Everyone is different so it’s important that you work
out a plan of eating and drinking that suits you. But
most people can manage a larger meal 2 hours before
exercise and then maybe something small to eat, or
drinks, in the hour leading up to exercise.
GETTING YOUR TIMING
RIGHT
It is important that the food eaten just before exercise
provides you with carbohydrate. If you keep your food
choices low in fat and fibre you will reduce the risk of
getting a stitch or cramp.
BEFORE EXERCISE
2-3 HOURS BEFORE EXERCISE
A pasta, potato or rice-based meal or salad with a tomatobased sauce, meat/chicken/fish and vegetables.
OR
Soup and sandwich (bread or rolls with meat/ chicken/
cheese filling) with salad.
OR
Baked beans on toast (no need for spread or butter on
bread).
OR
Baked potato with grated low-fat cheese.
AND
500mls of water or dilute sugar-free squash
It is important that you don’t eat too
soon before you exercise. Food is only
useful to exercising muscles once it
has been broken down and absorbed
into your system.
BEFORE
MATCHES & TRAINING
SESSIONS :
The length of time that it takes to
digest foods depends on the type of
food eaten and the quantities.
Foods that are higher in protein, fat
and fibre take a little longer to digest,
and large quantities take longer to
digest than small amounts.
1-2 HOURS BEFORE EXERCISE
Fruit smoothies
Fruit (tinned in natural juice or fresh)
Milk or milkshakes
Breakfast cereal and milk
LESS THAN 1 HOUR BEFORE EXERCISE
Sip on water, dilute squash or sports drinks
Jelly sweets or fruit flavour ice-lollies.
DURING EXERCISE
If you’re playing or training for more than an hour, your
muscles will probably need a carbohydrate boost during
exercise. The easiest way to do this is probably at half-time
in a match or by bringing suitable carbohydrate drinks for
training.
RECOVERY
This is one of the most important parts of your eating and
drinking plan. If you get this right then you will refuel the
muscles and they will be ready to train or play again in
a short time. If you leave a long gap (over 30mins) then
you are less likely to be able to perform as well as you
did in your first match. This is particularly important in a
tournament.
AFTER TRAINING AND MATCHES
Milk
Sports drinks or water
Fruit
Cereal and milk
Toast and banana
Sandwiches or filled rolls
REMEMBER
It’s not only the snack or meal directly before you exercise that’s
important, your overall diet counts too. The meal before exercise
is really just fine-tuning the fuel and fluid reserves you’ve built up
and means that you feel full and won’t become hungry during
training or matches.
FEELING SICK?
A small number of players may find that they experience
symptoms such as tiredness, sickness and dizziness after having
foods and drinks rich in carbohydrate immediately before exercise.
This is a response to the levels of the hormone insulin in your blood.
If you are affected you may need to experiment with the timings
for pre-event meals and maybe allow longer gaps.
Also, solid foods may have an effect on some people so fluids could
be a good way to deal with this, but again, you must practice
what you are going to do. Milkshakes, milk, smoothies and yoghurt
drinks are handy things to have in your kit bag.
REMEMBER
FRUIT & VEG
You need to eat and
drink directly after
training (try to do this within
30mins). This will help
recovery. If you don’t get
a meal after training, then
bring a carton of milk and
a banana with you or a
carton of milkshake, yogurt
or smoothie would be good.
This is very important when
you have a few matches in
one day or over a few days
like you will in the Milk Cup.
You need to increase the amount of fruit and
vegetables you eat to at least 5 portions per day.
If you don’t like fruit then you will need to eat
more vegetables. Eating these foods will help
protect you from getting sick. If you are sick,
you won’t be able to train or play properly and
may lose your place to some one who is well!
CARBOHYDRATE
You should try to increase the amount that
you drink every day. Aim for 50mls per kg of
body weight. Water, diluted squash, diluted
fruit juice, milk and sports drinks. If you drink
a lot of sweet drinks clean and floss your teeth
regularly, and using sugar-free gum may help
to protect your teeth from acidic drinks.
Don’t have long gaps during the day
without eating or drinking. Small snacks
like yogurt, fruit, scones and
pancakes are useful to replace carbohydrate
which is the main fuel for your muscles
when you’re playing football.
FATS
Some players are eating too many foods that are too
high in fat (e.g. sausages and sausage rolls, chips,
crisps, fries etc). These will not be used to fuel you
during football and may slow you down or give you
cramps as they take a long time to be digested. If
you are going to have something then maybe grilled
bacon in a bread roll with tomato and lettuce with
a little tomato sauce would be a good alternative.
FLUIDS
MUSCLE
If you are trying to gain muscle then you need
to remember that skipping meals or missing
breakfast will mean that you will not gain the
muscle weight that you want. It is very important
to eat small meals and snacks on a regular basis.
