The footballer's diet: eat, drink and play

The diet of the footballer

Every four years held the World Cup, one of the events of the sport par excellence. With more followers than any other and a passion that knows no barriers and spans all corners, this event 32 national teams from five continents gather to play the sport King and see which is better. Return home wearing a star more or one newly released on the Jersey of the selection is the aspiration of all participants.
But as we talk about the world, a local League or even an amateur competition, there are many variables that influence the outcome of a game or performance as the days go by: physical fitness, psychological factor, climatology, drive on the computer, etc. Of course, physical fitness and performance in the field has much that say the power of the players. But this is not a matter of 10 days of concentration before the opening ceremony or the start of the League. This is a job that requires preparation maintained throughout the previous season.

Determinants of Brazil in the diet of the footballer

During the months of June and July, which is when the World Cup, in Brazil it is winter. However it is not a winter very hard or very low temperatures. This Championship takes place in 12 cities spread throughout the Brazilian territory. From North to South and coast to the interior, the conditions environmental players will find differ according to the stage in which the meeting is held. Thus for example, in the cities of Porto Alegre and Curitiba, located to the South of the country, temperatures probably will be the lowest in the Championship where most noticeable winter. Perhaps play here will be more comfortable and the effort does not imply so much nutritional losses and subsequent recovery.
In the cities of the interior as the capital Brasilia or Cuiabá, temperatures will be softer. While the city of Manaus, in the Amazon area, is one of the wettest regions of the continent you may notice and many players. In addition, the contrast in temperature between day and night is the largest nationwide. The time which the party is played because grades may drop much during the evening is especially important in this city. Being a living hell in the early hours of the afternoon because of the heat and intense humidity, which causes the loss of water and electrolytes the players by sweat to multiply.
In cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Fortaleza the temperatures reached are not usually as high, but the problem of these coastal areas is the high degree of humidity of the environment that causes a feeling of embarrassment. Here it is also fundamental to replenishment maintained electrolytic participants in races.

The footballer inter-party power

During the initial League of the first phase of the World Cup, that will be home to half of the participating countries, each team plays a match every four or five days. Something similar happens in the majority of national competitions, where commitments between League, Cup and European competitions for players to play between two or three parties a week. Therefore, control of the fuel necessary to give it everything becomes vital.
During these periods, it is important to maintain a routine at the time, frequency and type of feeding. Once players have spare a party spending, the maintenance phasebegins. Meals should not be heavy or abundant in fat, harder to digest macronutrient. And, of course, have to be adapted to the hours of training.
Due to the postprandial period, time in which occurs the digestion and absorption of nutrients for digestive level, lasts about two hours and, at that time, most of the blood flow is banded around the intestine, this moment is not suitable for intensive training, although not considered successful to place technical sessions or strategies of great importance, for the same reason. At this time, both physical and mental performance is decreased, and the State of alert and attention is not the suitable for important efforts. So, the ideal is that we no longer spend around an hour and a half or two hours, between main meals and workout sessions.
Football is a sport that combines moments of moderate activity with light race or walk with more intense racing, esprines, or specific activities of force: out of band, jumps, shots on goal, etc. It is an aerobic sport in many periods (activity moderated and maintained) with moments of activity anaerobic (bursts of activity or force). It is required therefore, encourage the consumption of carbohydrates, the main source of sugars involved in the initial moments in aerobics, and proteinssuch as muscle mass-forming that have great implication in anaerobic movements.
The breakfast of the footballer must be complete, including the wider range of possible food groups: dairy, cereal, fruit, sugar, protein.
The food will not be excessively heavy, to facilitate digestion. If there has been training during the morning session, this decision will serve to replenish the losses suffered. It is recommended to give relevance to the taking of carbohydrates, which replenish muscle and liver reserves worn during exercise.
And in the diet of a soccer player are also important the tomas intermediate: lunch, snack and snacks that provide energy supplements, improve tolerance to foods and much more distributed the arrival of nutrients.

Football player feeding the game day

The first planning in the diet of the footballer for game day must take into account both the schedule that is played as the geographical location of the stadium.
The schedule because it will mark the hours and the forcefulness of the shots, and the geographical situation because the climate, temperature, humidity... vary considerably according to the region where we touch play (as occurs for example in a country as vast and diverse as Brazil). On this occasion, have been taken into account high temperatures for the possibility of requesting downtimes (stops two minutes into the game, one in each time). These dead times aims to facilitate recovery in terms of fluid and electrolyte more slowly and, therefore, more effective. Being able to rest momentarily and cool off a little. In competitions where this is not provided will have to take advantage of stoppages in the game to get closer to the band either 15 minutes of rest to recover.
The day of a match the concentration should be maximum, in all areas, also in the nutritional. Making breakfast, lunch and dinner will be adapted to the schedule of the party, being careful that the players do not take solid, especially fatty or fibrous, food for at least two hours prior to the party. For the moment, isotonic drinks with intake of sugars in moderate amounts can be recommended. Always in a fractionated way, at short SIPs.
The last solid meal is based on complex carbohydrates: pasta or rice to which is added some vegetable ingredient to reduce their glycemic index (speed sugar becomes that blood and don't want to be too fast, since it could have consumed before start competition) and protein derived from meat or fish lean so that it will not associated with fat.
All cooked simply without using FAT sauces. Casseroles, stews, breaded, etc are avoided. The preferred techniques of cooking for the day of the football game can be boiled in water or light broth, baked with traditional method or by means of a foil or steamed, grilled or wok cooking.
It is also important not to add too much salt, which knocked out the water molecules in the body and makes players suffer more sed added.

