Nutrition and body preparation/recovery

In soccer, or any sport for that matter, proper nutrition is too often undervalued.

Players and coaches alike assume that diet only becomes a factor at the highest level of the game - that extra edge where the tiniest advantage can mean the difference between winning and losing.

INCORRECT

Nutrition makes a significant difference - at all levels and ages!

For example, eating and drinking incorrectly before a game can cause a sudden rise in insulin, followed by a sharp drop in blood sugar. The result is lethargy and jelly-like legs.

Another example - Eating too close to kick off can make you feel sick and nauseous. Why?  When food is in your stomach, digesting it becomes your body's highest priority.

Blood is directed to the digestive system in order to process the meal quickly before the food has chance to spoil and ferment.  When you exercise heavily, blood is shunted away from major organs (and the digestive system) in order to supply working muscles with their increased demand for oxygen.  A feeling of nausea is the body's way of limiting exercise so that blood can be directed once again to the digestive system.  Ignore it, or push too hard and the only option left is to physically expel the food from your system!

Ideally, you should eat a suitable meal 3 hours before kick off.  More than 3 hours and you could go into the game feeling famished and weak from low blood sugar. Any sooner and you run the risk of feeling sick.

Nutrition following a game is a different story.  You want to eat as soon as possible to replenish carbohydrate stores.   Having snacks on hand is a useful strategy, rather than waiting until you get home for a big meal.  You have a "window" - a period of time after exercise when it's best to replenish your energy stores.  Beyond this window it becomes much more difficult to replace carbohydrate stores and can take up to 2-3 days.  This will negatively affect performance if you are playing or training a day or two later.