Eating and drinking the right
things at the right time can
really improve your training and
matches. Like a car, your body
needs fuel - you wouldn’t consider
going a long car journey with no
petrol so don’t think about going
to training or matches without
putting fuel in your engine!
EATING & DRINKING
WHAT TYPE OF FUEL DO YOU
NEED?
Just like there is petrol and
diesel for cars, there are
different types of food that give
you different types of fuel. For
football you need to put the right
fuel in your engine otherwise
you will be very sluggish and
probably won’t last the whole
game or training session.
CARBOHYDRATE IS THE NUMBER ONE FUEL FOR EXERCISING MUSCLES
FOR FOOTBALL
FUEL
CARBOHYDRATE
There are hundreds of scientific studies showing that getting
enough carbohydrate can improve performance across a
range of sports but especially in football, if it is eaten in the
right amounts at the right times.
The science bit!
Glucose, a type of carbohydrate, is the main fuel for
exercising muscles and is stored as glycogen in your muscles
and liver. The higher the exercise intensity, the greater
amounts of glycogen will be used. When glycogen stores
are low or empty your ability to make good runs, tackle
well or be accurate in front of goal will be affected. Unlike
our stores of fat and protein, we have only small stores of
carbohydrate and keeping a good level is often difficult for
athletes.
As the season progresses you will be able to store more
carbohydrates but even then you probably have enough
stores to do you for 50-60 minutes and most of your matches
and training sessions will be much longer than that.
HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED?
How much you need will depend on what weight you are.
A 70kg player (11 stone) should be trying to eat or drink at
least 420g of carbohydrates per day. To do this you need
to be having meals and snacks that are based around
carbohydrates – see the ideas below.
The good thing is that these foods will also give you other
things that are important e.g. fruit and vegetables will give
you vitamins, minerals and fibre; milk or yogurt will also
give you protein and calcium; pasta, rice and potatoes can
be good sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre.
REFUELLING
Immediately after training, it is recommended that
carbohydrate intake to aid recovery should be approximately
1g / kg body weight.
Getting food and fluid in after training and matches will
refuel the muscles and prepare them for your next training
session. If you only have a short time between sessions (for
example, training on both a Saturday and Sunday), then you
need to really make sure that you eat / drink carbohydrates
as soon as you can after training (see ‘Getting your timing
right’).
It’s easy to forget about your eating habits on rest days but
often these are just as important because these are your
recovery days.
SOURCES OF CARBOHYDRATES:
[providing approximately 50g carbohydrates]
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2 medium pieces of fruit or 1 large banana
60g of raisins
410g tin of fruit salad
150g baked beans* (small can of baked beans is 200g)
1 corn on the cob or small tin of sweet corn
1 bowl of homemade vegetable soup
1 medium baked potato
1 round of sandwiches (meat/chicken/fish/cheese/egg*)
2 slices of bread
1 bagel with spoon of honey/jam/peanut butter*
60g breakfast cereal with 150mls of low-fat milk*
2 medium pancakes
½ pint of flavoured milkshake* or smoothie
300mls of drinking yogurt *
250g of rice pudding* (Pots contain approximately 40g)
1 ice lolly (solero, starburst, twister)
½ pint of dilute squash
½ pint of pure fruit juice
700mls of sports drink *Also a source of protein
HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED?
As a general rule, if you are drinking enough you
should be producing urine every couple of hours.
Urine that is clear in colour and not strong in smell
should mean that you are well hydrated. (If you take a
vitamin supplement or sports drinks the B-vitamins can
cause your urine to be a bright yellow colour.)
During exercise, fluid is lost from the body as sweat
and needs to be replaced. Every player has different
fluid needs. These are influenced by many factors
including your size, how hard you exercise, the weather
and what you wear.
The easiest way to work out your usual losses from
exercise is to weigh yourself before and after a training
session. Any weight loss is fluid loss and this needs to
be replaced as soon as possible. Remember that there
will be big differences between players on the same
team!
For every 1kg of weight that is lost you should aim to
drink 1500mls.
TRAINING AND MATCHES
WHY IS FLUID IMPORTANT?
Fluid has a vital role in the body so drinking
enough is important for good health and good
performance.
Drinking fluids before, during and after exercise will
prevent dehydration and re-hydrate you. Sports drinks
have the benefit of easily providing fuel, usually in the
form of carbohydrates, and also replacing electrolytes
(salts) lost through sweat. Carbohydrate is an important
fuel for exercising muscles but it will also help you
absorb water so long as it is at the right concentration.
Even small fluid losses can make exercise seem
more difficult and affect your performance in
training and matches.
