A quality and healthy diet will increase your performance in the long-term while eating the wrong type of food will surely affect your performance negatively.

A proper diet should be carbohydrate rich and consumed 2-3 days prior to your upcoming games. You should also eat a carbohydrate rich meal 4 hours before the start of your game.

Avoid eating candy, hamburgers or other junk foods. These foods just aren’t going to be what you need in order to give your best performance on the field.

Keep in mind to drink enough water in order to hydrate your body enough because that will impact on your performance on the field.

One good practice is to drink at least 2 liters of water during the game. This is especially critical if the games are played during sunny and warm days.

Here is a list with food that should be involved in your soccer diet.

Breakfast

• Low-fat milk
• Pancakes
• Potatoes
• Fruits
• Yogurt
• Bagels
• Juices
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Egg whites
• Bananas

Lunch

• Fish (fatty fish that is rich in omega-3’s)
• Pasta (whole gain pasta is fine as well)
• Variety of breads (multi-grain)
• Soups (watch sodium content)
• Salads (without dressings)

Dinner

• Chicken (without the skin)
• Other lean meats (not fried)
• Rice (try to eat paddy or rough rice)
• Vegetables (paprika, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, spinach)

Newcomers

Without proper soccer nutrition I can ensure you that your performance will be pretty poor.

A lot of newcomers think this isn’t the case, but they learn really quickly within a few games that what you eat really does make a difference!

Many soccer players are not aware of this and that’s why you should take advantage on it. Of course, you need to practice on your ball skills too.

It is also important to consume proper food after the game is over in order to refuel your glycogen stores. Try to eat a meal high in carbohydrates as soon as possible.

As mentioned above, foods such as pasta, spaghetti, and rice should consumed during this period.

However, my own experience is that a soccer player will rarely eat proper food and instead order a pizza or a hamburger meal.

This is O.K. sometimes but you should not make it a habit. You need to take care of your body and if you don’t, then you can’t expect to perform well either.

Summary

Real food is always the best way to go. Everyone’s budget for food is going to be different, but try to focus on the highest quality food you can afford comfortably. This will lend itself well to keeping you in peak training condition and geared for maximum performance!