Irish Football Nutritional Guidelines
Basic Guidelines:
Proper nutrition is extremely important for football players. Because football requires short bursts of energy, eating enough carbohydrates is critical. As an athlete, you are always looking for the edge over your opponent. Nutrition is that edge. It does not only impact strength, speed and stamina, but recovery as well. You, as athletes, are responsible for taking control. You must provide your body with optimal body fueling. A player who comes to practice without having eaten breakfast or lunch, or skimps on fluid intake during hot summer practices, is not going to reach his full potential – which ultimately affects the performance of the team as a whole and most importantly as your health.
Football is a stop-and-go sport with short burst of intense effort, followed by rest. Therefore, the primary fuel substrate for football is carbohydrates. An ideal diet for football players requires 55 to 60 percent of their daily caloric intake to come from carbohydrates, 15 percent from protein and 30 percent from fat. Simply stated, your diet should be 2/3 carbohydrates and 1/3 protein, with an emphasis on moderate fat. Carbohydrates-containing foods with lower fat should be emphasized: bagels over doughnuts, mashed potatoes over fries, grilled chicken over fried, frozen yogurt over ice cream. Upping the amount of carbohydrates in your diet will provide you with more available energy during practice and games. Less fried foods often decrease the chance of an upset stomach, which may also boost performance.
During Two-a-days/Pre-season, carbohydrates must be the main fuel source. Players will not recover in time for the next practice unless carbohydrate intakes are adequate. Watch your protein intake. While protein is needed in an athlete’s diet to build and maintain muscle mass, excess protein consumption will be stored as fat and may dehydrate the body. For example, turkey and cheese roll-ups, fruit, vegetables, Gatorade bars etc., are good food choices.
Post workout/in-season and offseason
For optimal recovery after competition/practice or lifting, you need to consume a protein-carbohydrate mix. The snack should contain 6 grams of protein and 35 grams of carbohydrates. Suggestions include peanut butter crackers, trail mix, yogurt with cereal, a bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter, or a sports bar containing the right proportion. This snack should be consumed within 30 minutes after competition/practice or lifting for optimal benefit.
If at all possible protein shakes are suggested for example: Muscle Milk, Plyomex, GNC Whey protein
- Whey Protein is great to have directly after a workout. The body digests Whey protein in about 1-3 hours; therefore it is a good source of protein for immediate recovery. Look for any type of Whey protein at GNC or any Vitamin store. Make sure to actually shop around and look at the serving sizes. The protein you purchase should be high in protein and low in fat. A good suggestion would be Gold Standard Protein made by Optimum Nutrition.
- Casein protein is to consume before bedtime or right when you wake up. Casein protein takes nearly 7 hours for the body to digest; therefore it is good for your body to digest it either throughout the day, or while you sleep. A good suggestion for a Casein protein is Muscle Milk. It is recommended to take this type of protein right when you wake, or before you go to bed!!
During the summer workouts, our athletes are burning on average anywhere from 1700-2300 calories a workout. It is imperative that you eat more calories than what you are burning otherwise gaining weight will be impossibly. Also, make sure to eat something that is high in calories within 30 minutes of working out. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a Tuna fish sandwich with chocolate milk is a great post-workout snack.
It is recommended that all athletes, whether they stay after workouts for “chalk talk” or not, bring a snack with them. They are encouraged to bring any of the snacks listed below. We have plenty of room to store food for the 2 hour workout session if the athletes need to refrigerate something.
Summer school students also NEED to bring something to eat with them for before and after their workouts. They cannot eat lunch at 10:00 and expect to have sufficient energy to last them throughout the 2-4 pm workout. Bring some sort of light snack to eat around 1:00 pm, when school is getting out, that way you will be ready for the afternoon workouts.
Snacks
- Whole Grain Crackers
- Graham Crackers
- String Cheese
- Low-fat Yogurt
- Dry-Roasted Nuts
- Bread Sticks
- Pretzels
- Dry Cereal
- Fresh Fruits
- Dried Fruits
- Fruit Juices
- Peanut Butter Crackers
- Protein Shake
- Bagels
Watch the caffeine.– It lowers blood sugar and can make you hungrier. It is also a diuretic and can be dehydrating.
Examples of various meals
Breakfasts:
• Pancakes, waffles, or French toast w/syrup – no butter
• Egg sandwich – no cheese
• Unbuttered English muffin, bran muffin, bagels or toast w/preserves, jelly or apple butter
• Low-fat milk or yogurt w/fresh fruit and a bagel
• Low-fat granola bars – Kellogg’s or Nature Valley
• Dry or cooked cereals w/or w/o milk w/fresh or dried fruit
• Pita bread stuffed with peanut butter (high in calories) and raisins and cottage cheese, or veggies and low fat cheese.
Lunches:
• Vegetables or chili stuffed potatoes
• Salad bars: use low fat dressings, veggies, dried beans, beets, carrots, pasta, and add crackers, rolls, or bread
• Pack lunches: Sandwich whole grain bread, fruit, fig bars, and vegetables or soup
• Pastas with meat
• Tacos without sour cream
• Baked or broiled meats instead of fried
• Fantastic soups or pasta meals that can be reconstituted water
• Fast Food restaurants: Grilled chicken sandwiches, grilled hamburgers, roast beef sandwiches, baked potatoes, or salad bars (no mayonnaise, special sauce, butter, sour cream etc.) If only other option!!
• Thick crust pizzas with veggies – no extra cheese
- Peanut Butter Sandwiches
- Tuna Fish Sandwiches
Dinners:
• Meats should be baked, broiled, or grilled instead of fried
• Pasta with clam sauce or marinara sauce
• Shellfish in tomato sauce or steamed without butter
• Chicken breast without the skin with rice and vegetables
• Stir fry dishes with lean meats and lots of vegetables in minimal oil
• Grilled salmon, tuna, swordfish, or mackerel
-When purchasing any type of carbohydrates such as bread or bagels, it is important to look at the breakdown of the carbohydrates in the breading. You will see two different types of carbohydrates, dietary fibers and sugars. Try to find breads that have a higher amount of dietary fibers than sugars. The more dietary fibers, the better!
-If you are looking to build muscle you should be eating heavy meals that are high in protein and carbohydrates. Try to eat 4 large meals a day with a snack in between. Stay full throughout the day and keep the caloric intake high.
-If you are looking to cut weight and burn fat, eat around 5-6 SMALLS meals a day. Again it is good to keep the protein high but try to lower the amount of fats and carbohydrates. The purpose in eating 5-6 small meals is that by doing this throughout the day you are training your metabolism to not stop. The higher you metabolism is, the more calories you are able to burn and therefore lose more weight.
-Whether you are looking to build muscle or cut weight, the food suggestions are still the same. The only thing that should really change is the portion sizes of your meals.
-No pop
-No Fried Foods
-Water All Day, Every day (8 glasses minimum)
-Do not skip meals
-Drink some more water…
It is pretty simply, as an athlete you need to be eating more than just 3 meals a day. Make sure to include snacks between every meal. Fuel your body! Your diet should be high in carbohydrates and protein. Stay away from fried greasy foods and caffeine. Hydrate your body and muscles with plenty of WATER! Eat AT LEAST an hour before you get here for your workouts and bring some sort of high-protein snack with you to consume immediately after your workout. Make sure to consume all of your basic food groups and make sure your plates remain colorful with vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy, and carbohydrates.
**9 am workouts-eat AT LEAST an hour before workouts; avoid cereal, dairy or overall “heavy foods”. Light breakfast, larger lunch.