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Offline Flex

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What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« on: August 18, 2013, 07:21:33 AM »
Paolo Di Canio bans Sunderland players from eating ketchup, mayonnaise and drinking soda with ice
Posted by Chris Wright
August 17, 2013


Taken aback by the supposedly lapse standards at Sunderland after taking over at the tail end of last season, manager Paolo Di Canio has set about implementing a strict new regime at the Black Cats this summer - outlawing a plethora of "unprofessional" items including tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and ice at the club's training ground as he continues in his battle to whip his squad into fighting shape.

Speaking at his Friday press conference, Di Canio outlined his new methodology:

"This is a complete revolution. It's not just in the way we play, but in how we approach everything. It's been difficult. We've focused on changing the whole dressing-room environment.

"Imagine if for years your habit is to use the phone when you're having a massage on the bed, even one minute before going out to trainć For 25 days I accepted this, because my first priority was to work on the field.

"However, I've said that from now if someone comes inside with a mobile phone, even in their bag, I'll throw it in the North Sea. They're banned.

"We need to have lectures about why we can't have every day things like mayonnaise, ketchup and coke. They can cause chemical problems to the liver, to the stomach.

"If you have ice with coke you can have indigestion. I know players who've had ice with their coke the night before a game and then couldn't play.

"Even coffee can be a problem. You can have one when you get up, but not an hour before you go out training or playing. We give the players diet sheets to follow."

As well as the evils of ketchup, mayo, coffee and ice in Coke, Di Canio has also declared that he has forbidden his players to sing in the showers at the club's training complex as it apparently "disrupts concentration levels."

We give him two months. Three tops.

« Last Edit: August 18, 2013, 07:26:12 AM by Flex »
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Offline Flex

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Re: What is considered good food for a footballer?
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2013, 07:24:58 AM »
A Soccer Player's Diet
By Stewart Coggin, About.com


he importance of a soccer player’s diet cannot be underestimated when planning the path to success on the field.

As Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger once said: “Food is like kerosene. If you put the wrong one in your car, it’s not as quick as it should be”.

The Frenchman famously changed his players’ eating habits after arriving from Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight in 1996 and his methods have been incorporated at other Premier League clubs. Boiled fish, pasta and vegetables became a staple of the average Arsenal player’s diet.

If a player does not have a healthy diet, they will not be able to train as hard, will struggle to improve their play and be more susceptible to tiredness.

What to Eat:

Below are some essential nutrients which players need, as detailed by thefa.com:

Simple carbohydrates: found in sweets, cakes, soft drinks, jam
Complex carbohydrates: found in rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, cereals, fruit
Saturated fats: found in butter, margarine, cheese, pasties
Unsaturated fats: found in sunflower oil, salmon, nuts
Protein: found in milk, chicken, eggs, fish, yogurt
Vitamins and minerals: found in fruit, vegetables, dairy products
Fiber: found in seeds, peas, beans
Water: found in foods, drinks, formulated sports drinks.

Soccer players need energy, which is most commonly found in carbohydrate. This should account for nearly 70% of a soccer player’s diet, which many fail to realize.

The optimal carbohydrate calorie intake for a player is 2400-3000, but many players fail to get near this, meaning their glycogen levels are sub-par. Those who start a game with low glycogen levels can struggle after half-time because they have little carbohydrate left in their muscles by the time the second half starts.

Good carbohydrate intake can be achieved by snacking throughout the day, rather than three regular meals, and it is particularly beneficial to refuel just after training or a match to replenish the energy stores in the muscles.

Bananas, muesli bars, crumpets, bagels, low fat rice pudding, yogurts, milkshakes and fruit are just some of the snacks that are high in carbohydrate but low in fat.

A healthy diet means a player has the possibility to recover more quickly from an injury.

Villarreal club doctor Hector Uso told uefa.com what he believes are the ideal meals for a young player to eat before and after a match.

What to Eat Before a Match

“The meal before the match should consist of carbohydrates with just a little protein because proteins might cause difficulties with digestion. At that moment you could say that the energy basis of the player is set up.

