Football nutrition: What and when to eat

The next important nutrient you can’t ignore to bulk up and train harder is protein. Protein is what makes your body strong enough to handle the stress of the game.

Protein-rich foods:

- Two small eggs

- A glass of cow’s milk

- 30 g of cheese

- Yoghurt or fruit smoothies

- Meat, fish, chicken

- Tofu

- Soy milk

- Nuts or seeds

- Legumes/lentils

So you can see, even on match day you’re taking in some protein if you’re having a smoothie or a bowl of milk with cereals. On other days, make sure you include fish or its vegetarian alternative – tofu – in your meals. Switch it up with cottage cheese or other meats for variety.

Anti-oxidants are less talked about in the football circles but are absolutely important for any player to protect his body’s tissues against all the stress of training and exercise. The good news about anti-oxidants is that they’re a treasure trove of vitamins and minerals.

The Rainbow Diet

The best way to get the nutrients into your system is to follow the rainbow pattern. Foods are grouped according to colour and you just have to eat at least one food item from every colour every day. Simple!

White: Cauliflowers, Bananas, Onions, Potatoes

Green: Broccoli, Lettuce, Green Apples, Grapes

Blue/Purple: Blueberries, Plums, Purple Grapes, Raisins

Orange/Yellow: Carrots, Apricots, Peaches, Oranges, Cantaloupe, Mangoes

Red: Tomatoes, Watermelons, Cherries, Berries, Red Apples, Red Peppers

Hydration

We cannot possible stress enough on the need to hydrate your body in advance, during and most importantly, after a match.Use warm-up and half-time to replenish your hydration. Take in sodium-rich drinks only if you’re a salty sweater. The body loses salt when you sweat and this leads to muscle cramps, but this is more severe in those who sweat out a lot of salt.

The best way to know if you’re a salty sweater is NOT to lick your sweat (can we say, ewww) but to watch out for faint white lines in the salt rings which will be on your jersey at the end of a session. You don’t need sodium-heavy drinks if you’re not a salty sweater and you’re going to have food with salt in it immediately after a game. Remember, sodium drinks are post-game nutrition.

Caffeine is known for increasing endurance but if consumed on a binge, it can harm your system. Ideally, one to two cups of brewed coffee is enough for a day. Crossing that limit can cause severe harm to the body.

That’s it. You’re set. If you follow these guidelines, the next time you step on the field, a couple of hours after your last heavy meal, there won’t be a thing tugging in your stomach. You’ll be prepared to up your game.