DEHYDRATION CAN MEAN:
•
•
•
•
•
poor concentration
slower reaction time
poor co-ordination
getting tired more quickly
overheating
TYPE
EXAMPLES
WHAT IS IN IT?
WHEN TO USE IT
ISOTONIC
ISOTONIC SPORTS DRINKS
FLUID,
HOME-MADE ISOTONIC
DRINKS
ELECTROLYTES,
BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER
EXERCISE LASTING MORE THAN 1
HOUR
4-8% CARBOHYDRATE
E.G. BEFORE MATCHES, AT HALFTIME AND AFTER MATCHES
SPORTS WATERS
FLUID,
VERY DILUTE SQUASH
VERY LOW
ELECTROLYTE
FOR FAST FLUID REPLACEMENT
E.G. BETWEEN MATCHES THAT ARE
CLOSE TOGETHER
HYPOTONIC
WHAT SHOULD YOU DRINK?
Drink a wide range of fluids: water, sugar-free dilute
squash, fruit juices, milk, milkshakes, yogurt drinks,
soup and sports drinks.
Water will also be obtained from foods - for
example, fruit and vegetables have high water
content.
The occasional cup of tea or coffee can be used to
get fluids in too.
2% CARBOHYDRATE
HYPERTONIC
FIZZY DRINKS
FLUID,
FRUIT JUICES
ELECTROLYTES,
HYPERTONIC SPORTS
DRINKS
10%+ CARBOHYDRATE
AFTER EXERCISE TO REPLACE
CARBOHYDRATE.
NOT SUITABLE JUST BEFORE OR
DURING EXERCISE.
MILK
Drinking milk can be a good way of helping to get
fluids back into your system. It will also give you protein
and some salts to help replace what you have lost
during your training or match.
REMEMBER YOUR TEETH!
Sugary and acidic drinks (fruit juices and sports drinks)
can have a damaging effect on your teeth and you
need to be careful. It is especially a problem if you are
sipping drinks over a long period, wear a brace or a
gum shield. To help protect your teeth:
• Brush and floss your teeth regularly: you may need
to consider having a toothbrush and toothpaste in
your kit bag
• Use sugar free gum to reduce the acid in your
mouth
• Rinse your mouth with water regularly
• Drink sweet or acidic drinks through a straw or
squeeze past your teeth
DOES PROTEIN PACK A PUNCH?
WEIGHING IT UP !
A lot of athletes believe that if you increase protein intake
you will gain muscle. How many times have you heard of
players and athletes from different sports increasing meat
or chicken intake or eating more eggs? As muscle is made
up of protein a lot of people think that if you eat more then
this will mean that your muscles will get bigger. It’s not that
simple, and certainly not in football.
GAINING MUSCLE
There are a number of key things you must do to gain
muscle:
If you don’t eat enough and get enough
energy or calories, then gaining muscle will be
impossible.
MUSCLE NOT FAT
Many athletes in
many sports try to
gain weight as they
believe that this will
benefit their strength
and power. In football,
this may mean that
players will be able to
deal with tackles better or
their sprinting speed will
be faster. But you need to
remember that any weight
gained must be muscle and not
fat. If you gain fat then this will
only show you down and give
you none of the benefits of muscle.
As football is a running game played over a
relatively long period of time then you will need
significant amounts of carbohydrate to fuel this
running. If there is little or no carbohydrate then
you will have to use some protein to fuel the
exercise. As your protein is stored as muscle then
you will have to break down and use up your
muscles to do this, and so undoing all the good
work you may have done in the past.
Eat at least 5 meals per day. Small frequent
meals around training and matches are better
than 2-3 larger meals. Use milk, milkshakes,
smoothies and yogurt drinks as between meal
snacks, along with sandwiches, fruit, toast,
breakfast cereals and scones.
If you eat well for six days and have one poor
day then this will mean that the whole week will
just average out. You need to eat well every day
of the week.
Late nights out will not help you to gain muscle.
You are using more calories and not allowing
your own growth hormones to do their job.
During sleep growth hormone rises and this helps
you to convert the food you’ve eaten into muscle.
If you do weights, then you need to have
something with protein and carbohydrate in it.
Milk or a milkshake is the simplest way of doing
this; 250mls before, and the same directly after.
DO YOU NEED TO BUY SUPPLEMENTS?
The best answer to this is no! They are expensive and do
exactly the same thing as food can do. The key issue is to
eat enough to gain the weight. No amount of supplements
will help you if you are not eating enough in the first
place. If you need 3000 calories per day and you are only
on average eating 2800 calories then gaining weight as
muscle will be very difficult and in the long term recovery
will be affected.
Busy players will depend on
a good support system, and
mums and dads will play a
vital role in helping players get
the right food and fluids into
their system.
