Pre-game nutrition

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WITH THE RIGHT DIET, YOU CAN PERFORM BETTER ON THE PITCH

Anyone who has ever heard of frutarians, paleotarians, pescetarians or flexitarians knows that these are not dinosaurs, but special diets. World Cup hero Mario Götze is also one of the latter flexitarians.

In contrast to vegans or vegetarians, flexitarians do not continuously refrain from eating meat. However, meat consumption must be guaranteed to be of high organic quality. This is what Götze says about herself: “I only eat vegan and clean food at home. When I dine out, I only eat selected meat or fish. ”

Serge Gnabry or Lionel Messi also eat partly vegan. While Gnabry incorporates vegan phases into his diet plan, Messi completely avoids meat products during the season and only eats them during vacation periods. Cristiano Ronaldo also has an individually tailored diet plan, which enables top performance even at an older soccer age. CR7 Swears by products with a high protein content, such as turkey, fish or eggs.

Nutrition plays an essential role in the lives of competitive athletes and most professional soccer players have been working on the topic throughout their careers. It can therefore be assumed that they have individually optimized their own diet. However, the variety of options is immense and not universally applicable. That is why every soccer player must find the ideal diet for themselves.

And yet there are some guidelines that should be considered in the diet for athletes. We would like to discuss some of these aspects in more detail below.

WHY IS PROPER NUTRITION SO IMPORTANT?

Especially under competition conditions, the ability to concentrate and mental fitness of exceptional importance. They are influenced, among other things, by diet and the ability to concentrate in general.

Every player goes full throttle during training to recommend themselves for the upcoming game with good performances. And during the game, coaches, teammates and fans are expected to perform at their best. Of course, a visit to the favorite burger restaurant before the game or a fluffy stomach due to too many cold drinks the night before are counterproductive.

Even today, people ask themselves: What services would George Best or Ronaldinho have been able to call upon had they not fallen prey to the temptations of life to such an extent? Because even supposedly minor dietary errors can influence performance in the field.

After all, an individually tailored diet forms the basis for athletic and mental performance.

CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT THE SAME AS CARBOHYDRATES

When you ask coaches what food recommendations they make to their players to prepare for the game, they repeatedly mention dishes with rice or noodles because “these meals provide important carbohydrates.” Carbohydrates are a particularly important component of nutrition, as they provide the body with energy in the long term.

However, not all carbohydrates are good for physical and mental fitness. The quality of carbohydrates is determined by the glycemic index: The better carbohydrates are for the body, the lower the glycemic index. For example, these include whole grains, durum wheat noodles or legumes.

BUT WHAT IS THE GLYCEMIC INDEX?

The “glyx” describes the percentage increase in blood sugar levels after eating 50 grams of carbohydrates. The reference value for the percentage utilization is the intake of 50 grams of glucose (corresponds to 100% of the GI).

A high glycemic index is therefore required by products that raise blood sugar levels. Such foods have a shorter value, as the rapidly elevated blood sugar level drops just as quickly and therefore the recurring feeling of hunger occurs much earlier.

To determine the quality of the glycemic index, the glycemic load is calculated. This balances the “glyx” with the carbohydrates per serving:

Glycemic load = glycemic index * amount of carbohydrates per 100g of food

Since the effort required to calculate the glyx before each meal is far too high, there is a rule of thumb to follow: The longer a meal (with the same quantity) satiates, the lower the glycemic index.

WHICH DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS DO I HAVE TO FOLLOW NOW?

Scientists recommend various Diets during competition and recovery periods. Because of the wide range of options, we want to focus on the right carbohydrates and the glycemic index. Every soccer player must therefore find out the best diet for themselves.

Foods with a low glycemic index should be consumed before training or playing to replenish glycogen stores to provide glycogen continuously during performance phases. During competition, glycogen-rich foods with a high glycemic index are recommended to provide energy quickly.

The resulting glycogen deficiency should also be compensated for with just such foods afterwards. Before playing, glycogen-containing products are discouraged, as the metabolic effects cause physical and mental fatigue to occur very quickly.

IDEAL NUTRITION IN SOCCER

Football players run an average of 8 — 12 km per game and have a very high energy consumption. A high ability to concentrate is a prerequisite — that is why blood glucose should never fall below 72 mg/ml. In order to prevent the fatal consequences on the playing field, sugary drinks are an adequate alternative during game breaks. Before the game, the digestibility of the products is also crucial, as barely any player can achieve top performance on a full stomach.

THE DIET ON GAME DAY

Game day starts the evening before. It is recommended to consume sufficient carbohydrates through pasta or rice dishes to replenish the energy balance. The last proper meal should be consumed at least 2 to 3 hours before the game and contain ingredients with good carbohydrates and low glycemic index. It is also important to always follow the table above about the length of time the food stays.

Immediately before the game, only small amounts of water (max. 250 ml) should be replenished with water or isotonic sports drinks. At half time, it is recommended to provide carbohydrate-rich energy bars and sports drinks in order to have enough energy in the second half as well. The sodium it contains protects against cramps and the carbohydrates and protein make full use of even the very last minutes.

After the game, the loss of fluid must be compensated to avoid dehydration. 2 to 3 hours later, a carbohydrate-rich but not too fatty meal is recommended to replenish energy stores.