Nutrition for Soccer Athletes

Having the discipline to maintain a good diet is difficult especially for kids and young adults, but the payoff will be worth it. There is no secret to a good diet. It starts with avoiding Fast Food. Everyone is busy and surrendering to fast food is usually excused away to lack of time to prepare a quality meal. Take the time to plan meals and have good quality foods available at home. A good meal does not have to be time consuming to prepare. A very simple example of quality meals includes:

Breakfast - Oatmeal and juice
Lunch - Tuna salad
Snack – fruits and vegetables
Dinner - Chicken breast, streamed vegetables and rice (preferably not always white)

A great variation of quality meals exists. Be creative. This may not seem appealing to most, but if you are serious about performing at high level on a consistent basis, this could be the edge to get you to the top. Avoiding sodas will also be instrumental in balancing your energy level on a consistent basis.

Tournament Meals
Playing in a tournament creates a unique situation. What do you eat in before, after and in-between matches? The rule for eating before matches is 3-4 hours before if you’re going to eat a full meal. Eat a quality meal, as discussed above to ensure a good even level of energy. If you’re carbo loading the night before, you might actually be slowing yourself down. Carbo loading is usually reserved for high endurance events like triathlons and marathons. Post game meals should consist of some protein to help with tissue recovery. Otherwise eat easily digestible foods with quality complex carbohydrates and avoid high fat foods. Recover with high protein foods like the one’s listed in Lunch and Dinner above. If you have 3 hours or less in-between games, stick to very easily digestible foods like fruit and high grain, low fat muffins. Replenish electrolytes with sports drinks throughout the tournament (i.e. Propel or other Gatorade drinks) if it’s very hot, otherwise stick to water.

Hydration
Although drinking water is widely recognized as being important, problems still arise with dehydration, especially in the hot summer tournaments. Hydration begins with consistent daily water intake. The minimum water intake for an individual can be calculated with the following formula: 2/3 of an ounce per day per pound of body weight. Otherwise, avoid soda and drink water on a consistent basis. You can also hydrate with sports drinks if you wish (Gatorade, etc.). Loading up with water the night before can be useful if you have a problem with dehydration (in general, 16-20 oz. before going to bed). If you have a serious problem with dehydration (i.e. nausea and vomiting after games or cramps during and after) consult with a sports medicine specialist.

You can email questions to info@sfrc.us.

By,

Ivan R. Pierra, MS, ATC, CSCS
Head Athletic Trainer, Los Angeles Galaxy

Eric A. Pierra, D.C.
Team Chiropractor, Los Angeles Galaxy
Team Doctor, Cal South ODP