Snack
1 banana, and a glass of water.
Lunch
Smoked salmon & cream cheese bagel, with a glass of orange or water.
Snack
Ryvita with cheese & chive cream, and a glass of water.
Dinner
Grilled chicken, pasta or rice with a glass of water or orange.
Snack
Crackers and cottage cheese, with a glass of semi skimmed milk or water.
Sunday
Breakfast
Cheese on toast with a glass of water.
Snack
4-5 crabsticks, with a glass of orange or water.
Lunch
Ham and salad sandwich using wholemeal bread, with low fat yoghurt and a glass of water.
Snack
Vegetable soup with whole meal rolls, with a glass of water.
Dinner
Turkey with boiled potatoes carrots, peas and sprouts served with gravy, with a glass of water.
Snack
Jam tart with custard and a glass of water.
2.
Carbohydrates
Large amounts of carbohydrates are stored in the body as glycogen in the liver and muscles, until they are needed. During a competition you need to raise your carbohydrate levels. According to the Football Association a healthy diet should have 55%-60% carbohydrate. For footballers, that percentage might be as high as 70%.
Vitamins and minerals
Vitamins and minerals enable are bodies to work normally and efficiently. They help us grow and repair our body tissues. Vitamins all have their own function.
Fibre
Fibre is made up of a number of complex carbohydrates. There are two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. There are no calories, vitamins or minerals in fibre and it is not digested when we eat it. Fibre is only found in the cell walls of plants. Foods such as meat, fish and dairy products contain no fibre at all. Fibre is essential for healthy bowel function. When fibre passes through the bowel it absorbs a lot of water, so it increases the bulk of the waste matter. This also makes the waste softer and increases the speed and ease with which it passes through the bowel. soluble fibre helps to stabilise blood sugar levels because it slows down the rate at which glucose is absorbed into the blood stream. It also helps to lower blood cholesterol levels, which is important for reducing the risk of heart disease. Ideally, adults should aim for an intake of around 18 grams per day, or even a little more. Eating more than 32 grams of fibre per day do not offer any additional health benefits. If you increase your fibre intake from a relatively low level, it is best to do it gradually. This is because a sudden increase may produce wind, bloating and stomach cramps. A gradual increase will avoid this problem. All plant-based foods will contain fibre. Good sources of fibre are fruit, vegetables, wholegrain rice and pasta, wholemeal bread, many breakfast cereals, nuts, seeds and bran. Particularly good sources of soluble fibre are fruit, vegetables, beans and oats.
Fats
Fates are good for three things protection of the body, insulation of the body and also give us a source of energy. Fats are broken down in the body into saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. There are two types of fats:
Saturated fats- we find them in animal products such as milk, meat, cheese, cream and butter. They are also found in cakes, biscuits and chocolate. Saturated fats can raise our cholesterol levels.
Unsaturated fats- we find unsaturated fats in fish and plant products as corn, nuts and soya beans.
Protein
Protein is used in our bodies to help growth and to repair muscles, they are also used to make blood. They are sometimes used for energy when our bodies run out of carbohydrates or fats. Proteins are essential in everybody's diet. They are complex substances found in many foods and are made up of thousands of small units called amino acids. Proteins can be used as energy but the body prefers to use carbohydrate and fat as the main energy sources. Meat and fish are excellent sources of protein. However, you can also get protein from cereals, dairy products, nuts, lentils, pulses and some vegetables.
Water
Water is a nutrient and the human body is made up of 60 -75% water and water is used by every cell of the body. That’s why we must make sure we take in as much water as possible. When performing sports we must make sure we don’t get dehydrated. These checks will help players:
- Weight – 1kg of weight lost during a training session is equal to 1 litre of fluid lost.
- The pee test – If your urine is dark coloured, it means you need to have a drink. Lots of trips to the toilet, producing lots of clear coloured urine, shows you’ve taken on enough fluid.
- Thirst – Being thirsty is an unreliable indicator of when you need to have a drink. If you’re thirsty, you’re actually already partly dehydrated so if you finish a training session and you’re gasping it’s a giveaway you haven’t taken enough fluid on board.
3.
The reason for this diet containing lots of water is that our bodies use up the equivalent of 8 glasses per day. So we must refill this back up by drinking lots of water. We must also drink water during and after a sporting activity, because will lose it when we sweat, urine and as water vapour in our mouth. For footballers, the best fluid to drink is a diluted carbohydrate/electrolyte solution i.e. Isostar, Lucozade Sport and Gatorade. We must only drink a little bit, but often. If you drink too much too quickly, you run the risk of getting a stomach upset. I had said to use low fat butter or margarine to keep our fat intake low, we only need about 30% but that does differ depending on the sport you are playing. For example a rugby player will need to be bigger and stronger to tackle opponents where as football player will need less, as he needs to be able to run fast and good mobility. I have used lots of carbohydrates in my diet as they give us the energy we need for muscles to be able to contract. This is good for a footballer, as they have to have lots of energy to get through 1hour and 30 minutes of football. But before a match you need to take on board plenty of carbohydrates and it is important to eat them in advance so they have the chance to be broken down in your body, ready to provide you with energy. For example if a football team who has a match at 8pm will have a meal at 3pm which will consist of a high-protein starter such as clear chicken soup, then a very high carbohydrate main course including starchy foods such as pasta, rice or potatoes. In my diet I have used jam, fruits and chocolate bars these are know as simple carbohydrates these will give us a quick burst of energy but nothing else. Energy levels can get seriously low during any physical sport, so it's important to take on board the right foods and liquids. I recommend eating bananas, which are full of iron, are easily broken down by the body and provide instant energy. For example in a game of tennis Andre Agassi will win a set then he will eat a banana to put the energy back in, as they break down very quickly. Because bananas provide energy to the muscles they can also prevent painful cramps too. Football players also eat Jelly Babies and jafa cakes at half-time, they do this because its sugar and it's a kick start to get the body going again. Pure chocolate is also good too. I have also used pasta, vegetables, rice and cereals these are a different kind of carbohydrate known as complex carbohydrates. These are much better as they contain protein, minerals, vitamins and fibre. It will also give us a better source of energy as it burns up slower than simple carbohydrates. I have purposely used more of these complex carbohydrates in my diet because they are much better than simple carbohydrates. Our bodies require 10- 15% of protein within our diet. These are found in my diet in chicken, ham, beef, milk and tuna. I have suggested grilling most of the meats this is because it lowers the fat intake. If the player is injured or looking to build up his strength over a period of time he should increase the around of protein he is eating. Protein helps to build up and repair muscle tissue and is good to eat after a game to repair and mend the muscles. I have chosen such snacks as bananas and oranges this is because oranges have a good source of vitamin c and bananas are a good source of extra energy. To improve performance for a footballer I recommend that a player should consume 200-300 grams of potatoes, boiled for 20 minutes, exactly three hours before going on the pitch. This is because they contain glucides, which deliver a steady flow of muscular energy. They also contain useful vitamins.
