Fueling your Soccer Player

Fueling Soccer Players

Top Three Nutrition Tips to Improve Performance

Pay special attention to fluids, especially if you are a youth player. All soccer players need to get enough fluids to stay hydrated. It’s especially important for young players to drink enough. During exercise, children produce more heat than adults, have lower sweating rates, and take longer to get accustomed to hot weather. When they are playing soccer, children should drink 3 to 4 ounces (about ½ cup) of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes. Many children prefer cool fluids and grapeflavored sport drinks. Some juices are advertised as good sport drinks. However, juice contains a lot of carbohydrates so it doesn’t replace fluids effectively unless it is diluted with water.

2. Eat well after you play. Eating for recovery soon after practices and games helps you to stay energized for the entire season. Soccer games are often scheduled close to each other, with little time between games to refuel your muscles. Within the first 30 minutes after exercise, eat 0.7 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight (1.5 g/kg). (For a 150-pound soccer player, that equals 100 grams of carbohydrate.) Sport drinks, sport recovery beverages, and most energy bars and gels are good choices. Read the labels of recovery drinks to make sure they contain carbohydrate. (Some drinks that are advertised as recovery drinks contain more protein than carbohydrate.)

3. Do not try to lose weight during the season. Soccer is a sport that demands a lot of energy, and losing weight makes you less able to perform at your best. A sports dietitian can help you lose weight during the offseason while keeping your energy level high for competition

For additional information and tips on healthy habits during soccer, follow the link here.