"You have to try and maintain glucose in the blood by giving it some carbohydrates like in pasta or rice and always in combination with vegetables and a small amount of protein, and as free from fat as possible. So fish is ideal. That would be the perfect meal before a match. We usually eat three hours before a game but I would recommend eating even a bit before that; something like three-and-a-half hours before would be perfect."

What to Eat After a Match

"When the match has finished I would recommend eating 30 minutes after the final whistle. The reason for trying to eat as soon as possible after a match is because there is a period of time, up to 45 minutes after physical exercise, or there is a window of recovery for the body, where you can feed it with carbohydrates and protein. At the end of the match, the muscles in the hepatic portal system of the player are completely exhausted so in this phase you have to recover glucose and carbohydrates via pasta or rice. I say pasta or rice because they are the best things to eat at that moment.

"And you also have to restore the player’s damaged protein balance so the player is fit again for physical exercise the day after and does not suffer from muscular problems. So to prevent that you need to take proteins. We usually eat on the bus. We have a cold pasta salad with tuna, eggs and Turkey to ensure that the players eat something in those 45 minutes after the match which gives them the proteins and carbohydrates to rebalance their bodies."

What to Drink

The best fluid to drink is a diluted carbohydrate/electrolyte solution, such as Gatorade and Powerade.

It is best to drink before, during and after a training session, and also to ensure that fluids are taken on regularly throughout a match. Avoid drinking too much at once because this can make you bloated and put you at risk of getting an upset stomach. Taking on small amounts of fluids on a regular basis is key.

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Offline Football supporter

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2013, 07:46:19 AM »
At the clubs I worked with in England, every day after training the lads would usually be given a combination of the following: pasta with white sauce, chicken breast, fresh steamed vegetables, fresh salad, baked potatoes.

Tottenham was different as they had a full kitchen with specialised chefs at their training ground and they had a wider range of healthy options including a lot of white fish.

Another interesting thing I noticed at Spurs was that on Fridays all of the academy boys were given two or three bags of groceries to carry back to their lodgings. Each would be identical except for minor personal choices i.e. some may have fresh strawberries while another may have a fresh pineapple or grapes.

Graham Rix surprised us when he requested pizza and chocolate milk shakes for the players immediately after a game. Apparently this was to immediately replace lost carbohydrates.

I was always told that players should eat bananas for breakfast before training as they slowly released protein through the morning while energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster were totally banned.

And I just remembered that jaffa cakes were popular as they had less than one gram of fat and it was common to see subs on the bench munching jelly babies and other chewy sweets.

I also remember for 6 or 7 months that Kelvin Jack, Brent Sancho and Ian Cox arranged for a Trini lady to cook Trini food twice a week in the players lounge after training. Funny enough, when we were in Tobago with Walsall, she turned up to the game as she was in Tobago on holiday!!
« Last Edit: August 18, 2013, 07:57:19 AM by Football supporter »

Offline Bakes

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2013, 12:01:43 PM »
I was always told that players should eat bananas for breakfast before training as they slowly released protein through the morning while energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster were totally banned.

Not protein, but Potassium and carbohydrates... distance runners usually eat a full meal of pasta the night before a marathon for the slow release of energy from the carbs, and race organizers keep two things on the route, lots of water and bananas.  Water for hydration of course, but the Potassium from the bananas helps replace lost electrolytes (think the old "salt" pill for cricketers) from sweating... and therefore helps to stave off cramping.  The energy drinks are loaded with caffeine... which if I remember correctly promotes dehydration.

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2013, 12:44:08 PM »
I was always told that players should eat bananas for breakfast before training as they slowly released protein through the morning while energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster were totally banned.

Not protein, but Potassium and carbohydrates... distance runners usually eat a full meal of pasta the night before a marathon for the slow release of energy from the carbs, and race organizers keep two things on the route, lots of water and bananas.  Water for hydration of course, but the Potassium from the bananas helps replace lost electrolytes (think the old "salt" pill for cricketers) from sweating... and therefore helps to stave off cramping.  The energy drinks are loaded with caffeine... which if I remember correctly promotes dehydration.

