What do football players drink on the field? How to eat properly for football players - nutrition menu. Something about the team

Nutrition is one of the key moments in the life of every athlete, whether experienced or young, and a football player is no exception. To achieve high performance in the game, it is important to take a comprehensive approach to sports training, and devote time not only to training, but also to the correct menu.

In football clubs, nutritionists carefully monitor the nutrition of athletes. Their responsibilities include regularly collecting tests, determining the state of the immune system, metabolic rate, after which a complete diet is developed, which is based on basic concepts of nutrition for all football players. For those who cannot yet afford a personal nutritionist, it would be a good idea to know the basic rules of healthy nutrition.

Proper diet for football players

The optimal diet of a football player, like any other person, should include carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The only difference is that their ratio will be different.

IMPORTANT. As a percentage, the amount of fat in a football player should not exceed 10%-12% of the total body weight. Otherwise, its speed will be slowed down, and additional stress will be placed on the spine and joints .

When calculating the calorie content of food, it is important to take into account that during training, a football player needs to consume about 60-65 kcal per kilogram of his own weight. When introducing dishes into sports nutrition, a professional athlete must know the amount of fats, proteins and carbohydrates required for the body.

The optimal menu that should be followed during the day is as follows:

For breakfast, you should choose porridge, eggs with whole grain bread and natural juice.

For lunch, you should focus on protein foods, to which you can add a vegetable salad.

The afternoon snack should not be neglected, and at this meal you should eat some dairy products with the addition of vegetables or fruits.

Dinner should be light and nutritious, best including whole grains and vegetables.

IMPORTANT. Products such as carbonated drinks, alcohol, sweet and yeast baked goods, fast food and snacks (chips, crackers, etc.) are categorically excluded from the footballer’s diet. It is not recommended to eat fried meat, peas, or overly seasoned dishes.

Meals for football players before and after the game

During training and the game itself, a football player must be able to structure his nutrition in different ways. The nutrition of football players during training and before the game has some differences, because the game is what such a strict regime is followed for. Before the game, it is recommended to avoid heavy consumption of proteins, as it takes a lot of energy to digest them. The food should be light and mainly consist of carbohydrates and a small amount of protein. On the day of the game, a football player can afford the following dishes in his diet: boiled or steamed poultry, chicken or vegetable broth, vegetable salad, whole grains and eggs.

During the match, you can drink a sports drink that can quench your thirst and replenish your mineral balance.

After the end of the game, the football player can afford fish dishes prepared in any way, raw or stewed vegetables and a lot of fruits. This will help you restore your strength as quickly as possible and return to your usual diet.

And this is what Cristiano Ronaldo eats.

Nutrition for a teenage football player

Teenage football player

A teenager from 12 to 16 years old who plays football professionally must monitor his sports nutrition regimen to an even greater extent, since in addition to training loads, the young man’s body still requires strength for the full growth of muscles and bones. A novice football player must be responsible about such aspects of nutrition as proteins, fats, water, vitamins and microelements necessary for growth. The teenager's menu completely excludes all snacks, so-called snacks, carbonated drinks, baked goods and everything that does not satiate the body.

In addition, the approach to nutrition for a 14-15 year old football player includes some more principles:

• An explanation of why and why it is worth sticking to proper nutrition, what will happen if a violation of the regime occurs.
• A teenager should learn to count the protein foods he consumes.
• The menu must include fresh fruits, vegetables and additional vitamins.
• When building a teenager’s diet, it is necessary to rely on training time. Eating a variety of foods 2.5 hours before training and eating fast carbohydrates after physical activity.
• It is necessary to interest the young man in the process of purchasing and preparing food, explaining all the benefits of the products.
• On match days, the young man is advised to stick to his usual diet, without changing his usual diet or experimenting with new foods.

Proper sports nutrition will become a habit that week after week will be fixed in the minds of the young man and move him to new victories.

And finally, a funny video where Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola throws beer to a fan during the championship celebration. Eat right. 🙂

Football players, like other athletes, must adhere to a strict regime and have a clearly defined menu. And it doesn’t matter whether we are talking about professional football players or those who play at the amateur level.

