Soccer Players Fueling Your Sport • Soccer players need 0.45 grams of fat per pound of body weight per day (1 g/kg/day). Choose heart-healthy fats, • The average distance covered in a soccer match is 5.6 such as canola oil, olive oil, and nuts. miles (9 kilometers), so your need for calories is high in both training and competition. Fluid Needs • Your training schedule, the intensity of practice, and your age will determine your calorie needs. Adult male soccer • You can lose 2 liters of fluid in sweat during games players need 21.4 to 27.3 calories per pound of body played in moderate temperatures. In hot weather, you can weight per day (47 to 60 calories/kg/day). Adult female lose more than 3 quarts of fluid in sweat. players need 20.5 to 22.7 calories per pound per day • Two hours before practice or a match, drink 2 cups of (45 to 50 calories/kg/day). A 160-pound male player fluids. needs 3,400 to 4,300 calories per day. A 140-pound • During warm ups, drink another cup of fluid. female player needs 2,850 to 3,200 calories per day. • At halftime, drink at least 2 cups of fluid. • Carbohydrate is the best fuel for soccer. Eating • After the game, drink about 3 cups for every pound you carbohydrates gives your muscles the energy they need. lost while you played. Weigh yourself before and after a Thirty percent of all goals are scored in the last 15 game. This will give you a good idea of your sweat minutes of the game, so choosing the right high- losses. Try to regain the lost weight within 24 hours. carbohydrate foods and fluids can make the difference Remember the weight loss is fluid loss, not fat loss. between winning and losing a match. • Choose sport drinks when you play in a soccer game. • Soccer is muscle-fuel depleting activity. Losing this fuel, Sport drinks are lightly sweetened to provide especially in the legs, contributes to fatigue as the match carbohydrates, and they taste good. Pick a sport drink wears on. To get enough fuel, competitive soccer players with 14 to 19 grams of carbohydrate and 110 to 165 should eat 3.6 to 4.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of milligrams of sodium per 8 ounces. The sodium helps body weight per day (8 to 10 g/kg/day). Good sources of encourage you to drink enough fluid. carbohydrate include whole grain breads and cereals, fruits, and vegetables. Dietary Supplements Used by Soccer Players • Drinking 2 cups of a sport drink at the rate of 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour during a 90-minute game • Creatine may increase your ability to train because it helps will delay fatigue and improve performance. to provide a substance needed to fuel your muscles. • Soccer players need to eat 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per • Creatine does not increase muscle cramps or injury. pound of body weight per day (1.4 to 1.7 g/kg/day). • Creatine should not be used by soccer players 18 years of Protein helps repair muscles and boosts your immune age or younger because it is not known whether creatine system. Protein is also used for fuel, but it doesn’t give is safe for people in this age group. you as much immediate energy as carbohydrate does. • Adults who use creatine should stick to the recommended Good sources of protein include fish, chicken, turkey, beef, dose of 3 to 5 grams per day, taken throughout the day. low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, nuts, and soy foods (tofu, soy nuts, soy burgers).
Top Three Nutrition Tips to 3. Do not try to lose weight during the season. Improve Performance Soccer is a sport that demands a lot of energy, and losing weight makes you less able to perform at your best. A 1. Pay special attention to fluids, especially if you sports dietitian can help you lose weight during the off- are a youth player. All soccer players need to get season while keeping your energy level high for enough fluids to stay hydrated. It’s especially important competition. for young players to drink enough. During exercise, children produce more heat than adults, have lower sweating rates, and take longer to get accustomed to hot Nutrition Prescription: weather. When they are playing soccer, children should ______ calories per day drink 3 to 4 ounces (about ½ cup) of fluid every 15 to 20 ______ grams of carbohydrate per day minutes. Many children prefer cool fluids and grape- ______ grams of protein per day flavored sport drinks. Some juices are advertised as good ______ grams of fat per day sport drinks. However, juice contains a lot of ______ cups of fluid per day carbohydrates so it doesn’t replace fluids effectively unless it is diluted with water. 2. Eat well after you play. Eating for recovery soon after Special concerns: practices and games helps you to stay energized for the entire season. Soccer games are often scheduled close to each other, with little time between games to refuel your muscles. Within the first 30 minutes after exercise, eat 0.7 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight (1.5 g/kg). (For a 150-pound soccer player, that equals 100 grams of carbohydrate.) Sport drinks, sport recovery beverages, and most energy bars and gels are good choices. Read the labels of recovery drinks to make sure they contain carbohydrate. (Some drinks that are advertised as recovery drinks contain more protein than carbohydrate.)
