HESTON ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB
Home ground :Maryfield Dumfries
Founded 1978
www.hestonrovers.co.uk
‘Eat well, play well’
Care & protection document
You are what you eat
In order for you to grow and to be healthy you need to eat a wide variety of foods
and also ensure that you eat regular meals such as a breakfast, lunch and an
evening meal. By eating regular meals you will ensure that your body has enough
energy for all of your daily activities eg. walking to school, concentrating in class or
playing football at breaktime. The following advice will help you to prepare well for
football training and competitive matches.
Are drinks important?
As your body is mostly made of water (actually around 70%), it is very important that
you drink regularly throughout the day to keep the body cool and to prevent it from
becoming too dry. Throughout the day we all lose lots of water from our bodies when
we are trying to keep cool. Over the last few years, schools have encouraged
children to drink regularly (even during class) as it is known to help with
concentration. It is very important to have regular drinks during and after football
training and matches that is mentioned overleaf.
What nutrients are important?
You will already have learned at school about the different nutrients in your food, so
just to remind you of the 3 main nutrients that are important for you:

Protein (meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, nuts and pulses such as lentils).
These foods are responsible for helping you to grow and therefore you can
see why people say ‘you are what you eat’.

Fats (butter, margarine and oils). These foods provide you with energy but
it takes a long time for you to use the energy from these foods. Some foods
are cooked in oils such as chips, crisps and fried foods. It is best not to have
too many of these.

Carbohydrates (bread, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes, baked
foods such as scones, pancakes). These foods provide you with lots of
energy and are used by many sportsmen and women to boost their energy
levels. Where possible it is always good to try to eat more high fibre or
wholemeal varieties such as wholemeal bread, weetabix, shreddies, oat
cereal bars.

Fruit and vegetables are also very important and you should aim for 5
portions per day eg. fruit juice at breakfast, fruit between meals and
vegetables or salad with your main meals.
What should I eat and drink before training?
Again, make sure you are up in plenty time to have a breakfast before going to
training. Choose something high in starchy carbohydrate such as breakfast cereal,
porridge or toast as this will provide you with energy for most of your training
session. If you don’t normally have a breakfast before training, remember that the
last time you ate anything could have been almost 15 hours ago. You could not
expect your body to be at its best for training if this is the case. Remember also to
drink well prior to leaving home for training, it is best to choose water, milk or still
juices such as diluted juice. Sugary / fizzy drinks are not ideal as they can cause
your body to become bloated and are not good for your teeth.
What should I eat and drink during or after training?
If you eat regular meals you should not really need to eat anything during a training
session. It is very important that you have regular drinks during a training session to
replace the water that your body has lost as it tries to cool down (through sweating).
You do not have to buy any expensive drinks, basically water or diluting juice is all
you need in your water bottle.
It is important to have something to eat after training which contains starchy
carbohydrate such as soup and a sandwich, a baguette, pitta bread, baked potato or
pasta as this helps to boost your energy stores for the next time you train or play in a
match.
What should I eat and drink during or after a match?
Younger children play shorter matches and therefore can have snacks between
games such as cereal bars, plain biscuits and fruit. It is best not to fill up on fatty
foods such as chocolate, crisps and chips as these foods take too long to digest.
Drinks are also important as mentioned above.
Older children who play longer matches should aim to have a starchy meal (see
above) around 2-3 hours prior to a game. It is also important at half time to have
something that has starchy and sugary carbohydrate such as cereal bars, jaffa
cakes, plain biscuits (ie rich tea) as well as plenty to drink. For older children,
isotonic drinks are good for replacing the water that the body has lost, however these
are quite expensive and therefore diluted juice is a good substitute.
Many professional football clubs now have their own dietitians to advise the players
on what they should eat and drink as part of their active lifestyle. Eating healthily and
looking after your body is very important if you want to be good at any sport.
James Callaghan,
State Registered Dietitian
September 2006
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