Nutritional Suggestions for Soccer Players

By: Ted Harper, RD, ACSM-HFS, Sports Nutritionist

When talented, motivated, and highly trained athletes meet for competition, the margin between victory and defeat is usually small. When everything else is equal, nutrition can make the difference between winning and losing. Thus, what you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat is vital to an athlete’s performance.

Every Day Nutrition

Athletes should establish nutritional goals just as they set up other kinds of training goals. Excellent nutrition is the backbone that supports consistent training, which leads to improved performance come game-time. Download more information on nutrition for athletes here.

Before a Game or Training

When you are preparing for training or a game, there are three critical factors to keep in mind: carbohydrates, protein, and fluids. You need carbohydrates to ensure that your muscles will have high pre-competition glycogen stores so to provide you with energy to fuel your working muscles during a game or training. Protein helps improve the strength and rebuilding of muscles. Ensuring you are in a hydrated state by drinking adequate amounts of fluids before a game or training will also aid your performance by allowing you to better maintain your power output and endurance.

Several studies show that eating a good meal 3-4 hours before exercise and then again eating a small snack 30-60 minutes immediately before exercise improves performance. Ideally, a pre-game meal or snack should prepare athletes for the upcoming activity without leaving them hungry or feeling overly full. For more details, download this article written by a Sports Nutritionist who works with Olympic athletes, Division 1 collegiate athletes, and elite high school athletes.

Plan a pre-game snack that includes:

• Have plenty of water or sports drink to maintain hydration (see Fluids and Hydration Recommendations)
• Be low in fat and fiber to prevent upset stomachs or an overly full feeling
• Be high in carbohydrate to maximize glycogen stores and give you enough fuel for your working muscles
• Have a little protein to support muscle performance