Some sports are rigidly scheduled like football, which generally plays one game each weekend throughout the season. Other sports, like soccer and basketball have variable days between contests and in tournaments often have only hours between games. The focus in this article is on food choices you can make and how you can best use the time between contests to ensure that your body will be prepared to play in your next game or training session.
Lack of your body’s fuel (muscle glycogen) is one of the primary reasons for fatigue in soccer. When muscle glycogen is low, running endurance and speed decline, especially as the game progresses. With three or more days between games, there is enough time to refill the muscle glycogen tank. If there are less than two days between games, and the player doesn't follow some simple guidelines listed below, the player will likely enter the next game with less glycogen, and this means tiring earlier in the game.
There are three main factors that go into rapid recovery of muscle glycogen: food choices, timing of food intake, and the interaction of these two with insulin.
Food Choices: Glycogen is a carbohydrate, so it is best to eat carbohydrates (but don't forget protein) during the recovery stages. Nutritionists group carbohydrates according to their glycemic index; i.e. how intensely the carbohydrates stimulate the release of insulin. Foods with a high glycemic index (watermelon, bagel, baked potato, sports drinks) bring about the greatest release of insulin while low glycemic index foods (apple, pear, peanuts) don't lead to a large release of insulin.
Timing of food intake: Food choice is important, but so is the time when the food is eaten. The best time to eat and fill the muscles is when you aren't too interested in eating - the first two hours after exercise. During this two-hour period, choose foods with a high glycemic index (sweets, fruits, sports drinks) for the fastest replenishment of muscle glycogen. Protein is also helpful at this stage. Research shows that the largest insulin response comes from a 4:1 mixture of carbohydrates:protein. You should take in one gram of carbohydrate for each pound of your weight. For the 160-pound player, that would be 160 grams of carbohydrate and about 40 grams of protein. Keep fat intake at an absolute minimum. The body doesn't care if the nutrients come as a liquid or as solid food. Most players might not want to eat anything solid or a meal in this two-hour time period and would prefer a liquid 'meal.'
In the next two hour stage (two-four hours after the event), solid food or a meal is likely more palatable. Choose moderate to high glycemic index foods (ie. grapes, bran muffins), with 60-65% of the calories as carbohydrate, 20-25% fat and the remainder protein. This will help keep the refueling process moving along at a fast pace.
Over the remainder of the 24 hours, choose low to moderate glycemic index foods (ie. pasta, oranges) and try to take in three-to-five grams of carbohydrate per pound of weight. That 160-pound player should take in, over 24 hours, a total of 480-800 grams of carbohydrate. The calorie proportions should remain the same: with 60-65% of the calories coming from carbohydrates, 20-25% coming from fat, and the remainder from protein.
Interaction of food choice and timing with insulin: Insulin has been prominently mentioned in this article. Some people have called insulin the "master recovery hormone" because it assists in transporting glucose (blood sugar) from the blood into (muscle) cells as well as stimulating the hormones that help make glycogen - just what your body needs during recovery. After exercising the muscle cells are especially sensitive to insulin - meaning more sugar gets into the cells and more glycogen is made. After two or more hours, the insulin sensitivity of the cells declines. This is why it is necessary to eat carbohydrates soon after exercising.
If an insulin response is important after exercise, can the insulin response be boosted? Yes, but the optimal ratio of carbohydrate and protein seems to be 4:1. This can double the insulin response and increase glycogen production by 30%. Protein can come as food or as an amino acid supplement. Arginine is an amino acid that has been studied extensively and seems to be quite good at stimulating the insulin response. Another amino acid, glutamine, can help with tissue repair as well as many aspects of the immune response. Don't overdo the overall protein intake because eating too much protein can slow down the recovery process.
Most players aren't looking to sit down to a meal or eat any solid food in the critical 2-hour period after training/competition. But, there are drinks that can help fulfill your body’s needs. The quickest way to get carbs into the blood is from a drink that is sweetened with a glucose polymer (e.g. high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrins) or high glycemic index carbohydrates – ie. Gatorade. You can minimize damage and speed repair of cells between exercise sessions if extra vitamin C and E and glutamine are ingested.
