 in 4 Americans eat fast food

•Only 7 items on McDonald’s menu contains no sugar

•You would have to walk 7 hours straight to burn off a large Coke, Big Mac & fries

WHAT SHOULD MY MEAL LOOK

LIKE???

US Soccer recommend 55% of your

meal to be carbs, 25% protein, and meal to be carbs, 25% protein, and

20% fat.

“Whether you are a junior athlete,

professional athlete, or don’t take

part in any sport, it is important to

make sure you are getting the

proper energy, nutrients, and

minerals daily”.

As you can see, you get more than 100 percent of calories from fat than you do from

carbohydrate and protein. That is why if your diet is made up of mainly fat you would

probably have excessive energy intake, which could lead to weight gain and health

issues.

Research has shown that soccer players can use around 300 calories for every 30

minutes of training or playing.

Water- Water is the most abundant substance in the human body. Water makes up

approximately 75% of your mass and, like protein, is a major component of every cell. Under

optimal conditions, the body can survive 30 days without food but only 4-10 days without

water.

Consuming water provides several advantages:

•Water fills you up without calories

•Staying hydrated improves your body’s ability to exercise and burn calories

•Water increases your body’s ability to build and repair muscles

•Water speeds up your metabolism.

Water Challenge:

Try to go 1 week without drinking anything but water- and the occasional cup of coffee (if you

need it). Try it! NO. POP. NO JUICE. NO SPORTS DRINK.

Players should consider these tips for recovering

Rehydration should begin as soon as play ends. Players should not stop drinking water when

practice or a game ends. In fact, this is a very important time to drink because the body is no

longer sweating and losing fluids as rapidly as during play. When a player is dehydrated, it

affects his or her performance and the ability to regulate body temperature.

Players should consider these tips for recovering

proper hydration levels:

•Water is the best drink to rehydrate. Avoid

carbonated beverages and caffeine.

•Urine color test.

•Drink 16-ounces of water for each pound lost

during play. That’s a pint per pound.

Before Activity:

Consume 16 ounces of fluid 2 hrs prior to competition.

Hydration during Activity:

Athletes should start drinking before sensing thirst and continue to drink at regular intervals.

Water, sports drinks, carbohydrate consumption. 6-8 fluid ounces should be consumed when Water, sports drinks, carbohydrate consumption. 6-8 fluid ounces should be consumed when

possible.

Hydration after Activity:

It is vital after high intensity exercise that you replace all water lost through sweating. To ensure

adequate fluid intake it is recommended that 16 - 20 ounces of fluid is consumed. This amount

will ensure rehydration has occurred. Water, sports drinks are good sources of fluid intake.

The “good” of Gatorade

Water is the most logical form of

hydration. However, sports drinks like

Gatorade contain sugar and electrolytes

like sodium and potassium. Sports drinks

can help replace what we lose during

longer duration exercise, especially in

the heat.

The “bad” of Gatorade

A 12-ounce serving of Gatorade’s

Thirst Quencher contains 21 grams of

sugar. But because a regular bottle of

Gatorade contains 32 ounces, you’re

actually getting 56 grams of sugar.

While that’s still less sugar per ounce the heat.

Electrolytes and carbohydrates help

athletes refuel and rehydrate.

Electrolytes help regulate the body’s

fluid balance while the carbs provide

energy.

While that’s still less sugar per ounce

than your average soda, it’s not

exactly healthy.

Night before Event:

The night before a game, pasta is always a good choice along with:

•Salad (very little dressing), Vegetables (fresh, frozen, or steamed)

•Rice (steamed or boiled) cooked dried peas, beans or lentils, lean meat, cheese & crackers, fish,

fresh or dried fruit, poultry (not fried), potatoes (not fried), pretzels.

It is recommended that players eat 2-3 hours prior to games and exercising.

Day of Event:

•Eat food you know you will digest and settle well.

•Pay attention to your fluid needs.

•Don’t try anything new.

•Eat a balanced meal of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

Pregame snacks 30 minutes prior to the game may include protein/granola bars, Gatorade

chews, small piece of fruit.

During Event

•Eat foods that can be quickly digested Ex:

fruit, gel or energy chews.

•Avoid protein bars with a lot of fat/fiber

because they are more work for body to because they are more work for body to

digest.

•Parents who bring half time snacks: Orange

or apple slices, peanut butter sandwiches cut

into quarters, string cheese, whole-grain

crackers, trail mix made with whole-grain

cereal, nuts and dried fruit along with fruit

juice are good choices.

Post Event (REFUEL)

The body refuels with carbohydrates. Muscles burn through fuel quickly during the strenuous

activity of a game. In order to replenish the body’s high-performance fuel — carbohydrates — it

is important to eat foods that are good sources of carbs. To do this quickly, eat these foods

within an HOUR after the game, because muscles refill carbs fastest immediately after exercise.

Good carbohydrate food sources:

Banana = 20-30g

Energy/Cereal Bar = 20-40g

Bowl of Oatmeal = 25-30g

Bowl of Cereal = 20-30g

Tuna Sandwich = 20-30g

Chicken Sandwich = 20-30g

Carb Calculator:

To calculate how many grams of

carbohydrates a player needs for speeding

recovery in the hour after a game, divide

their weight by two. The number equals how

many grams of carbs they should eat, i.e.: 160

pound player = 80 grams of carbs

Post Event (REBUILD)

The body rebuilds with protein. Muscles are mostly made of protein. During exercise, muscles

get fatigued and damaged. Replacing proteins is imperative to allow muscles to rebuild

themselves. Eating more protein also gives undamaged muscles more building material, helping

them become stronger over time.

High protein food sources:

Milk (one cup, low fat) = 13g

Soy Milk (one cup) = 13g

Greek Yogurt (non-fat) = 6-8g

Eggs = 6g

Nuts (handful) = 6-8g

Tuna Sandwich = 25-30g

Chicken Sandwich = 25-30g

Protein Predictor:

Here are two tips to make sure there is

enough protein on a player’s dinner plate:

Eat 20-25 grams of high-quality protein

each meal

Meals should be at 3-4 hour intervals