The continuous motion -- strolling, running and sprinting -- of soccer requires fuel for your body to go strong through the 90th minute of the match. Sports nutritionists advise top players on how to eat healthily for best performance, with enthusiastic interest from the athletes themselves. A survey of Women’s Professional Soccer players on their favorite stores, for example, found standout forward Abby Wambach listing her favorite health-food chains ahead of clothing stores. You can expect good results similar to Wambach’s if you follow basic nutrition principles.
Step 1
Eat evenly sized meals about every four hours throughout the day. Get up in time to have substantial breakfast. Avoid crescendo eating, which refers to starting with a small breakfast and building up to a large dinner, recommends sports nutritionist Nancy Clark in “Food Guide for Soccer.”
Step 2
Make healthy carbohydrates such as pasta, quality breakfast cereals, bagels, whole grain bread and oats the foundation of your diet, accounting for about two-thirds of calories. Include rice, potatoes, tropical fruits and juices, and honey, advises FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, in “F-MARC Nutrition for Football.” Supply these carbohydrates so your body can convert them to glycogen in the muscles to provide energy you need for soccer.
Step 3
Add lean sources of protein such as fish, eggs, chicken, beans, chickpeas, turkey and lean cuts of beef, which provide high-quality protein as well as zinc and iron. Aim for 69 to 95 grams of protein a day if you weigh 120 pounds and 80 to 130 grams if you weigh 160 pounds, “Food Guide for Soccer” recommends. Look for healthy sources of fat such as olive and canola oil, peanut butter, salmon and nuts, so that these total about 25 percent of your caloric intake.
Step 4
Draw up a soccer-specific shopping list that includes vegetables and fruits every day and fish twice a week. Include fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, cantaloupe, bananas and mango for vitamins A, C and potassium, and add vegetables rich in A and C like broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and bell peppers. List deli roast beef, turkey and ham, canned tuna and salmon, peanut butter and hummus for healthy proteins.
Step 5
Time your eating to assure peak performance at practice and in matches by having a full meal about four hours before. Follow with a healthy snack totaling 100 to 300 calories, such as a carton of fruit yogurt, a banana or a fruit smoothie, one hour before the activity starts. The calories of the pregame meal and snack provide an energy boost to get you through the five or more miles run in a typical soccer game.
Step 6
Eat a recovery snack after games or practice of about 250 to 300 calories within the first half hour. Options include chocolate milk, pita and hummus, a bean burrito or an instant-breakfast type mix.
References
- "Food Guide for Soccer: Tips & Recipes from the Pros"; Nancy Clark, et al.; 2010
- FIFA.com; F-MARC Nutrition for Football; September 2005
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