Arts academy at Benjamin rush girls soccer

Nutrition/Eating for an active lifestyle: SOCCER SPECIFIC

If you have any issues with food allergies, blood sugar, obesity, are currently taking a medication or hormone therapy (such as birth control pills), you should run this plan by your doctor before beginning,

to ensure it will not conflict.

In addition, if you are on an official commercially sold eating plan, compare it with these suggestions rather than switching right away. Make educated decisions

Correct Nutrition before, during, and after games will aide in recovering from fatigue and will also have other benefits. When an active person eats a diet that is (primarily) healthy, their body is able to work more efficiently. Not only is metabolism often increased but nutrients are often absorbed better and your body is replenished and able to recover faster after exercise. In the long run, this allows for better training and faster cardio and muscular development and thus, better soccer performance.

Before you read any further, do not think this is a diet in terms of lose weight fast. This is a possible eating plan that is meant to very adaptable to each individual’s needs. Some people who start eating this way will lose weight quickly while other people will gain weight because in reality they are starving themselves with their previous eating habits. It will all even out and when paired with Exercise, this eating plan will help you reach a healthy, functional body weight and a healthy body mass index .and prepare your body for the games which of course is the ultimate goal.

This document is broken into sections:

1) GAME DAY

2) What should my plate look like? How about a Sandwich? What about Breakfast?

3) Other things to consider when eating/drinking in general

4) Possible example of game day eating

Each section is on it’s own page for you ease in reading IF you print this out

GAME DAY

1) Stay Hydrated with water before, during and after exercise; DO NOT DRINK ENERGY DRINKS

such as monster, red bull, etc, OR caffeine based drinks such as soda or coffee.

Sports recovery drinks can be good but often contain a lot of sugar .

For a 3:00pm game, start drinking the night before, drink 16-32oz when you wake up, continue to drink at regular intervals throughout day and have water during game breaks. Following the game, drink 16-32 oz more.

How much is enough? An old “test” is to look at color of urine. The lighter it is, the more water in your body. If it’s darker, you need more water. It doesn’t always work based on other factors though. Most people need to drink 64 oz of water per day. An active person should increase that by at least 32 oz but again, everyone is different.

2) Eating during day: Make sure to eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and at least 1 protein based snack. See

thePossible example of game day eating

3) eat/drink recovery “snacks”: Within 30 minutes of hard exercise, eat a snack high in complex carbohydrates and protein such as nuts, seeds, a granola bar, trail mix, organic meat with healthy carb like rice, or bowl of lower sugar cereal. Some people prefer to drink protein based drinks.

Current research shows that one of the best things to have following exercise is Chocolate Milk, preferably organic milk WITHOUT added hormones or antibiotics if possible. For people who do not or cannot eat dairy, chocolate goats milk or dairy free “muscle milk” type drinks are good alternatives.

Protein shakes are also good. As for how much, between 0.15-0.25 grams of protein per pound of your body weight (people who are overweight should use their target healthy body weight instead of their current body weight when doing this calculation). There are ton of brands and types of protein. Try all natural low sugar brands and avoid soy based products if you are female.

Question: Should I work out with an empty or a full stomach? It’s up to an individual but most people should put something small in their tummy before exercising. I personally wouldn’t eat a full large meal then go out running though.

What should my plate look like? How about a Sandwich? What about breakfast?

Some research says to eat 5 smaller meals a day while other research says 3 meals with 2 small healthier snacks

Is the way to go. Truthfully, both have their benefits depending on what your main goal is.

When eating a full meal from a plate…….

about 1/3 of your plate should be a COMPLEX carbohydrate.

  • Anything made with flour that is not 100% whole grain is NOT whole grain no matter what it says on the package. White flour is basically like eating sugar
  • BEST Whole grains are non-wheat based grains such as brown or black Rice, Quinoa, and steel cut oatmeal, because they are digested better by humans. Make sure whatever “whole grain” product you purchase does not have added sugar in the ingredient list.
  • Some people have a Gluten sensitivity. To be Gluten free is trending the last couple of years because gluten is one of 7 foods that can cause bloating, inflammation, digestive problems and allergic responses. Some nutritionists say to NEVER eat Gluten and theorize it causes harm to everyone’s digestive system. Check with your doctor if you think you may be gluten sensitive. It doesn’t hurt your body to eliminate gluten in most cases if possible. Gluten is in wheat which of course, eliminates most breads from your diet.

About 1/3 of your plate should be a lean protein****

  • Best sources of Protein for most people are nuts, seeds, beans, eggs and some plant based proteins.
  • Plant based proteins are usually digested very easily by humans but girls should avoid excessive amounts of soy because it can mess with natural hormone production
  • Meat sources of protein should be organic when possible but always free of injected hormones and antibiotics. Watch your portions and prepare using grilling or baking if possible.
  • The most common forms of meat in terms of fat amount listed from least amount of fat to most amount of fat commonly = fish then turkey then chicken then beef then pork (usually)
  • ****Protein powders are a great substitute for people who are vegetarians OR following high intensity exercise. Select vegetable based protein. Whey is okay for most people but comes from dairy. So some people have a sensitivity from it.