The hydration of the footballer

Regarding hydration in football players, it is of course essential to replenish the losses occurring during training or matches. Not only is lost water through sweat, also there are lesser-known losses through respiration, feces, etc. Drinking water, alkaline lemonade or an isotonic solution helps prevent dehydration.
That Yes, the liquids must be taking them throughout the day. It is not convenient to concentrate the drink at specific moments, since they can cause gastric distention that make players feel heavy and delay your digestion.
If you require a quick replacement by symptoms of dehydration (mental confusion, fatigue extreme, dizziness, nausea, cramps), fluids should be taken more fresh and more big SIPs, because so its passage is accelerated by the stomach and, therefore, its assimilation. If these fluids are accompanied by electrolytes, these are also absorbed in way faster if the drink is fresh.
In all matches, training and recovery sessions, hydration should be a fundamental issue. Especially in mind will have to have her more are the environmental degrees and the relative humidity, because the losses increase significantly. It is also important to the hour of the day, it is not the same play four to seven in the evening. And the region of the country: for example, in the world of Brazil, especially dangerous in this sense by moisture are the cities of Manaus, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro.

The game day hydration

About two hours before the meeting, players only take enriched liquid. The same thing to be taking throughout the match, without providing a very cold temperature that may cause some digestive discomfort by the thermal contrast. In addition, the feeling of thirst is better controlled with not very cold liquids. Around 12 - 20 ° C is considered a good temperature, with what you want cool, with a rapid rate of gastric emptying, which ensures more rapid hydration and that is tolerated well.
It should drink small SIPs, especially during matches - in the rest or when approaching the band cool-, so players do not notice heaviness digestive, and so constant that can be.
Once finished the match, the players must continue with this moisturizing, similarly but more constant, now that the possibility of doing so increases comfort. To do this, it is advisable to bring a bottle or container of liquid and go it little by little taking persistently.

Recommended food and to avoid in the diet of the footballer

It is advisable to clarify the involvement of certain groups of foods in the diet of the footballer, as well as some additives or product types that should be avoided or taken in moderation:
  • Grains group: this group should be the basis of the diet and must be present in all meals because they are foods that provide energy in the short and medium term, as players need.
  • Group of sugars: as sugar and sweets are present in the diet, but with some control in their use, since an abuse of this nutrient located at certain times may give way to a fast absorption and a peak of blood sugar, blood sugar, called syndrome, which causes malaise, night sweats, dizziness, nausea and vomiting and Dumping that is usual until triggering a subsequent hypoglycemiathat affects performance significantly and that it could provoke a pájara. It is preferable to take sugar spread and best with meals. Take sugar Yes, but moderate and very distributed way in time.
  • Group of proteins. The protein needs of soccer players are slightly higher than the population in general and are around 1, 2-1, 5 g protein/kg weight/day. But it means nothing to increase protein content, if not taken the energy nutrient by excellence, the carbohydrate. Because there are no carbohydrates no power and, in this case, the Agency gives priority to obtain energy and gets her protein, preventing the latter to perform their function of building muscle mass, repair and creation of tissue. In addition, it must not forget the protein that derives at least to 50% of animal sources.
  • Group of fats. Fats are the nutrient that is disadvantaged in this distribution of carbohydrate and protein percentages. Fat is used as an element of energy production, but in the longer term. It is true that, during a 90-minute match, more a possible extension, the exercise becomes so intense and long-lasting the hydrocarbon source ends and have to dip into fat. But, as a general rule, is not advisable, before a game, take any element fatty which slows down digestion and make sure the athlete is heavy and is not 100%. Foods like avocados, nuts or oils are successful as recovery after effort, but never before the competition.
  • Dietary fiber. It is a component of the undigestible food by our digestive system. It has multiple and varied functions and benefits in health, but in moments of special replacement of items lost through diet, it is not advisable to encourage its use, since it interferes with the absorption of other components, as it can be the sugar, and can cause digestive discomfort and like going to evacuate at some propitious moments. Therefore players should not take comprehensive or whole-grain cereal with lots of fiber.
  • In line with the above, avoid the shots prior to a football match, at least three important shots, flatulentos foods that can cause gas or digestive discomfort: cabbage, cauliflower, vegetables or similar.
  • In some sports the use of glucose gels, energy bars or other reponedores products is quite widespread or, at least, their use is more public. In the case of the footballer, for certain times during intense games or further way, can be a good help.
  • Beware also the sorbitol used as an additive in many foods and has laxative effect. Never test the tolerance to a food, product or dish before a competition. It is not the time of experience.
Article contributed for educational purposes
Health and Wellness