Calorie content and food composition

Football is always a serious physical activity. Therefore, it is important to fill the body with high-quality “fuel,” as the king of football Pele called food. The diet should include all the necessary nutrients in the right amount.

The average number of calories during training is 60-67 kcal per 1 kg of weight.

So, if an athlete weighs 75 kg, he should consume from 4500 to 5025 kcal per day, and the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates should be 1: 0.8: 4.

1. Proteins

For 1 kg of a football player’s weight there should be about 2.3 g pure protein per day . More than half (at least 60%) of this norm is animal protein:

• Poultry meat (without skin).
• Eggs.
• Dairy products.
• Cottage cheese.
• Cheeses.

The first three foods must be cooked correctly. It is best steamed, baked or boiled. Plant proteins are found in the following foods:

• Buckwheat.
• Beans.
• Potato.

2. Fats

You cannot completely give up fats in a football player’s diet, because they are a concentrated source of energy that an athlete needs. For 1 kg of weight per day, a football player needs 1.8 g of fat , of which at least 70% must be contained in products of animal origin:

• Fish fat.
• Sour cream.
• Cheeses.

And the rest 30% – vegetable fats :

• Linseed oil.
• Cedar oil.
• Sesame oil.
• Oil of various nuts.

3. Carbohydrates

In a football player's diet, complex carbohydrates should be at least 70% , the rest is given to simple ones. Complex carbohydrates are found primarily in the following foods:

• Cereals.
• Whole grain pasta and bread.
• Unpeeled rice.
• Vegetables and fruits low in sugar.

When consuming such products, glucose, which is to be absorbed, is formed gradually, so it can be used to replenish energy in full. However, after intense training, it may be necessary to quickly restore strength; in these cases, the athlete can resort to fast carbohydrates and drink a glass of sweet tea so that the sugar is quickly absorbed into the blood.

If we talk about professional football, then each club has its own team of nutritionists, doctors and chefs who create a special menu. Each team has its own preferences, and each nutritionist has his own opinion about certain products.

As a rule, everyone is prohibited:

• Sweet carbonated drinks.
• Chips and crackers.
• Deep-fried dough products.
• Sweet creams.
• Alcohol.

The football players' menu on game day differs from the menu compiled for a regular training day. You can eat no later than 3 hours before the start of the match .

On the day of the game the following are prohibited:

• Seasonings.
• Oil.
• Seeds and nuts.
• Legumes.
• Grilled meat.

On the day of the game the following are allowed:

• Stewed or boiled poultry meat.
• Chicken bouillon.
• Vegetable side dish.
• Eggs.
• Whole grain products.
• Natural yoghurts.
• Compote.

After a game or after a hard workout, a football player needs to regain his strength. In order to accumulate glycogen in muscles as quickly as possible, an athlete should consume 500 kcal in the first two hours after an exhausting load.

Moreover, the food he eats must contain a large amount of protein, as well as fiber, in order to replenish the supply of vitamins and minerals.

After training you can eat:

• Fish prepared in any way.
• Vegetable salad.
• Vegetable stew.
• Fruits.

Diet

How many times a day should a football player eat? It depends on what regime is adopted in the league. For example, in the Bundesliga, split five meals a day are accepted, while the Russian Premier League still adheres to the three meals a day system with an optional afternoon snack.

If you divide the daily diet by 4 times, then in percentage terms it looks like this:

1. Breakfast – 20% of the total amount of food: eggs, cereals, juices, whole grains.
2. Dinner – about 40%: soups, protein foods, vegetables, baked goods, fruits.
3. Afternoon snack – 20%: fruits, vegetables, dairy products.
4. Dinner – 20%: pasta, vegetables, unsweetened juices.

Animal proteins eat in the first half of the day. After breakfast, 1-1.5 hours should pass before the first training session (in the gym or on the field). And the last meal should take place no later than 3 hours before bedtime.

On a normal day (not match day) the routine is as follows:

1. Breakfast – 7:00.
2. Dinner – 12:30.
3. Afternoon snack (if provided) – 16:00.
4. Dinner – 19:30.

With this regime, football players go to bed at 23:00.

