Nutritian
By Marc Coburn
As the school year comes to an end it brings to light that there is only a short summer separating football players and their first game. The summer is a time for football players who want to be the best and compete at the highest levels to get better. It is a time for camps, passing leagues, lifting, and ultimately getting bigger, stronger and faster. While this is done through the right lifting and training programs you want to make sure you are getting the most results out of your hard work. This is where Nutrition and Proper Diet comes into play. You can have the work ethic of Jerry Rice but if you don't feed your body properly, you are not going to get the most out of what you're putting into it.
Proper nutrition is extremely important for football players. Because football requires short bursts of energy, eating enough carbohydrates is critical. As an athlete, you are always looking for the edge over your opponent and nutrition is that edge. It does not only impact strength, speed and stamina but recovery as well. As an athlete, you are responsible for taking control and you must provide your body with optimal body fueling. A player who comes to practice without having eaten breakfast or lunch, or skimps on fluid intake during hot summer practices is not going to reach his full potential - which ultimately affects the performance of the team as a whole.
CARBS ARE KEY
Football is a stop-and-go sport with short bursts of intense effort followed by rest and the primary fuel for football is carbohydrates. An ideal diet for football players requires 55 to 60 percent of their daily caloric intake to come from carbohydrates, 15 percent from protein and 30 percent from fat. Simply stated, your diet should be 2/3 carbohydrates and 1/3 protein with an emphasis on moderate fat. Foods that are heavy in carbohydrates and lower in fat should be emphasized such as bagels instead of doughnuts, mashed potatoes rather then fries, grilled chicken in place of fried and frozen yogurt over ice cream. Upping the amount of carbohydrates in your diet will provide you with more available energy during practice and games.. Less fried food often decreases the chance of an upset stomach which may also boost performance.
During two-a-days/pre-season carbohydrates must be the main fuel source. Players will not recover in time for the next practice unless their carbohydrates. intake is adequate. Watch your protein intake. While protein is needed in an athlete's diet to build and maintain muscle mass, excess protein consumption will be stored as fat and may dehydrate the body. For example, turkey and cheese roll-ups, fruit, vegetables and what are Gatorade bars are all good food choices. It is up to your body type how much protein intake you can allow. Eating a ratio of 40 grams of carbohydrates for every 30 grams of protein, every 2 ½ to 3 hours while training, is a good median ratio.
PRE-GAME/WORKOUT MEALS
The primary goal for a pre-game meal is to fuel the body for competition. The best strategy is to choose low-fat foods. Fats take longer to digest, so high-fat meals can leave the athlete with a full, heavy stomach and not enough energy to perform at his best. When planning a pre-game/workout meal early in the day, try to avoid foods such as fried meats, fried potatoes, bacon and sausage. Instead, choose foods that favor leaner protein and carbs like bread and cereal. For afternoon/evening games/workouts, choose grilled, baked or broiled meats, tomato instead of cream sauce, low-fat milk, and baked or broiled potatoes, not fried. Additional food options for pre-game meals include:
Turkey or ham subs, fruit salad, and frozen yogurt
Eggs, toast, ham, and fruit
Grilled chicken, salad, and fruit
Meal replacement bar or shake.
8-ounce cuts of steak with carbs on the side.
Beverages: sports drinks, juices, and water.
POST GAME/WORKOUT SNACK
For optimal recovery after competition, practice and lifting, consume and replenish fluids and carbs within 15 minutes after your activity. Now your body will be craving complex (bread) and simple (sugar) carbohydrates directly after your workout. Eating fruit or yogurt or drinking a Gatorade with low to no protein content as a snack directly after a workout will promote recovery and extensive muscle growth. It is vital to keep the protein intake to a minimum during this time in order to allow the carbohydrates (especially the simple carbohydrates) to digest, be processed by the body and then used as energy instead of being turned into fat.
POST-GAME/WORKOUT MEALS
Following your post-game/workout snack you need to follow that up with a meal of the proper combination of carbohydrates and protein within 60 minutes after your activity. This is key not only to continuing your recovery but also to help promote muscle growth and keep energy levels up. Some good choices include:
Steak kebabs, rice
Salmon, green beans, and corn
Roast beef, mashed potatoes and salad
Hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, baked potato and juice.
Meal replacement bar or shake if your on the run and don't have time to eat a proper meal
RESULT WILL COME GAMETIME
If you add a nutrition program that follows a few of these simple suggestions, you will see more results for the effort you are putting into your workouts. You will become that bigger, stronger, faster athlete that you know you can be. Set goals not only with your workouts but also with the nutrition that is going to help you not only achieve your goals, but surpass them.
Source: Marsha Ratering, Registered Dietitian