Energy: Football players need enough energy to cope with daily consumption and maintain their weight. Some studies show that male football players need 2033 to 4300 calories a day, while female football players need no more than 2883 calories a day. Athletes should consult nutritionists to determine the daily energy intake for training and competition.
Carbohydrate: Carbohydrate is the most important energy source in the diet of football players. Of the daily energy consumed by football players, 55-65% should come from foods with high sugar index, such as brown rice, various cereals, biscuits, sweets and cakes, vegetables, fruits, sugar and drinks; Eating more than 200 grams of food with high sugar index and drinking drinks containing 30-60 grams of carbohydrates 3-4 hours before the competition will help to improve sports ability. For athletes who train every day, it is very important to take a drink that can provide 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour for muscle energy utilization and increase muscle glycogen storage.
Protein: The daily intake of 1.4 to 1.7 grams (per 1 kg body weight) of protein for football players is higher than the recommended intake of normal people (0.5 to 1 g), but it is beneficial. Athletes can absorb this protein from meat, dairy products, cereals and vegetables.
Fat: Football players should consume less than 30% of energy every day.
Micronutrients: At present, no research shows that micronutrient supplementation can bring any physiological benefits. But for people with iron deficiency (serum ferritin is lower than 12g/L), iron supplementation may be helpful.
Liquid: Besides the exhaustion of glycogen in muscle, dehydration is one of the main reasons for intermittent high-intensity exercise fatigue. Football players should be told to take enough liquids, such as sports drinks, to avoid any degree of dehydration, because dehydration will reduce their sports ability.
In fact, the chances of rehydration in the competition are limited, so athletes must ensure that they have absorbed enough water before the competition begins. Football players can drink 200 to 500 ml of liquid from 15 to 20 minutes before the game and after the first half. Athletes must consume extra liquids at breakfast and lunch on the day of the competition, and they should be encouraged to weigh to determine the amount of alcohol to drink. Because everyone sweats at different temperatures, if you only drink water after training, you will reduce the blood sodium concentration and forehead osmotic pressure too quickly, thus reducing the desire to stimulate drinking water, increasing the amount of urination and hindering the process of rehydration.