SOCCER NUTRITION -Protein Needs

Soccer nutrition, protein needs and healthy eating for players of all ages is very important. Most of the time your family is run and the opportunity to have a healthy meal may not be there. so in the mean time here are some healthy snacks to get you going.
 

7 Healthy Nutritional Snacks for Soccer Nutrition

1. Fruits/Fruit salad - berries (all kinds), cherries, bananas, apples, peaches,
oranges, etc.
If you eat dried fruit, I highly suggest drinking water to help digestion and
blood sugar.

2. Vegetables - raw preferred…you can spread some peanut butter/almond
butter or even cottage cheese if you like it.

3. Trail Mix - Nuts/Seeds mixed with fruit (i.e. raisins, dried cranberries,
apricots) – drink water with this mix because of the fiber content and dry fruit.  

4. Instant Oatmeal - (no sugar added: add your own whole fruits), and add
protein preferably a whey-type of powder of your favorite flavor. It keeps blood sugar steady.

 5. Mixed Beans Salad - Yes I know, yuck, but it gives you fiber and quality
carbs for energy. Some may like it, some not. Good B-Vitamins as well.

 6. Homemade Chicken Soup- yes, some preparation, but healthy to say
the least. Make sure there are potatoes, brown rice and vegetables in the
soup.
- try to avoid any canned soups unless they are very low sodium.

7. Energy Bars - Most “HEALTH” Bars are really just candy bars.

However, there are a few that I recommend to my athletes and clients:

A. Greens+ Energy Bar (chocolate flavor works best) - Try it, 8 out of 10
like it.

B. Greens+ Protein Bar (Peanut Butter Chocolate) - not as tasty, but good
whey protein  

C. Organic Food Bar - multiple flavors with Healthy Fats  

D. Luna Bars - decent bar without a lot of junk

 Note: Be aware that most bars have refined sugars, fake sugars and unhealthy
fats.
For more nutritional snacks you may want to visit Prograde Nutrition  .

Protein Needs and Essential Amino Acids for Soccer Nutrition

Protein Needs- Amino Acids

The base of protein needs for young soccer players is made up of chains of amino acids. There are twenty-two different kinds of amino acids in the body. Of these, nine are known as essential amino acids.

These are histadine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. They are essential because they cannot be synthesized (produced) in the body.

The Importance of Protein Needs for Soccer Nutrition

Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscles, as well as repairing damage that occurs during training. Protein is also needed to make red blood cells, produce hormones, boost your immune system and help keep hair, fingernails and skin healthy.

The question now becomes how much are the protein needs of the body. The current RDA for protein is 0.8g/kg of body weight for a “normal” individual. Currently many researchers believe that athletes need between 1.2g/kg to 2.0g/kg of protein per body weight depending on their activity.

Excess protein may be harmful to your health. Too much protein requires extra water to breakdown protein, which leads to dehydration and an increase in urinary calcium loss.

You do not need to eat more than 2.0g/kg of body weight. Thus if my weight is 70kg I do not need to eat more than 140g of protein.

Excess protein will be converted into fat or carbohydrate. It is important to monitor your protein intake both for the amount and type. This may be done through a journal.

Increased protein in the diet may have some, but not limited to, the following benefits:

• increase metabolic rate

• increase the muscle–fat ratio due to increase thermal effect

• increase in the use of fat for energy

• increase in muscle growth

• decrease in cardiovascular risk

It is important that the daily protein intake comes from whole or complete protein sources. This would be animal sources such as chicken, lean ground meat, turkey and fish.

Protein Supplementation

To quite honest athletes should stick to the outline of 1.2g/kg to 2.0g/kg of protein per body weight.

If an athlete is looking to gain weight (muscle) then increase the overall amount of food that is being eaten. I would also suggest that the athlete consume a drink post exercise or game that contains both protein and carbohydrate.  

I highly recommend Prograde Workout which meets protein needs

Again I highly recommend that young athletes get their protein needs met through eating whole proteins first regardless if they are on a strength training program or not. The source for protein needs of young soccer players is modified with permission from Soccer Nutrition (c).

Protein Drinks - Protein Shakes

Protein drinks or protein shakes are very "popular" for building muscle. Ads in all type of magazines promote "weight gainer's" "increase muscle mass". This is great if you are in the weightlifting and body building industry.

We must remember that in youth soccer we are developing great athletes that become excellent soccer players. Understanding protein requirements is an important part of soccer nutrition

A lot of the training and conditioning for young soccer players involves some form of walking, jogging, sprinting, agility and resistance training. The question then begs "Do I need protein drinks?”

The answer is it depends...

It depends on the type of training you are doing. Protein shakes are famous with weight lifting and body building athletes post exercise.

Most research on protein drinks for post exercise or workout arise from studies of university and college age athletes.

Is it necessary for young and growing soccer athletes? The key is to have a "post exercise recovery drink" that contains both protein and carbohydrate.

Soccer is an aerobic energy system sport with anaerobic interval bursts of power and speed. Your training is both on the field and in the gym or in your home. Getting the correct mount protein is an important part of your soccer nutrition

The energy source you need for performance is carbohydrates. Protein is there to help build muscle after it is broken down. Protein needs for young soccer athletes should be met by the guidelines set out at 5-6 meals a day including a whole protein with every meal.

Protein drinks or protein shakes that contain the proper balance of protein and carbohydrate are excellent for post game or training recovery.

Another thing to consider is the type of eater you are. For example do you better with more carbohydrates than protein, more protein than carbohydrates or a combination of both?

There is more soccer nutrition in the elite soccer power package that discusses free radicals, metabolic typing and supplementation. 

Soccer nutrition and proteins needs is an ongoing challenge for every soccer parent.