FAI Nutritional Advice
Carbohydrates : What is a carbohydrate? Foods rich in carbohydrate are a very important source of energy. When eaten, it is digested and absorbed as glucose, and is also referred to as glycogen when stored in muscle. Each gram of carbohydrate can produce 4 kilocalories of energy. During exercise, the body will use up carbohydrate stores first, followed by protein and then fat which then leads to fatigue.
Examples of Carbohydrates: Fruit, Rice, Vegetables, Cereal.
What is carbohydrate loading? Glycogen that is stored in the liver and muscle supplies most of the energy for intense aerobic exercise. Prolonging such exercise depletes glycogen stores and brings about the onset of fat burning that leads to fatigue.
Carbohydrate loading involves lowering muscle glycogen levels through prolonged exercise whilst maintaining a low carbohydrate diet about 6 days prior to competition. 3 days prior to competition, the athlete switches to a high carbohydrate level and maintains this up to competition.
Caution: Players should weigh up the pros and cons of carbohydrate loading before utilising this technique. If used, it should be put into practice first in training and not for the first time during competition.
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Proteins: What is a protein? Protein provides 10-15% of energy in the diet and has very important structural function. It is important for cell and muscle repair which is vital in recovery from training and games.
Examples of proteins: Eggs, Milk, Fish, Cheese, chicken, Bakes Beans, Peanuts.
Fluid Intake: Sweating during a game or training causes the loss of both fluid and vital minerals leading to dehydration and a drop in performance. Players must rehydrate to replenish the fluid loss to aid performance levels.
How do I know if a player is dehydrated?
1. Take an accurate measure of a player's body mass immediately prior and immediately after a training session or match. Taking a players weight on a scales is a practical way to give a good indication of this. (Each KG lost equates to 1 Litre of fluid lost)
2. Players can assess the colour of their own urine. A well hydrated player should produce clear coloured urine. Dark yellow colours indicate dehydration and fluid intake is required.
(The FA Coaches Association Journal, Spring/Summer 2005)
3 . A hand held device know as a Osmocheck TM is used nowadays to provide an accurate measure of a player's dehydration level. Using such a devise can mean that the level of fluid intake can be tailored per player in order to rehydrate to the required level.
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Fats: What is a fat? There are two different types of fat, saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats can raise cholesterol levels. Unsaturated fats such as polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats have a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels
Examples of saturated fats are: Butter, Milk, Cakes, Biscuits and Chocolates. Examples of unsaturated fats are oils and speads and margarines
Typical Match Day Meals:
Breakfast should be eaten 6 hours before a game.
Foods recommended for breakfast include: Muesli or Weetabix, poached or scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, wholemeal bread. Orange juice, low fat yogurt.
Lunch should be eaten 2-3 hours before a game.
Foods recommended for lunch include: Pasta, chicken, vegetables , tomato based sauce or Wholemeal bread sandwich with chicken, ham, lettuce and tomato.
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What is Glycemic Index (GI)? Glycemic Index (GI) is the rate at which sugars are absorbed into the muscles for immediate energy usage. The higher the GI, the higher the rate if absorption. When energy is used in this way the energy stored as glycogen in the muscles is spared.
Food intake immediately before and after competition
Foods that provide a high GI should be used 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after a game/training.
Recommended food intake on match day or during competition are foods with a high Glycemic Index including: White Bread (GI of 100) Lucozade Sport, Jaffa Cakes,Bananas,Wine Gums
Did you know that top premiership teams eat Jaffa Cakes at halftime!
It should be noted that any change in your preparation should be practised in training before using it during competition.
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Water Intake? 2 litres of water should be consumed each day, even on match day. Studies have shown that 2% dehydration leads to a 5% reduction in endurance performance. 0.5L of water should be consumed within half an hour of a game (sipped) 250ml should be consumed every 15 minutes during a game if possible.
Sports Drinks (Lucozade Sport) Lucozade claim through scientific tests that in high intensity shuttle running tests designed to replicate activity in a team sport, athletes drinking Lucozade Sport drinks improved their final running time by 33% compared to athletes drinking a water placebo. In addition, Lucozade Sport has also been proven to aid short-term recovery after exercise. By consuming Lucozade Sport drinks after exercise, athletes where able to run for 56% longer in the next run 4 hours later.
Note: Coffee and Tea should be avoided on match day as it is a diuretic (causes dehydration)