Special sports nutrition

In addition to the usual products that almost everyone consumes, athletes need special supplements, vitamin and mineral complexes, etc.

Football players need special sports nutrition, which should contain:

• Whey protein – protein for the formation and restoration of muscle tissue.
• Creatine , promoting hydration of muscle cells.
• Glutamine – an amino acid necessary for the functioning of the immune system and restoration of strength.

Since football is considered a high-risk sport, players need to keep their ligaments and tendons flexible and their joints and bones strong.

Supplements containing:

• Hyaluronic acid.
• Collagen.
• Chondroitin.
• Glucosamine.

After matches or important training, a football player needs to minimize the process of muscle tissue destruction (catabolism). To do this, you can use a special complex of amino acids, as well as carbohydrate products, which are available in the form of powders and added to protein shakes.

To rehydrate, plain water will not be as effective as isotonic drinks. They contain almost all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

Every football player knows exactly what he shouldn’t eat and what he shouldn’t give up. Depending on this, he can regulate his diet. So, athletes who are prone to obesity, for example, are advised to reduce the proportion of carbohydrates in the menu.

Content:

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of diet for a football player. Every little detail matters on the path to success on the field.

As Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger once said: “Food is like gasoline. If you put the wrong kind in your car’s tank, it won’t go as fast as it should.” By the way, f Frenchman (Arsene Wenger) famously changed the eating habits of his players after arriving from Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight in 1996. His methods were then used by other Premier League clubs. Boiled fish, pasta and vegetables have become staples in the diet of the average Arsenal football player.

Photo 1. Diet of a football player.

If a football player does not have a healthy diet, he will be more susceptible to fatigue, will not be able to train actively, and will therefore be inferior in skill to other players.

What can a football player eat?

Here are the main nutrients that players should consume.

• Simple carbohydrates - they can be found in sweets, cakes, soft drinks, jam, preserves.
• Complex carbohydrates - rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, cereals, fruits.
• Saturated fats - butter, margarine, cheese, pies.
• Unsaturated fats - sunflower oil, salmon, nuts.
• Protein - milk, chicken, eggs, fish, yogurt.
• Vitamins and minerals - fruits, vegetables, dairy products.
• Fibers - seeds, peas, beans.
• Water contained in foods, beverages, and specialty sports drinks.

Football players need energy, which is most often found in carbohydrates. Their consumption should account for about 70% of a football player’s diet.

Photo 2. Pasta is a must in a football player’s diet.

The optimal carbohydrate intake for a player is 2400-3000 calories, but many players fail to achieve this due to their glycogen levels not being up to par. Those who start a game with low glycogen levels may experience serious tension after a break in the match because they have few carbohydrates left in their muscles.

Good carbohydrate intake can be achieved by eating periodic snacks throughout the day, in addition to three regular meals. And it is especially useful for recovery immediately after a workout or match to replenish energy stores in the muscles.

Some snacks that are high in carbohydrates but low in fat:

• Bananas;
• granola bars;
• crumpets;
• bagels, low fat;
• rice pudding;
• yoghurts;
• milkshakes;
• fruits.

A healthy diet for football players is also important to help players recover faster from injuries.

Photo 3. Football players are allowed to eat sweets.

Hector Uso, Villarreal's football club doctor, said he believes the ideal nutrition for young players is when they eat before and after a match.

What to eat before the game?

Meals before a match should consist of carbohydrates with some added protein, as proteins can cause digestion difficulties. At this moment, the energy basis for the player for the entire match is laid.

You should try to maintain blood glucose by eating some carbohydrates such as pasta or rice. They should always be eaten in combination with vegetables and a small amount of protein, and should be free of fat as much as possible. For example, fish is an ideal pre-match meal.

Photo 4. Pasta and boiled fish are a suitable lunch before a football game.

Football players usually eat three hours before the game, but modern doctors recommend eating even a little earlier - three and a half hours before the game. This would be ideal.

What to eat after the game?

