Being a footballer implies leading a very different lifestyle from other people, such as, for example, you must exercise differently, have as healthy a diet as possible and plan your daily routine. In this sense, nutrition is an important factor for a footballer , since his performance depends on it both on and off the pitch.
If you are a footballer, you need to change many things in your life that you were comfortable with, including the way you eat food. Therefore, we tell you how a footballer should eat and 2 specific recipes for footballers that will give you the energy you need for important matches.
Healthy diet for a footballer
We guide you through a series of very nutritious guidelines that will be very useful on the same day as a football game. As we have mentioned, a footballer must eat as well as possible before a match, in order to perform at maximum 90 minutes.
1. Food for daily consumption
- Breakfast: Apple Pie Oatmeal, Plant Based Protein Powder, Apples, Chia Seeds, Almond Milk, Cinnamon, Pure Maple Syrup, Walnuts, and Hemp Seeds.
- Snack: protein shake.
- Lunch: Sweet potato stew, onion, red pepper, broccoli, mushrooms, black beans, and grilled sausage.
- Dinner: Sweet potato fries and mixed vegetables.
2. Sweeteners
Every good diet has to be complemented with a good natural sweetener to give a good meal that sweet touch that is so much needed at times. Among the main ones would be 100% pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, peanut butter and cocoa.
3. Nuts
It is also advisable to know some nuts and seeds that will give you protein, recovery and energy for the time of a training or a game. The most important are chia seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, almonds, hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds.
4. Beans and legumes
We can’t forget the large servings of plant-based protein. Among the most important sources we have chickpeas, black beans and lentils.
Food for soccer players on match day
Food for a soccer player during the day of a match is just as important as the game itself: your performance on the pitch will depend on these meals; in addition to previous training.
- Breakfast: Banana vanilla pancakes (made with protein powder), topped with almond butter, fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, and a splash of maple syrup.
- Snack: banana and almond butter.
- Pregame meal: whole wheat bread with hummus and avocado, Italian sausage and tomato.
Specific recipes for soccer players
Avocado toast
- 2 slices of whole wheat bread.
- 1 ripe avocado.
- 1 teaspoon of hemp seeds and 1 teaspoon of chia seeds.
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Tomato slices (optional).
Sweet potato stew
- 1 cup of chopped sweet potatoes.
- 1/2 of onion chopped.
- 1 cup of chopped red bell pepper, 1 cup of broccoli, 1 cup of mushrooms and 1 cup of black beans.
- 1 sliced roasted sausage.
Conclution
It is a challenge for every athlete to have a good diet, especially for a footballer who burns between 1500 and 3000 calories depending on the size of the player and his performance on the field. Therefore, you must eat a diet based on healthy foods that can replace all the lost nutrients and replace them for the next challenge.
References
- Lauren, B. How Does A Pro Soccer Player Fuel Up. For Breakingmuscle [Revised August 2018].
