Football nutrition: What and when to eat

Imagine this: you have a normal breakfast on the day of the match, an hour before the game is scheduled to begin. You put on your jersey, football shoes and head out to the field. You’re confident because you know that you should treat game-day like any other day. No unnecessary frills, no fancy breakfast platters. Just the same old veggies, eggs, meat, smoothies. There’s nothing wrong with that, right?

Then why do you feel a pit in your stomach as if something’s just sitting there, waiting to pull you down? Why would the side-stitches attack you in less than two minutes? Why aren’t you getting the same rush of energy you feel when you’re playing that friendly game every other day?

Because when it comes to football diet and nutrition, it’s as much about the timing as it is about the food. What to eat every day and on the day of a match are different things. Similarly, when to eat is an equally big concern. Most young and amateur players tend to ignore the importance of diet in the game. With a heavy stomach, there’s no way you’re taking the field. But if you eat too early, hunger pangs right before the game or during it can kill your play.

Not just that, the right nutrition improves strength, recovery and stamina too. It can’t be stressed enough how crucial it is to eat right, so that your body can deliver to the demands of the game and recuperate.

If you’re starting to get worried about your diet now, take a moment and breathe in. Don’t sweat, because we’ve got your back on the A-Z of football nutrition.

Energy needs are different for training and match

The first thing to understand is that football is a game where you perform short bursts of high-intensity actions. The FIFA Nutrition Guide suggest that 70% of the time on the field is spent doing moderate-intensity activity, but in the remaining time a player has to jump, kick and run in high-intensity more than 150 times.

That’s placing a lot of stress on your body. And that means that what you need before a match is not fats, which take a long time to digest and will just weigh your stomach down, but carbs – especially a good combination of the quick-energy releasing carbs and the gradual-energy releasing carbs.

Training schedules are different and can vary but through the week, your focus should be on getting enough protein, fibres and carbs into your system. You need fibres to keep your metabolism high, proteins to take care of your muscles and strength and carbs for energy.

What to eat before a match and when to eat it

Okay, so let’s get to match nutrition first. It is universally agreed that carbs are the way to go for a match. But we also recommend getting some protein into your system. The best time to have a meal on match day is at least three hours before the game. Have a full breakfast in the morning and take in a high-on-carbs snack an hour before the game.

FIFA lists these as the most recommended carb-rich foods before a match:

- Cereals with milk (add bananas and strawberries to up the factor)

- Flavoured yoghurt

- Fruit smoothies or plain old orange juice

- Sandwich with meat and salad filling

- Stir-fried noodles or cooked rice (DO NOT BOIL THE RICE)

- Toast with jam, honey, peanut-butter, jelly (fruits like bananas added for extra carbs)

- Baked potatoes

- A muffin

The general idea is to get a combination of quick-energy releasing carbs (like muffins) and gradual-energy releasing carbs like bananas so that you start the game on a high note and you are able to sustain it till the end.What to eat generally

Just because match day is special doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want on any other day of the week. On the contrary it’s important you take in as many nutrients as possible.

Foods that are high on sugar are a major no-no before a match but on other days carb-rich and sugar-rich foods make a good combination. Here’s a guide:

- Breakfast cereals (you can oscillate between oatmeal and cornflakes)

- Rice (Cooked, not boiled. Draining the water drains the nutrients as well.)

- White or brown bread

- Jam, honey with fruits

- Potatoes

Including potatoes and rice is not difficult because they’re staple diet in Indian households. We suggest you stack up on fruits to add to your breakfast routines.

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.