3
Make extra portions of larger meals and freeze them
so that you have them when players arrive in from
training. All that has to be done is microwave them!
Tuna, potato and
cheese bake
Serves 4
The best thing that you can
do is to get a routine going for
your kids’ eating and drinking
and follow it. Keep things
simple as you will be more
likely to be able to stick with
it as no doubt you have other
children to look after and jobs
200g rigatoni (or penne) pasta
400g lean minced beef
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp chilli powder
3 tbsp plain flour
1 green & 1 red pepper, diced
350ml (3/4pt) semi-skimmed milk
375g tin of chopped tomatoes
freshly chopped parsley
and houses to manage. Below
are a few pointers and some
1
suggestions which might help
you along the way!
Don’t let your soccer stars train without having
had something to eat or drink before hand. Milk or
smoothies are a good way of giving food and fluids
if there is only a small amount of time available.
(e.g. early morning training sessions or sessions directly after school).
Banana and Strawberry
Smoothie
Serves 1
100g low-fat fruit yogurt
125mls semi-skimmed milk
1 medium banana, sliced
6 large strawberries, hulled
and quartered
Blend ingredients
together until smooth.
Pour into a tall glass
and serve.
Get-Up-And-Go Fruit
Smoothie
Makes 2
375mls semi-skimmed milk,
chilled
125mls low-fat natural yogurt
1 small tin canned peach slices
1 ripe banana
1 tablespoon honey
cinnamon, for sprinkling
2
Place ingredients into a
blender and blend until
smooth. Serve in tall,
chilled glasses sprinkled
with extra cinnamon.
Makes 12
75g soft brown sugar
110g wholemeal flour
110g porridge oats
50g caster sugar
110g butter
220g cottage cheese
1 medium egg
Rind of 1 orange and 2 tbsp juice
Serves 4
350g potatoes
25g butter
25g flour
1 can of tuna (185g), drained
285ml/½ pint semi skimmed milk
1 large leek
1 red pepper
50g Cheddar cheese
4
5
Nutty Banana Striker
Serves 1
250ml milk
1 banana
1 hazelnut yogurt
Serves 1
Place the flour in a bowl
and rub in the butter, add
the sugar and porridge
oat. Hold approx ¼ of the
mixture and press the
remaining mixture into the
base of a 6 inch square
cake tin. Beat the cottage
cheese, egg, orange rind
and juice together and
spread over the base.
Sprinkle with remaining
crumbs and bake at 160ºC
gas 4 until golden and
cooked through approx 25
– 30 minutes. Cool and cut
in slices. Store in the fridge.
Brown the minced beef,
add the onion and garlic,
cook gently for 4 - 6
minutes, stir in flour, chilli
powder and seasoning.
Add the peppers, tomato,
and milk bring to the boil
and cook for 15 minutes.
Cook the pasta in boiling
salted water approx 8
minutes. Drain the pasta
and add the beef sauce.
Sprinkled pasta with
parsley and serve with
baked potatoes and a
salad.
Water, milk, smoothies and fruit are as useful as
expensive sports foods and drinks and will do a
number of different jobs.
Penalty Pear Smoothie
Get your soccer stars to take something with them for
after training and matches. A lunch box with some
rolls, yogurt and fruit is useful, as well as plenty of
water especially in warmer weather. Alternatively, a
lunch box with some cold pasta salad (leftover from
dinner) will be useful, especially if the players are
away all day playing or training.
Crumble Cake Bars
Beefy Pasta
Preheat the oven to 200ºC
or gas 6. Parboil the
potatoes leaving the skins
on and cut into wedges.
Melt the butter in a pan
and add the chopped leeks
and pepper cook until just
soft. Stir in the flour cook for
one minute, add the milk
and heat gently until the
sauce begins to thicken.
Add the tuna and turn into
an ovenproof dish. Arrange
the potato wedges on the
top and grate the cheese
over. Bake for 20 minutes
until the cheese is golden
brown.
250ml milk
1 very ripe pear
Place the milk, yogurt
and banana into a food
blender; blend together
until smooth and creamy
and pour into a tall glass.
Pour the milk into the
blender. Peel, core and
chop the pear, add it
to the mixture; blend
together and pour into a
tall glass.
Always have some foods in the cupboard just in
case! Tinned fruit in natural juice and frozen fruit
are useful if all the bananas are eaten from the
fruit bowl! Tortilla wraps are good as they keep for
quite a while and are a good alternative to bread.
Cream Cheese Wrap
1 plain wrap
20g low-fat cream cheese
20g Cheddar, grated
1 tbsp sweetcorn
¼ red pepper, finely sliced
1 slice wafer thin ham,
shredded
Spread the wrap with the
soft cheese. Scatter the
sweetcorn, pepper, ham
and grated cheese over
and roll up tightly.