Once the match has concluded, the recommended start for meals is 30 minutes after the final whistle. The reason it is important to try to eat as soon as possible after a match is because of the body's recovery window. During this period of time, the body needs nutrients that will help it recover faster.

This window lasts up to 45 minutes after the end of a match or strenuous exercise. It is necessary to feed the football player food with carbohydrates and proteins. At the end of the match, the muscles in the player's hepatic portal system are completely exhausted, so in this phase it is necessary to restore glucose and carbohydrates with pasta or rice. Pasta or rice because they are the best things to eat at that moment.

Photo 5. Protein foods will help an athlete recover after a game.

And it is also necessary to restore the damaged protein part of the player's balance, so the player is fit again for exercise or the next match every other day, and does not suffer from muscle problems. So, to prevent this, you need to take proteins. Football players usually eat on the bus. Often this is cold pasta, tuna salad, egg and turkey.

What drink?

The best liquid to drink is a dilute solution of carbohydrates.

It is best to drink before, during and after training, and to ensure fluid intake on a regular basis throughout the match. Avoid drinking too much at once because it can make you bloated and increase your risk of getting an upset stomach. You should take fluids during training or games on a regular basis, but in small quantities.

Pay attention to products on the topic

The correct physical development of a football player directly depends on his nutrition. Not only on the amount and intensity of training, but also on what he feeds himself, giving the body the opportunity to progress in terms of growth of any physical indicators.

We suggest we talk about the nutrition of football players and find out what should be included in an athlete’s diet, what is better to exclude and what to pay more attention to when choosing foods. For experienced football players playing at a high level, this article may not be as useful as for beginners, since their nutrition is monitored by coaches/doctors or they even have to eat at the training base, where all their food is prepared in advance. Therefore, we will focus on beginner athletes who want to properly balance their diet. So, let's go!

Food composition

Let's start with the calorie content of food. During training, a football player should consume approximately 60-67 kcal per kilo of body weight. It is important to calculate the correct ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In our case, the following ratio will be correct: 1:0.8:4.

Let's now go through each nutrient. Let's start, perhaps, with squirrel, which should be consumed daily in the amount of 2.3 grams per 1 kg of weight. Here, as a rule, we are talking about protein of animal origin, so it is important to indicate what is best included in the diet:

• eggs;
• poultry meat;
• beef;
• cheeses;
• dairy products;
• cottage cheese.

If we are talking about proper nutrition for football players, then we cannot help but note that it is better to steam or boil/bake meat. It is recommended to exclude fried foods completely/partially. So, now about proteins of natural origin, which must also be in a football player’s diet:

• beans;
• potato;
• oatmeal;
• buckwheat.

Fats. It's a scary word, but you shouldn't be afraid of it. It’s just that the worlds need to be dosed wisely and in no case should they be excluded from the diet, since they are a concentrated source of energy, which is so necessary during heavy physical exertion. We will proceed from the following calculation: 1 gram of fat per 1 kg of body weight. We can get the fats we need in the following products:

• butter;
• fish fat;
• cheeses;
• sour cream;
• oil of various seeds;
• nuts.

Carbohydrates. Here the division occurs into simple and complex. At the same time, we give preference to complex carbohydrates by 70%, the rest to simple ones. We take complex carbohydrates from:

• brown rice;
• vegetables and fruits;
• various cereals;
• bread (whole grain);
• pasta

What to exclude from the diet?

Now about the unpleasant - prohibitions. The diet of football players is not acceptable:

• sweet sodas;
• alcohol;
• fast food;
• crackers, chips and various snacks;
• creams;
• sweet pastries.

This was in general, and now a list of prohibited foods on game day:

• fried meat;
• dishes with seasonings;
• legumes;
• nuts/seeds;
• oil.

On the day of the game (before the game), the following is most welcome:

• vegetable dishes/salads/side dishes;
• natural yoghurts;
• boiled poultry meat;
• eggs;
• compotes/jelly.

To quickly restore strength after games, it is recommended to consume:

• fish prepared in any way;
• vegetable salads;
• stewed vegetables;
• a lot of fruits.

