Sports Nutrition in Soccer: a short overview of dietary considerations for players
Subject Areas : Sport Nutrition
1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education & Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Parand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Parand, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Soccer, Nutrition, Macronutrients, Micronutrients, Hydration,
Abstract :
Recent evidence indicates that coaches in Iran closely monitor diet plans. It is recommended that a nutritionist maintain a long-term relationship with each athletics institute. This gap in nutrition knowledge and modifiable nutrition behaviors can be closed by establishing a nutrition teaching and evaluation tool for coaches and young athletes. An overview of soccer nutrition covers the nature of the sport, training, and how nutrition may enhance player performance and recovery. Soccer competitions require players to engage in acyclical and intermittent activity patterns spanning up to 13 kilometers. The limited muscle glycogen reserves are a crucial component of the interface between training, performance, and nutritional support. Diets rich in carbohydrates may optimize muscle glycogen, minimize net glycogen depletion, postpone tiredness onset, and improve soccer performance. However, it is more frequent for the players to take an excessive quantity of protein daily, promoting the myth that extra protein improves strength and performance. More extensive suggestions include that soccer players should take a high CHO diet consisting of nutrient-dense, complex CHO food sources. Thus, despite the precise physiological demands of soccer and the relationship between nutritional preparation and performance, soccer players' dietary habits are frequently marked by a need for more education and misguided traditions. As soccer players and coaches in Iran become more aware of the importance of sustaining optimal macronutrient nutrition, this article discusses potential barriers and various nutrition phases to consider during training, on the day of the competition, and after the competition.
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