A Footballers Diet
Football burns a huge amount of calories – but that doesn’t mean you can hang out at the pub and drink as many pints as you want while munching down half the menu. In a proper footballers diet plan you need to balance several things: quantity of food – too much and you’ll gain excess pounds, too little and you won’t have enough energy at your next match; quality – you need to eat the proper types of foods, yet you don’t want to deprive yourself so much that you feel like throwing in the towel.

A Suggested Diet Plan for a Footballer
In general, it’s best if you can eat in combination. What this means is that at every meal and snack you should eat a combination of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Don’t just have a muffin – eat it with some nuts, a piece of ham or other source of fat and protein. Eating in combination helps your blood sugar from experiencing drastic highs and lows and keeps your energy constant. The only exception to this general rule is that you may want to eat pure carbohydrates right before a match and during breaks during  a match to keep your energy high.

• Carbohydrates – High quality carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables and whole grain products. Avoid highly processed carbohydrates like white bread, cakes and pastries as they offer little in nutrition.
• Protein – Look for free range chicken, grass fed beef and organic dairy products for the highest quality protein sources. A protein supplement may also help you improve muscle tone before and after weight lifting workouts.
• Fats – Look for quality sources of fats like olive oil and avoid trans-fats whenever possible.
• Fluids – Proper hydration is essential for optimum fitness. During training days drink plenty of pure water, and during training itself be sure to drink electrolyte fortified sports drinks to help you replenish what’s lost when you sweat. It’s a good idea to make electrolyte fortified drinks a part of your match days as well.

So we’ve discussed what to eat, but how much? The quantity you intake will depend greatly on how active you are. The best way to determine the optimum amount is to keep a food journal for a few weeks. Record what you eat, how much and at what times. Also record when you’re at practice or at a match and how much water you’re drinking. Note if you’re hungry during the day. Also record your daily weight. After a few weeks you’ll have a baseline record you can use to modify quantities in order to stabilize or reduce your weight.