Match Day Diet

All the food consumed on the day of a match should be based around providing the body with the right nutrients so that it can perform at its optimal level. The timing and contents of any meals will vary in accordance with kick off times and the venue of the match. Regardless of when, where and what food is consumed the priorities of the food should remain the same; to increase the bodies energy stores and ensure it is fully hydrated.

Pre Match

Timing

Ideally the timing of the pre match meal will allow sufficient time for it to be digested before the match kicks off. Therefore, a player should look to be eating their main meal around 3 hours before kick off. This not only allows time for the nutrients to be digested and absorbed but also reduces the feeling of fullness and being ‘weighed down’ by the time the players are required to undertake their strenuous activity. They should also eat ‘snacks’ comprising of simple carbohydrates between the meal and the beginning of the game. If the game is a late afternoon or evening game then there may also exist the requirement to consume breakfast as well. If this is the case then breakfast should not occur within six hours of kick off.

Some matches or training will be scheduled for early morning. This means the opportunity of eating 3-4 hours prior is unrealistic. As a result many players decide to skip breakfast. This means their last meal would have been the previous evening, resulting in a 12 hour gap between intake and performance. They have then experienced an overnight ‘fast’, when this occurs their glycogen stores become depleted, which has a negative effect on blood glucose levels. Once the blood glucose levels are lowered the player can experience performance inhibiting problems such as problems with concentration, reduced reaction time and decreased decision making time, all in addition to the player feeling lethargic and weary. In these situations a smaller breakfast should be eaten 2 hours before if time constraints do not permit eating 3-4 hours before. There may also be some players that experience oversleeping or a late ‘wake up’. On these occasions they may have an hour before they are expected to perform. Should this situation arise the players are still advised to consume some form of small meal or snack comprised of easily digestible carbohydrates (solid or liquid) and as little fat as possible.

Content

The content of a players’ meal will vary from club to club and even player to player. Many players’ have their own pre set meal that they feel prepares them best for the game. The meal should consist of a higher percentage of protein and carbohydrates than fat and fibre, and ideally be carbohydrate ‘heavy’. The recommended amount of carbohydrates is four grams for every kilogram of body weight. This means the carbohydrate requirement for an 80 kilogram player is 320 grams. This amount can come in the form of fluids (such as Lucozade) or solids (either main meals or snacks such as fruit). Some players will prefer pasta or potato based dishes, this should not be discouraged, as long as it is not accompanied by fatty, oily or greasy sauces or meat. Such meats and sauces should be avoided and removed from all pre match meals and snacks, as these unwanted additions will do nothing to improve performance, or physical condition in general.

The meal size should also be considered. A large meal will take longer to digest and may still be sitting in the stomach at kick off. There are some players who decide not to eat any food on a match day as they may be experiencing tension and nerves. Such players should not be forced to eat but instead they should be encouraged to drink high carbohydrate based fluids and dine on a small snack.
Due to the nature of how quickly the body can break down the two types of carbohydrates it is suggested that the meal contains complex the complex ones and then any snacks consumed between meal and kick off should consist of simple carbohydrates.

The fluids drank throughout the day should be either sports drinks or water (ideally sports drinks high in carbohydrates). Try to avoid fruit juices or at least keep them down to a minimum. Fizzy drinks provide no benefit with regards to hydrating the body or quenching thirst so they should be avoided all together.

During Match

Fluid should be taken on board constantly. Any break in the game should be seen as an opportunity to replace fluid lost through sweat. A couple of mouthfuls per break should be sufficient. Although eating during the match is not recommended, should the player require any food, the food supplied should be small and made up of simple carbohydrates, for example fun sized (small) chocolate bars, energy bars (Torq bar) or Jaffa cakes.

Post match

Once the game is completed it is essential to replace the nutrients (mainly glycogen) and fluid that were expended during the activity. This replacement process should begin immediately after the match. Fluid should be taken on board as the players warm down and / or leave the pitch. It is essential to replace all the fluid lost through sweating during the game. The post match meal should be mainly comprised of simple carbohydrates, as they are broken down quicker and therefore replace and replenish the bodies stores quicker. Once the stores have been replaced the player should revert back to consuming a mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates, but mainly complex due to them containing more minerals, vitamins, fibre and generally less fat.