Breakfast:

Before / During a Competition

On most competition days the breakfast is the pre-game meal. The pre-game meal offers very little for the energy production system however, it can do much damage if the wrong foods are consumed.

It has been suggested that the player enter the game with stomach as empty as possible. When there is food in the stomach, the heart pumps large volumes of blood to the stomach to aid in digestion. If playing or practicing, however, the blood is shunted to the working muscles, therefore stopping the digestive process. This often causes stomach cramps and gas, making the player very uncomfortable.

Items recommended for breakfast the day of a competition are:

Drinks	Meal Items	Snacks
Apple Juice Orange Juice Vegetable Juice Fruit Juice Water Hot Chocolate Milk	Bagels Raisin Bran Toast, 2-3 slices Yogurt Muffin, Bran - Oatmeal Pancakes (low butter / syrup) Bread, all varieties	Fruit bars Fig Newtons Fruit - fresh or dried Raisins Banana

AVOID:

Fat:

• Bacon, sausage, excess butter / margarine etc.

Fried Foods:

• Home fries, hash browns, fried/scrambled eggs etc.

Lunch:

During a Competition

If lunch is a pre-game meal please refer to the pre-game section. The pre-game meal offers very little for the energy production system however, it can do much damage if the wrong foods are consumed. It has been suggested that the player enter the game with stomach as empty as possible. When there is food in the stomach, the heart pumps large volumes of blood to the stomach to aid in digestion. If playing or practicing, however, the blood is shunted to the working muscles, therefore stopping the digestive process. This often causes stomach cramps and gas, making the player very uncomfortable. Items recommended for lunch the day of a competition are:

Drinks	Meal Items	Snacks
Apple Juice Orange Juice Vegetable Juice Fruit Juice Water Milk Shake Milk	Sandwich (2oz meat, fish or poultry) Cup of stock soup Bagels Vegetables Bread, all varieties	Fruit bars Fig Newtons Fruit - fresh or dried Raisins Apple Banana Cheese and crackers Pretzels - Saltines

AVOID:

Fat:

• Excess butter / margarine etc., Salami, bologna, sausage, hamburgers, hot-dogs

Fried Foods:

• French fries, home fries, hash browns etc.

Pre-Game Meals / Snacks:

The GOAL for Game Time:

• An empty stomach and gastrointestinal tract, but enough fuel for the muscles and enough food to prevent hunger.
• A settled stomach and a confident athlete.
• A well hydrated, comfortable athlete.

Why?:
So that the blood will go to the working muscles, not the digestive organs. Because muscles rely primarily on fuel stored from meals eaten in the days before the competition.  Food eaten on the day of the game fuels the brain and keeps the muscles topped up when the competition is long or intermittent.  So that pre-competition nerves don’t upset the stomach.

Items recommended for pre-game meals / snacks:

Drinks	Snacks
Apple Juice Orange Juice Fruit Juice Water	Fruit bars Fig Newtons Fruit - fresh or dried Raisins Apple Banana Saltines Popcorn (no butter)

1 Hour before the game: (High carbohydrate, Low fat, little protein, Low fiber, primarily liquid)

• Milk and a medium banana
• Plain muffin and fruit juice
• Toast with jam and milk

2 Hours before the game: (High carbohydrate, Low fat, moderate protein)

• Cereal, banana and milk
• Plain muffin and fruit juice
• Toast with jam and milk

3 Hours before the game: (High carbohydrate, Moderate fat, more protein)

• Sandwich - Lean meat, fish poultry or egg, milk, fruit ...or
• 2-3 ounces of lean meat (not fried), 1 medium potato or rice or pasta, fruit and milk ...or
• Large bowl of cereal, fruit yogurt, toast, fruit
   

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More Tips

Here are some suggestions on how to manage the weekend of soccer and get into the last five minutes of the second game of the day with more energy than the other team.

1. Start your nutrition plan well before game day. Eat good solid meals several days before game day. Take in lots of fluid and carbohydrates. Pasta is a favorite meal.

2. Get a good night's sleep before the game. East a good breakfast on game day. Be sure to take in lots of fluid.

3. Stay hydrated. Most players don't take in anywhere enough fluid during and after a game. A reasonable approach is to drink a water bottle of water during the first half. Then at half time drink a sports drink. Same thing for the second half. Use the delays that always occur during play to get to your water.

4. Refuel after the game. 90 minutes of soccer take a lot out of you. As soon as the game is over get a sports drink and eat a bagel.

5. Eat a sensible lunch between games. Be sure to take in some carbohydrates.  Too many players, especially females, don't get enough carbohydrates. They eat a nice salad and stay away from the grease, but neglect the carbohydrates.

6. Second game follow the same pattern as the first game.

7. After the second game, take in even more fluid.

If you're playing in a tournament, eat a good dinner. Pasta is good. Don't forget to take in fluid. Get a good night's sleep. Start the day with a good breakfast.

Providing players with food guidelines will help them to pick out high performance foods. Diets that are high in carbohydrate and fluids, moderate in protein and low in fat will give athletes enough calories and nutrients to grow, train and compete. Below are some suggestions of recommended foods and foods to avoid before, during, and after games.

Guidelines for Water

All athletes should drink water before, during, and after exercise. Before exercise: Drink 10-14 ozs cold water 1-2 hours before game. Drink 10 oz of cold water 10-15 min. before activity.

During exercise: Drink 3-4 oz of cold water every 15 minutes.

After exercise: Drink as much cold water as needed to quench thirst and the some. Note thirst does not indicate when an athlete needs to rehydrate.

Meal Time is critical. In general, you should allow 3-4 hours for a large meal to digest; 2-3 hours for a smaller meal, 1-2 hours for a blender meal. With morning events, eat a hearty, high carbohydrate dinner and bedtime snack the night before. In the morning (before game) eat a light snack . With evening events, eat a hearty breakfast and lunch, then perhaps a light snack 1-2 hours prior to game.

Pre-event Suggestions

Breakfast Choices

RECOMMENDED: Fruits, Pancakes (Low on syrup, Cereal (Not sugary), Bagels, Waffles, English Muffins, 1% or skim milk, Orange juice, Water, Bread, Oatmeal, Fruits.                     

NOT RECOMMENDED: Bacon, Sausage, Eggs, cheese, Whole milk, Doughnuts, Pop tarts, Soda, Croissants, excessive Butter or Margarine, Biscuits, Cookies.

Lunch and Dinner

RECOMMENDED: Baked potato, Rolls and Bread, Bagels,   Salads,   Yogurt shake, Pasta (No fat sauces), Cheese Pizza, Lean ham, Tortellini, sandwich, Vegetables, Perrogies,
Soups (Noodles/Chicken), or Subs. Fruits , Fruit cups, Jello for Desert.

NOT RECOMMENDED: Hamburgers, French fries, Fried fish, Fried chicken, Meat pizza, Soda, Gravy, Chili, Biscuits, Hot dogs, Mayo/cheese, deserts such as Cakes, pies, ice-cream.

Between Game Snacks

RECOMMENDED: Low fat cheese, peanut butter non salted crackers, Yogurts, Fruits such as bananas, apples, pears, nectarines, oranges. Frozen yogurt, 1% milk, Graham crackers, bread, low fat cheese or margarine, Cereals (Non sugary).

AVOID: Chocolates, candies, doughnuts, and all above not recommended foods between games.