Diet is a very crucial part in the development of a person as a football player. You are what you eat .Diet is something which many players in India who aspire to play football professionally ignore. But it should not be like that. Along with physical training and football drills one also needs to focus on the diet as well. This article will help you in doing so.
So basically a football player should have a diet which is high in carbohydrates and fluids moderate on proteins and low on fats. Another very important part along with this is fruits and vegetables. Green leafy vegetables and fruits have essential nutrients and minerals which is required by an athlete.
CARBOHYDRATES(The energy packets)
Carbohydrates is something which is needed by all athletes in great amounts. carbohydrates are the ones which provides you with all the energy to burnout in a football match or training. All athletes depend on glycogen for their energy source. Carbohydrates get converted into this essential glycogen, making it very important for footballers. Almost half portion of your diet should be made up of carbohydrates .
But one should always differentiate between good and bad carbohydrates. While taking carbohydrates is crucial, taking huge amount of bad carbohydrates may harm you. So how to differentiate between these two? You should generally go for naturally occurring carbohydrates like fruits and vegetable, beans, cereals, oats etc. Try to replace food items made from white carbohydrates with brown carbohydrates. For example, you can always go for whole grain rotis and chappaties. Replace white rice with brown rice. Never skip your carbohydrate rich vegetables like beans and potatoes. But one should always try to avoid taking processed carbohydrates like chips, sugar, maida(refined wheat flour) etc. Processed carbohydrate can make you overweight and less energetic. All these things lack those essential vitamins and minerals which are required by a football player. Always remember, sugar is your worst enemy. It causes disastrous harm to your body without you being aware of it. Try to avoid the intake of sugar as much as you can.
Please note that you should take less carbohydrates if you are training less. Always maintain a relation.
PROTEIN(THE MUSCLE BUILDERS)
Proteins are a very essential part of your diet. Your muscles tear during a rigorous football training session. That is when protein comes to the rescue as it helps in muscle recovery. Protein also, as most of you must be knowing is required for muscle building. Always try to have proteins after a match or football training session. This helps in a speedy recovery and prevents overtraining . There is a misconception that athletes and footballers need high protein sources. Taking huge amount of proteins may displace other essential nutrients. Generally you get sufficient protein from your food itself, provided that you plan a well balanced protein rich diet. But if you feel like your protein intake is not sufficient, one can go for whey protein. I suggest that vegetarians should go for protein supplements.
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But again, that is when you feel like your protein intake is not sufficient. Some things that you should include in your diet are eggs, fish, dal(pulses), peanut butter, chana etc. Another thing that you should include is Greek yogurt. If you don’t get Greek yoghurt, try to go for simple dahi (curd). You can always make a tasty smoothie with milk, Greek yoghurt, some peanut butter, bananas and some other fruits like berries. Comment down below whether you need a video/post on the recipe. Badam(almonds) are also a great snack to have after a session of quality football drills.
FATS (YES, YOU NEED SOME OF THOSE ALSO)
Fats are also essential in your diet, though you should take them in moderation. Excess fat(saturated fats) makes a player overweight and slows him/her down. Like carbs, good Fats also become a source of energy during a football training session/match. They are also essential for the absorption of essential nutrients.
Here also you need to differentiate between good fats and bad fats. Some sources of good fats are peanuts, peanut butter, avocados, cashew nuts. One should generally go for monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats(omega 3 fatty acid). Sounds complex? Just make sure to avoid stuff like full fat diary, butter, palm oil, fatty portion of meat, fried food, creamy stuff like mayonnaise and anything made with saturated fats. Oily fish and olive oil is something which you include in your diet as fats.
FLUIDS/HYDRATION
Words can’t describe how important hydration is in the life of a footballer. The amount of fluids you take in depends on your sweat rate. But an average footballer should aim to drink at least 2 -2.5 liters of fluid in a day. How much water should you drink after a football match/football training session? Its actually very simple. Weigh yourself before and after a football match. Calculate your loss in weight by taking the difference of weight before and after a football training/match. Now replace the loss by drinking approximately 1.5 times the amount of loss in your weight. Say you lost 1 kg weight in sweat. Replace it by gradually drinking 1.5 liters of water after the training session. You should check your urine color to know whether you are hydrated or not.
Energy drinks?
Now many players consider taking energy drinks between training session. But I don’t suggest taking these energy drinks unnecessarily. You should take this if at least you exerted your body in a football match or training for one hour. Research has found that unless and until you have done intense training/played a match, taking these energy drinks is just like giving yourself a dose of sugar. however you can make a healthy electrolyte drink at home by following the given points.
MAKE ELECTROLYTES AT HOME:-
1 ½-2 cups water
Juice of ½ lemon
1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp honey
Instructions
Mix and shake everything up.
You can store it in the fridge for upto a week
PRE MATCH DIET
You should have your meal at least three hours before the match to ensure that there is time for digestion.
The meal should be full of carbohydrates, a little bit of protein and minimum on fats.
Do not drink too much water while eating as it may make your digestion slower.
Try to avoid spicy food and sauces.
Diet is a very crucial part. Never take risks when it comes to diet. I suggest consulting a sports nutritionist if you are really serious about the game.
feel free to comment down your thoughts.
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