Thanks for the correction.  :beermug:

Offline Bakes

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2013, 01:16:09 PM »
Thanks for the correction.  :beermug:

Still trying to wrap my mind around the chocolate milk and pizza though LOL

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2013, 02:11:47 PM »
Thanks for the correction.  :beermug:

Still trying to wrap my mind around the chocolate milk and pizza though LOL

Yeah, we were the same. But apparently it's one of the quickest ways to get carbs and various other nutrients into your system and these have to be replaced within a short time after the game.

Offline mwanasoka

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2013, 02:14:45 PM »
Very Good article. I include trini sweet potatoes ( Grayish in color when boiled ) the night before & 3 hours before a game to allow it to go from stomach to intestine to avoid cramping or vomiting.You could add Vitamin B & Zinc to aid carb conversion .Use Pasta after games with half mile walk to avoid pain in legs & upper body.Cold water or Gatoraid enters your system in 10 mins as opposed to 30 mins with ambient liquids.
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Offline ragga

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #8 on: August 18, 2013, 02:32:59 PM »
In regards to water and hydration, the sports scientist them say most of it is not absorbed and you just piss it out.
Fluid with electrolytes will be absorbed.

Offline Flex

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2014, 04:18:55 AM »
Something we need to revisit. Players falling like flies, maybe poor diet?

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Brownsugar

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2014, 06:59:33 AM »
I was always told that players should eat bananas for breakfast before training as they slowly released protein through the morning while energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster were totally banned.

Not protein, but Potassium and carbohydrates... distance runners usually eat a full meal of pasta the night before a marathon for the slow release of energy from the carbs, and race organizers keep two things on the route, lots of water and bananas.  Water for hydration of course, but the Potassium from the bananas helps replace lost electrolytes (think the old "salt" pill for cricketers) from sweating... and therefore helps to stave off cramping.  The energy drinks are loaded with caffeine... which if I remember correctly promotes dehydration.

I stopped drinking those energy drinks.....coconut water is it for me after I'm done running or working out.....
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Offline Football supporter

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2014, 07:56:47 AM »
I was always told that players should eat bananas for breakfast before training as they slowly released protein through the morning while energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster were totally banned.

Not protein, but Potassium and carbohydrates... distance runners usually eat a full meal of pasta the night before a marathon for the slow release of energy from the carbs, and race organizers keep two things on the route, lots of water and bananas.  Water for hydration of course, but the Potassium from the bananas helps replace lost electrolytes (think the old "salt" pill for cricketers) from sweating... and therefore helps to stave off cramping.  The energy drinks are loaded with caffeine... which if I remember correctly promotes dehydration.

I stopped drinking those energy drinks.....coconut water is it for me after I'm done running or working out.....

Apparently, at Man Utd, Sir Alex swore by coconut water and it was issued to all players. I'd like to think that he learned about this from Dwight (but it's more likely that he drunk rum & coconut water with Jack lol)

Offline Agent Jack Bauer

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #12 on: March 06, 2014, 09:09:16 AM »
Very Good article. I include trini sweet potatoes ( Grayish in color when boiled ) the night before & 3 hours before a game to allow it to go from stomach to intestine to avoid cramping or vomiting.You could add Vitamin B & Zinc to aid carb conversion .Use Pasta after games with half mile walk to avoid pain in legs & upper body.Cold water or Gatoraid enters your system in 10 mins as opposed to 30 mins with ambient liquids.
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Offline elan

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #13 on: March 06, 2014, 10:50:49 AM »
In regards to sports drink and water. I tend to mix them half and half.
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Offline amielisadore

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Re: What is considered good foods for a footballer?
« Reply #14 on: March 06, 2014, 12:40:18 PM »
Here are some articles from our magazine about healthy eating practices for young athletes that we have posted earlier this season.

http://issuu.com/central.fc/docs/the_shark-_volume_3/26

http://issuu.com/central.fc/docs/the_shark-_volume_4/32

 

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