Anytime you play a game or go through a strenuous training session, it is important that you give your body the best opportunity to recover, so you may be at your best the next time out. Hopefully this article helped you understand how important the right foods at the right time can be to your body. Eating the correct foods – and in the correct proportions - will allow your body to perform at its best in the next game.
WATER: The Athlete's Most Important Nutrient
Sources:
ICSN, International Center for Sports Nutrition USOC, United States Olympic Committee - Sports Medicine Division USSF, United States Soccer Federation - Sports Medicine Committee
Forget about every other question that you have about nutrition until you've figured out how to stay hydrated. Being smart about water intake can separate good performance from great performance.
You are mostly water. In fact, if you took the water out of a 180-pound lean body, there would be about 55 pounds left. Because your muscles, your brain, your blood and sweat are mostly water, your body doesn't work like it should when it doesn't have enough water. You don't think as clearly, your endurance is compromised and your heart works harder.
When you're severely dehydrated, sweating stops and your body overheats. The result-fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and collapse, or worse. In fact, every year, deaths in young healthy athletes are linked to severe dehydration.
Sweat It Out Sometimes you don't even see sweat, like when you swim. But you sweat whenever your body heats up from working out. Sweat is your body's cooling system. Evaporation of sweat from your skin cools you down.
When you sweat, you lose water from your body and that water must be replaced. Replacing the water takes a plan.
Dehydration: A shortage of water in the body.
Don't Rely on Thirst You might be thinking, "What's the big deal? Won't drinking when I'm thirsty guarantee that I'm hydrated?" Surprisingly, no. During exercise, for reasons not totally understood, humans don't drink enough to prevent dehydration. You need to drink before you're thirsty and keep drinking after you no longer feel thirsty.
Drink It In Forget about the old rule of drinking 8 glasses per day. You probably need more than that on most days. Counting how many glasses you drink is only one way of keeping track of what you need. A better way of making sure you're hydrated is to check your body weight before and after practice. For accuracy, weigh in minimal clothing if there's privacy, and afterwards, change out of the sweaty clothing before you weigh. The weight lost during practice or competition is not fat, it's water loss.
One pint of water weighs one pound. To replace the water, drink one pint of fluid for every pound you lost. (One pint = 16 ounces = 500 ml = ˝ liter). It is critical to replace the water loss as quickly as possible. Before your next workout, your weight should be back up to normal.
If you can't check your weight, pay attention to your body for signs of dehydration. Your mouth should not be dry. Your urine should be lemon-colored most of the time.
More than one episode of dark yellow urine is a warning sign that you don't have much reserve. (Exception: Vitamin supplements can turn your urine yellow-orange, even if you are hydrated.) Loss of appetite, stomachaches, and muscle cramps can be other warning signals of dehydration.
When? Drink before, during and after working out. Drink a pint or so of fluid a few hours before exercise. This will help make sure you are hydrated and give you enough time to urinate if you need to beforehand.
Keep drinking during exercise. And don't worry about getting too much fluid. If you're sweating, your body needs a constant supply. Your stomach might gurgle, but your body will absorb and use the fluid. Feeling sick and cramping have been blamed on too much water when in fact, stomachaches and muscle cramps are usually signs of not drinking enough fluid.
Drinking fluids after workouts is extremely important. Even when drinking fluids during a workout, many athletes become dehydrated. Athletes working out in the heat for several hours can lose 10 pounds. That's more than a gallon of water.
Hydration Tip: Fill your water bottle and keep it in plain sight so you remember to drink it.
What Should I Drink? Your body needs water. But remember water comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. Milk is 90% water. Juice and most soft drinks are 89% water, sport drinks are 94% water, and even pizza is 50% water. And it all counts. Nearly everything that passes your lips provides water for your body, and in fact, research shows that most hydration happens at meals from the combination of food and beverages.
