PRE-MATCH DAY NUTRITION

DO Pay particular attention to hydration drink at least 3 litres of water per day Follow healthy eating guidelines e.g. 5 daily portions of fresh vegetables and fruit, reduce salt, saturated fats and sugar intake Taper your training right down so you are fresh for match day Aim to eat 5-6 g of carbohydrates per Kg of body weight in the lead up to the game Choose carbohydrates from mixed sources and make sure they are slow release (low glycaemic index GI) foods such as wholemeal or granary breads and porridge Spread your intake out over the whole day

DONT! DONT over-eat carbohydrates. Adequate glycogen stores are great - carbohydrate loading is not DONT eat all your carbohydrates in the evening meal spread them out through the day DONT forget about protein and good fats - keep to mixed meals DONT drink alcohol

MATCH DAY NUTRITION, THE ENGLAND WAY

Any new nutritional strategies must be tried in training and assessed before considering their use in a match. Match day is not the time to experiment. DO PRE-MATCH NUTRITION

Consume a substantial meal comprising unrefined carbohydrates and some protein 4-5 hours before the game e.g. chicken breast with vegetables and pasta, whole wheat spaghetti bolognaise, poached eggs on wholemeal toast with baked beans Consume your last solid food 2 hours before the match; have liquid foods after this Make sure all carbohydrates consumed before the match are unrefined carbohydrates Weigh yourself before the warm up without your kit on (so that after the match you can calculate how much fluid you have lost) DONT!

DONT make any changes to match day nutrition without having practised them before in training DONT eat refined or sugary carbohydrates before the game

DO

DURING THE MATCH

Consume 30g of liquid carbohydrates during warm up and again at half time. Make sure this is around 7% solution. That means 35g of powder to 500ml water. Or approx 500ml of a sports recovery drink Sip this at any opportunity (injuries, stoppages etc). This helps with energy levels during the second half and also helps recovery DONT!

DONT eat solid carbohydrates during the match (e.g. jelly babies, jaffa cakes). Liquid is more easily absorbed, has less potential to upset digestion and helps hydration.

POST-MATCH NUTRITION, THE ENGLAND WAY

DO

Weigh yourself after the match, without kit Replace each 1kg of weight lost with 1 litre of water, mixture of fruit juice and water, or isotonic drink (e.g. a sports recovery drink) over the next 3-4 hours Start replacing lost glycogen with high GI foods as soon as possible Aim for 0.75 grammes of carbohydrates per kg of body weight (75g for a 100kg athlete) immediately after the game, then again 1 hour later, then 1 hour after that Drinks are best for this initially then real food afterwards After 2 hours switch back to lower GI carbohydrates

DONT! DONT drink alcohol until properly hydrated, take it easy when you do. Alcohol impairs muscle development if drunk in excess and also makes any soft tissue injury much worse by increasing inflammation. DONT drink caffeine until properly hydrated DONT forget about protein, tired fatigued muscles need building blocks as part of proper recovery

GENERAL EATING PRINCIPLES

Eat frequently. Aim for up to five feeds a day if very active Each meal should contain a good mix of protein and unrefined carbohydrates Only have refined carbohydrates (e.g. white bread, rice or pasta, sugary drinks) after training or playing Eat some good oils from oily fish (salmon, sardines, pilchards for example), green leafy vegetables and raw nuts and seeds 2 or 3 times a week Try to weigh yourself before and after games or big training sessions. For every 1kg lost you need to drink at least 1 litre of water. Thirst is a poor measure of water lost. Urine should be pale, not yellow and smelly. Generally aim for 3 litres of water every day and sip constantly Keep your junk food intake to a minimum have it only as a treat and no more than once a week If you drink alcohol remember; it is fattening, dehydrating and you will not build muscle from weight training for up to 72 hours following a drinking session Get enough sleep and pay attention to recovery nutrition. This is what makes your muscle grow

Sugars

HIGH AND LOW GLYCAEMIC INDEX (GI) FOODS HIGH LOW HIGH (55+) (0-54) (55+) Cereals

LOW (0-54)

Glucose Fructose Honey Sucrose (sugar) Mars Bar

100 87 59 68

20

Fruit Watermelon Raisins Bananas Apricots Grapes Oranges Apple Breads French bag uet te

72 68 55 57

44 40 36

Rice cakes White bread Ryvita Rye bread Whole wheat bread Oat cakes Whole grain bread Pumpernickel Grain Pro du cts Pasta White rice Brown rice Pastry

95 82 76 69 65 64

Puffed rice Cornflakes Weetabix Crunchy nut cornflakes Special K Shredded Wheat Muesli Porridge oats All-Bran Pulses Baked beans Butter beans Chick peas Black-eye beans Haricot beans Kidney beans Lentils Dairy Products Yoghurt Whole milk Skimmed milk

90 80 75 72 69 67 66

48 42 48 36 36 33 31 30 25 36 34 32

54 51 41

Vegetables (cooked ) 92 72 60 59 Parsnips Carrots Mashed potato New potato Beetroot Peas Yam Sweet potato Sweetcorn 98 92 80-97 70 64 51 51 48 48