FITNESS (coming soon) & NUTRITION  NUTRITION

Q. My soccer team has a tournament coming up where we will play 2 games a day for 4 days. What should we eat before, during and after matches? A. Hopefully, your players already eat appropriately during the week to allow them to recover from each training session. The night before the tournament, players should consume a carbohydrate-based meal which also provides other nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals.  On the morning of the tournament, players need a breakfast which is high in carbohydrate, low in fat and provides a variety of other nutrients. Players should select from foods such as cereal, toast, muffins, crumpets, tinned spaghetti, fruit, yogurt, pancakes, juice, fruit smoothies etc. As a general guide, breakfast should be consumed 1- 2 hours before warm-up, however, players will need to experiment to work out the timing which is most suitable. If the first game commences later in the day, snacks such as fruit, cereal bars, sandwiches, yogurt, juice etc. may also be required. Generally, at least 1 hour should be allowed between playing and consuming a light snack. Players need to include fluid with all meals and snacks. Sports drink, water, and juice are all suitable pre-game. During games, players should consume fluid (sports drink or water) if the opportunity arises. After games, players should begin to replace fluid losses as soon as possible. Sports drinks, water and juice are all good choices. If there is less than 1 hour between games,  players should stick to fluids. If there is 1-2 hours between games, foods such as cereal bars, fruit, yogurt,  and plain sandwiches are suitable. If there is more than 2 hours between games, more substantial foods such as sandwiches, rolls, noodles, pasta, breakfast cereal etc, should be tolerated. Eating Before Exercise provides additional information. As most food outlets at sporting venues do not provide suitable food, players should organize themselves to take appropriate options from home. Keep food and fluids cool and insulated to ensure they remain palatable and appealing. Encourage players to consume fluid regularly throughout the day and finish each day with a carbohydrate-based meal as above. Q. Apart from fluid, what should a player have at half time in a soccer match? Is a banana appropriate? A. If you eat appropriately during the week and before the match, you should have enough fuel on board to last the entire match. If you feel your energy levels are low towards the end of a match, some carbohydrate at half time may be appropriate. Sports drink is probably the best option as the carbohydrate is digested and absorbed quickly. Another alternative is a carbohydrate gel. A banana is OK as long as you do not experience any stomach discomfort.  Bananas will take longer to to digest than sports drinks and gels. Q. Are oranges appropriate to eat at half time in an soccer match? A. kids are less efficient at regulating body temperature than adults. They are therefore more at risk of heat stress when exercising in hot conditions. This means it is important for children to have an adequate fluid intake during sport. Whether getting fluids through oranges or drinking water as long as they are taking in fluids this is a good thing. Players need to drink before the game and during warm up.  Drinks should be encouraged during any breaks in play including half-time. In very hot conditions, it can be valuable for a medically trained person to step in and modify the rules for the day to allow extra opportunities to drink. This may involve shorter playing periods or dividing the game into quarters instead of halves. This often happens in official competitions at high levels for children and adolescents - safety and enjoyment of sport should always take priority over generic rules. It has been demonstrated that children will drink more when a flavored drink is provided. Therefore, while water is suitable, sports drink, and juice are also good choices. At the end of a soccer match, foods and fluids which provide carbohydrate but are also rich in other nutrients should be encouraged. Sandwiches, fruit, yogurt and milk are good choices.  Products such as sports drinks provide carbohydrate but do not provide other nutrients such as protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.  Sports drinks are specifically designed to encourage fluid intake during sport.  They are not intended to be used as an 'everyday' drink.