Amount of food

Of course, you need to eat in reasonable quantities, otherwise the “right” foods will be of no use. Most often, football players’ diet is divided into four meals, so let’s distribute the loads as a percentage: 20% for breakfast/afternoon snack/dinner, 40% for lunch.

What and when is the best time to eat? Conventionally it will look like this:

1. Breakfast: Whole grains, eggs, cereal and juices.
2. Lunch: more protein foods, soups, fruits/vegetables, baked goods.
3. Afternoon snack: dairy products, fruits/vegetables.
4. Dinner: more vegetables, pasta, juices (no sugar).

This is approximately what a football player’s diet should look like, but it is better to adjust it either with your coach or with a doctor. It is important not to forget about the individual aspects inherent in each individual organism, so the issue of nutrition must be approached wisely and taking into account your own needs. It is also important to take into account the trainer’s settings (weight gain or loss) to gain optimal physical shape. In this case, you need a personal consultation with a specialist who will advise which foods to include/exclude from the diet in order to achieve the desired result as quickly as possible and without harm to the body.

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Our team won two matches in the group stage of the Championship, defeated Spain and reached the quarter finals for the first time in history. We, as a gastronomic portal, think: it’s about the food. We decided to figure out what the football players are fed and what rules they follow.

Breakfast

For breakfast, football players are fed oatmeal, but it quickly gets boring. Therefore, teams often experiment using porridges made from different grains, for example, the now fashionable quinoa is quite suitable . Also, there is no escape from eggs in different variations: including those wrapped in pita bread or its equivalent. Various types of bread are served with eggs, again not only for nutritional value, but also for mood. Russian doctors, according to the head doctor of the national team, Eduard Bezuglov, add to the diet in the morning toast with jam or honey .

However, the habits of all athletes are different. For example, Uruguayan football player Diego Forlán likes to eat black bread, fresh pineapples and yoghurt in the morning. Former Manchester United and Everton player Phil Neville always likes to start his day with scrambled eggs or an omelette.

Photo: Jakub Kapusnak, unsplash.com

Lunch and snack

Many foreign publications quote former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger: “Food is like kerosene. If you put the wrong stuff in your car, it won't drive as fast as it should." . A great coach, without exaggeration, changed the habits of his players after returning to his native land from the Japanese team Nagoya Grampus Eight in 1996, and his methods began to be used in other clubs in England. The basis of the diet was: pasta, boiled fish and vegetables. .

ThoughtCo website journalist Stuart Cogin writes that it’s no wonder Carbohydrates are included in the football players' diet; they should make up 70% of the diet . Many people don't understand this. The required amount of carbohydrates can be achieved through snacks throughout the day, rather than within three courses. It's especially helpful to refuel after a workout. Bananas, muesli, kramets – Lean English pancakes, low-fat rice pudding, yoghurts, milkshakes and fruit are just some of the snacks that contain carbohydrates without being fatty.

Carbohydrates are, of course, important, but nowhere without proteins . The doctor of Arsenal and the English national team, James Collins, in a commentary for TheTelegraph, notes that he is happy to feed his players beef, salmon and mackerel.

Photo: Nik Shuliahin, unsplash.com

Before and after the match

FIFA notes that the most common food that professional players eat before a match is cereal, pancakes, baked beans, toast or yoghurt. However, in some sources we find information that, in general, football players do not eat 3-3.5 hours before the match.

The doctor of the Spanish club Villarreal, Hector Uso, notes that he feeds his players cold pasta salad with tuna, turkey and eggs 45 minutes after the match so that they can recover. And during breaks, some clubs offer a buffet, for example, with different types of sushi. Seafood and rice help you recover faster .

At the same time, football players are people too, they can drink beer and eat a piece of pork. They say that Lionel Messi prefers shrimp sandwiches and Neapolitan chops to everything, and Ronaldo prefers his mother's cod and French fries. Of course, we will not introduce these people.

At the Championships

Incidents often occur with food at major competitions. The media wrote that at the last World Cup 2014 in Brazil, the Uruguay team was unable to get a load of 40 kg of caramel across the border and lost the usual toffee. But these are real team mascots.