Research also shows that we tend to drink more if the fluid is flavored and if a variety of fluids are available.
Keys to Hydration When you have figured out how to stay hydrated, especially when you sweat heavily, you have accomplished the single most important performance-enhancing aspect of nutrition.
Water is your most important nutrient.
Heat Cramps
Source:
USOC Sports Medicine Division
Heat illnesses are common problems for both athletes and non-athletes in hot, humid weather. Heat Cramps, Heat Exhaustion, and Heat Stroke start from similar circumstances: poor adjustment to hot weather and relative dehydration. These conditions can be severe and need emergency medical attention. All are preventable if certain procedures, such as time to adjust to heat, adequate fluids, and normal dietary electrolyte intake, are followed.
Heat Cramps Cause Inadequate adjustment to hot weather, heavy sweating; decreased blood levels of electrolytes; fluids and electrolytes not adequately replaced; unreplaced weight loss from previous workout/day.
Clinical signs and symptoms Muscles in arms, legs, and/or abdomen spasm uncontrollably, accompanied by heavy sweating.
Treatment Drink fluids; gently stretch and massage cramped muscles; rest in cool environment; apply ice to cramped area; watch for breathing or heart problems.
Prevention Maintain adequate fluid intake by replacing sweat losses: 15-30 minutes before exercise, drink 16 oz. of fluid; during exercise, drink 8oz. every 15 minutes; and after exercise drink 16 oz. of water/electrolyte drink (i.e., PowerAde, Gatorade) for every pound of body weight loss; increase fitness; wear light colored and/or lightweight (i.e. mesh) clothing; do not use alcohol, coffee, caffienated drinks, or soda pop for fluid replacement.
Heat Exhaustion Cause Long exposure to hot and/or humid environment; heavy sweating; fluids and electrolytes not replaced adequately; unreplaced weight loss from previous workout/day.
Clinical signs and symptoms Skin cool, pale and moist; heavy sweating; headache; dizziness; poor coordination; mental dullness; enlarged pupils; nausea; vomiting; fatigue; weakness; thirsty; small urine volume (bright yellow color); possibility of unconsciousness.
Treatment Stop activity; rest in a cool area; sponge with cool water; drink water if conscious (replace weight loss with 16 oz of fluid for each pound of body weight); watch for breathing or heart problems; refer to physician attention if recovery does not occur quickly.
Prevention Maintain adequate fluid intake by replacing sweat losses; 15-30 minutes before exercise drink 16 ounces of fluid, during exercise drink 8 ounces every 15 minutes, and after exercise drink 16 ounces of water-electrolyte drink (i.e. Powerade, Gatorade for every pound of body weight lost; increase fitness; wear light colored and/or lightweight (i.e. mesh) clothing; do not use alcohol, coffee, caffeinated drinks, or soda pop for fluid replacement; allow time for rest and cool down.
Heatstroke Cause Body's temperature control system stops working.
Clinical signs and symptoms Hot, dry and red skin; no sweating; rapid pulse; confusion; dizziness; unconsciousness; rectal temperature as high as 104°-106° Fahrenheit.
Treatment: Medical Emergency! Immediate emergency cooling (e.g. cool room, put body in tub of ice water, ice cloths with a fan blowing on skin) and transport immediately to hospital; check temperature; watch for breathing or heart problems (may need CPR)
Prevention Maintain adequate fluid intake by replacing sweat losses; 15-30 minutes before exercise drink 16 ounces of fluid, during exercise drink 8 ounces every 15 minutes, and after exercise drink 16 ounces of water/electrolyte drink (i.e. mesh) clothing; do not use alcohol, coffee, caffeinated drinks, or soda pop for fluid replacement; allow time for rest and cool down.
(Thanks to Mark Stein, ATC, for his help with this project.) 1991 United States Olympic Committee (revised November 1999)
