Ideal Routine and Diet for a Youth Soccer Player
Sports and games need you to be healthy, active, and in your best form. Out of all the sports, Soccer is the most demanding game as sometimes you need to be active and energetic for 90 minutes. In some cases, the game may demand you to be there for more than 120 minutes. So, you need to make sure that you are in the best form and health.
For being in the best of your health you need to maintain an ideal routine and diet to meet your soccer nutrition needs. So, if you are looking to maintain the best diet routine you can get all the information from the Youth Soccer San Antonio club.
The components of Ideal Routine and Diet for a Youth Soccer Player.
When you are playing a soccer match, you can burn almost 2000 calories in one game. So, when you train regularly you can become poor in terms of health in no time considering the number of calories you are burning.
To meet all the needs of your body to stay strong you need to follow the soccer nutrition plan from the Youth Soccer San Antonio club. To start with the ideal routine and diet plan for soccer nutrition, the first thing is to know about the necessary components of nutrition for Youth Soccer Players. The following are the main categories of the ideal diet for your soccer nutrition.
- Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins
- Minerals and Vitamins
- Fluid Replacement and Hydration
Here we will be elaborating on each of these categories and how you can make these part of your daily ideal diet.
Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins.
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrates act as the fuel for a soccer player, and they are the most important part of the diet. Although they have a smaller amount of energy, it is delivered to the body quickly within minutes.
Fat
Fats contain twice as much energy as carbs and these last longer as well. Although the supply of energy here is not that quick. It is the best for increasing strength and low power exercises like walking. There are different types of fats and those are:
- Saturated Fats: These are not the healthiest fats as more than 10% of these in your diet can cause heart disease, diabetes, and other major diseases. These are mainly found in red meat, eggs, dairy products, and commercially prepared bakery products.
- Unsaturated Fats: These are not as dangerous as saturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are known for decreasing the chances of getting heart diseases. These are found in olive oil, almonds, canola oil, avocado, and some other sources. Polyunsaturated fats are not that protective for health, but they are also better for health. These are found in Sunflower oil and corn oil.
- Essential Fatty Acids: These are a class of polyunsaturated fats, and they are healthy for the body protecting against several diseases. These include Omega 3, Omega 6, and Omega 9. These are found in fish oil, walnuts, leafy greens, and more.
- Cholesterol: The HDL type here is known for its health benefits and it must be a part of your diet as it supports liver health.
Protein
It is the most crucial part of the Youth Soccer player diet plan as it is responsible for the growth and repair of muscles, bones, and other components of the body. It acts as an amazing fuel right 45 minutes after consuming it. The RDA for adults is 0.83 per kilogram of bodyweight.
Minerals and Vitamins
Vitamins
13 different vitamins are responsible for the healthy functionality of the body and good Nutrition for Youth Soccer players must include an adequate supply of all of them.
Minerals
Minerals account for almost 4% of a human’s body and they are necessary for a soccer player’s diet. Here are some minerals that you need to make a part of your soccer nutrition.
- Calcium is necessary for healthy and strong bones. RDA for Calcium is about 800-1000 mg for adults.
- Sodium is usually used for seasoning however it must not be used more than 1.5 teaspoons per day. Its RDA for adults is 1100-3300 mg.
Fluid Replacement and Hydration
Drinking your fluids at the right times can come with several benefits and here we will be elaborating on them.
Preventing dehydration
The first thing Nutrition for youth soccer players needs to emphasize is to prevent dehydration. Dehydration can have negative effects during games. So, it is best to take about 150-250 ml of fluids every 20 minutes in hot training sessions. It will help in replacing the fluids that are lost as sweat.
Drinking before and during the match
Taking the right carbohydrate drink before and during the match can come with several benefits including the prevention of fatigue and unstable blood pressure. The ideal drink you need before a match should not contain more or less than 6-8% of carbohydrates.
Drinking after the match
It is better to consume about 100-200 grams of carbohydrates as drinks within 2 hours after playing a match. Fresh fruit juices are the best choice in this case. It helps in restoring energy.
The ideal diet and routine you can follow.
An ideal Youth Soccer San Antonio player diet is to make 60-65% of their diet carbohydrates. 20-25% can be fats. The remaining 10-15% can be protein and it can be considered as the best diet. Selecting natural products instead of prepared, synthetic, or commercially produced ones will be a better choice.
How to maintain an ideal routine with a strict diet on the day of a competitive match?
There may be a case where you are following the ideal diet and routine to stay strong and healthy. However, when there is a competitive match, you need to perform even better. In this case, you need to make sure that you get the full potential from your Youth Soccer player diet plan.
The Glycemic Index.
You need to study the GI or Glycemic Index of your Youth Soccer player diet plan items. It is the scale of how much a food item raises the blood sugar over two hours as compared to pure glucose.
So, when you eat items with high GI after the match you can digest the carbohydrates in a better way as all carbohydrates are not absorbed at the same rate. Eating food with a low GI will make sure to stay energetic for a long time.
Conclusion
Soccer Nutrition is one of the most vital things for a successful and well-performing soccer player. So, here we were discussing which are the necessary components of your ideal diet and how you can make this ideal diet a part of your routine.