1/3-2/3 of your plate should be plant based:

  • Simply put, most people need to Eat more veggies and some fruit
  • Be careful though…fruits generally taste better but contain sugar. Granted, it’s healthier sugar but it’s still sugar.
  • Use a variety of leafs in your salads
  • use a variety of different vegetables and fruits…variety of colors.
  • Generally, raw vegetables are more healthy but cooked are still okay.
  • If using salad dressing, use olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar rather than store made dressings or make home made dressings without added sugar/fat.
  • when cooking, always start off with onions, garlic, mushrooms, peppers or some other sort of vegetable base of flavor as much as you can assuming you are not allergic to them.

Drink only water at meals and in small amounts and mostly water throughout the day.

  • When you are drinking throughout the day, do not drink anything but water

(purified or boiled is best).

  • Alternatives to water could be decaffeinated tea with no sugar added. Even small amounts of 100% juice should be treated as a treat rather than a norm.
  • FORGET ABOUT SODA and ENERGY DRINKS EVEN EXISTING!

Other things to consider when eating/drinking in general

  • Whenever possible, choose FRESH, ALL- NATURAL, ORGANIC rather than any food with a ton of added preservatives
  • When eating things like PIZZA, feel free to add meat and vegetable toppings but avoid super high fatty things like Pepperoni more than once in while (not most pepperoni contains a ton of salt and chemical preservatives
  • Snacks between meals should be small and should be healthier.
  • Some good snack ideas include, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, Baby carrots, Celery, Granola bars, Crackers, low fat cheese sticks, peanut butter, dried fruit, and natural organic Yogurt
  • If you need chocolate….try to eat small amounts of dark chocolate. 3 Hershey kiss size bites at a time is best.
  • If you are “cheating” or “treating” yourself with a tastykake or candy bar, etc…LIMIT their consumption. A little is okay but too much and not more than once a day.
  • Avoid fad diets: just because it’s the latest trend does not mean it’s meaningful or helpful
  • Make a regular schedule:
  • some people preach 5 small meals, some people keep to the traditional 3 meals and snacks. Regardless…hold to a schedule whenever possible
  • Eat BREAKFAST everyday….no excuses.
  • Chew your food: Momma was right when she said to chew your food slowly.
  • Stop to eat: If possible, stop what you are doing to eat meals.
  • Those who slow down their life to eat tend to digest better
  • Fully Prepare foods: Avoid contamination, clean foods, cook meats to proper temperatures and
  • store left overs in BPA free air tight containers. Avoid plastics in favor of glass
  • DO NOT add salt to your meals after cooking them. Most food contains adequate salt already

If you are going to add salt, you need it to be healthy salt such as Himalayan salt

  • Avoid artificial sweeteners
  • If you need to add sugar try honey, stevia, or another organic natural sugar
  • Make 9 out of 10 meals and snacks count nutritionally. It’s okay to “cheat” and to give yourself a “treat” but it should not be an every meal thing and only in small amounts
  • When cooking meats, Grill or Bake rather than Fry. NEVER use a microwave to cook
  • Girls especially should put Calcium as part of your diet. If drinking milk or when using it as an ingredient, choose organic OR raw milk WITHOUT added hormones or antibiotics if possible. Some people are saying whole milk is better but I prefer to recommend low fat. If you don’t drink milk, make sure to either eat lots of leafy green vegetables or take a vitamin supplement with calcium.
  • Nutritional supplement? Some people say vitamin and mineral supplements are essential. Assuming you cannot get all the necessary vitamins and minerals you need with food, get a supplement that is “complete” with Vitamin C, D, E, Omega-3’s, Calcium and Magnesium at the minimum. BE careful not to overuse any supplement and supplements should be plant based whole food rather than sugary over the counter vitamin supplements.

POSSIBLEEXAMPLE OF GAME DAY EATING

Night before:Eat a full balanced meal if possible before 6:00pm and limit dessert.

Wake up: Eat a large breakfast. 2 eggs with a whole grain cereal and a piece of fruit is a good idea. If using Bacon select a high quality Turkey bacon although organic regular pork bacon is okay sometimes. In a hurry? Get a cereal bar or egg sandwich on a whole grain english muffin or wrap and some cold fruit in a bag. You can drink your cereal milk and a glass of 100% juice if you’d like OR water. (want to meal supplement instead of eating breakfast, drink a protein shake)

Hydration:Stay Hydrated with water before, during and after exercise;

Normal water intake is about 64 ounces or 8-8oz cups. Drink this amount PLUS at least 16 more

ounces throughout the day

Refer to the game day hydration tips in this document.

If you are a prone to leg cramps while running or are a girl and tend to get cramps bad during your menstrual cycle drink 32 ounces of a sports drink like Gatorade in addition to the water.

Also if you are a girl and are currently menstruating, add 1-2 more cups of water OR an additional sports drink.

NO SODA. NO ENERGY DRINKS. NO fake sugar drinks like kool-aid. NO sugary ice tea. However, small amounts of caffeine if menstruating can be helpful…small amounts only

Morning snack: nuts, seeds, Granola bars, trail mix, dried fruit, baby carrots, edamame snaps, pretzels, etc

Lunch:Nothing too heavy and nothing too fatty. Use your best judgment. Again, drink only water

Before game:Drink more water (and pee before leaving school)

During game:At each break and during halftime, drink more water. If you were a sub….you do not need to

drink just for the sake of drinking. If a snack is available at halftime, make it a fruit such as orange or banana or possible a few hard pretzels or something listed in the morning snack section above.

Following game:Within 30 minutes, drink at least 32 ounces of water, and eat a snack high in protein and

Complex carbohydrates. Refer to the after game snack/drink section in this document for more information

That night: Make sure to eat a balanced meal again