Nutrition for womens football - Part A

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Regardless of the level you participate at, nutrition plays an enormous part in improving performance.  What, when and how much you eat and drink, can have a direct impact upon your sporting performance. You could have the best skills in the world but without the right nutritional support you will not be able to sustain the demands of training and playing. This can lead to injury. A lack of fuel will slow your recovery and your ability to train or compete effectively in a short amount of time. 

 

What is nutrition? 

There are five major food groups.  These are shown as part of the “Healthy Eating” or “Eatwell Plate” shown in the diagram below. 








                        


Knowing the quantity and quality of the food groups can help you train and play effectively. Also learning about what to eat before, during and after physical activity can improve your performance. 

 

But what do nutrients do? 

Getting the right balance of each for everyday living is just as important as consuming more for competition and training.  It’s all a balancing act.   

  • Carbohydrates are your major source of energy to function everyday.  You need to consume these with each meal. When you train and compete carbohydrates become your main fuel source you need to have a high volume (60-70%), which is higher than the daily recommended requirements.  It’s difficult to get that much carbohydrate from 3 meals a day, therefore snacking (on the right sources of food) plays a crucial role in fueling your body. 
  • Protein gives us some energy, but its main benefit is to help us build muscle and repair any damage that has occurred through injury or training. Protein is also needed, especially post exercise, to help with repair after you have pushed your muscles to their limit.
  • Fats will give you some energy, but too much will simply store itself within your body. 
  • Vitamins are needed to help your body to function properly. They can also help you absorb other nutrients that are needed for you to be “healthy”.    


Vegetarian food pyramid


Meat & poultry food pyramid


Knowing what to eat is just as important and knowing when to eat, see the next article to continue fueling for performance.


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