Edited by Dr. Davide Sganzerla
Post-match feeding
The purpose of post-match nutrition is to replenish the hydro-saline losses, promote the resynthesis of the muscle glycogen consumed, repair the structural damage resulting from sustained effort and avoid further metabolic overload.
The depletion of muscle glycogen stores must be stopped and replaced as soon as possible. In fact, although it normally takes about 20 hours to restore these reserves, the first two hours after the game are the most important ones to pay this debt. Some authors ( Ivy, Coyle) have shown that the administration of glucose and sucrose, started within thirty minutes from the end of the race and continued, with the addition of starch, in the following two hours, guarantees an increase in glycogen resynthesis from 2% per hour to 5-6% per hour.
Another not negligible aspect is the wear and tear of muscle tissue linked to sports performance, which induces a high protein catabolism, which the body must provide without adding additional overload in the disposal of waste produced. In the "post-match diet it is therefore essential to supply proteins of animal origin, which perform this function better because they contain all the essential and indispensable amino acids. On the other hand, it is good to avoid an" excessive intake of proteins, in order to limit production to a reasonable extent. of nitrogenous waste.
Tips on nutrition after the game
Many footballers tend to make some mistakes when it comes to post-match nutrition. Some argue that for a few hours from the end of the match you should neither drink nor eat, as the body is tired from the effort of the match. - cannot bear another important task such as the digestive one. Nothing could be more wrong! First of all because the organs most involved are different (those of the locomotor system on the one hand, those of the digestive system on the other), so a sum of labors; secondly, because it has been shown that people recover more quickly by drinking and eating. In any case, it is also true that as soon as the game is over (and sometimes for a few tens of minutes after it ends) some players are not at all hungry; the commitment of 90 minutes, in fact, determines the increase in the blood of catecholamines, endorphins and other hormones whose effect is also anorectic (which determines the disappearance of the appetite). he wants, it is not necessary to force himself to eat.
Immediately after the competition, the most important thing to do is drink. The drink can be any, as long as it is non-alcoholic and taken in small sips, in order to minimize the emptying time of the stomach and promote intestinal absorption. The drink must be fresh, preferably with sugars and mineral salts, alkaline , and not very concentrated.
The hydro-saline integration must continue especially after sports fatigue, choosing adequate menus, so as to satisfy the deficiencies with foods that are as natural as possible. After the shower and in the moment of relaxation, it is advisable to consume fresh fruit whole or in the form of smoothies, both for the alkalizing action and for the antioxidant action due to the intake of vitamin C.
If you are hungry, a few tens of minutes after the end of the game you can have a snack based on complex carbohydrates, such as bread or rusks with jam or honey, biscuits, apple tart or jam pie, or other sweets without cream or creams. Subsequently, lunch or dinner should consist of foods cooked in the simplest possible way and easily digestible. Their composition must include a fair amount of complex carbohydrates, a protein part with a high biological value and a small quantity of vegetable seasoning, in the form of olive oil. Preference will be given to foods with low acidity. Therefore, the former are to be preferred. dishes, even in abundant quantities, based on pasta or rice, while the latter can be limited to small portions of meat with a side of raw or cooked vegetables. Finally. a dessert such as fruit ice cream, or desserts without of cream or creams. Alcoholic beverages should be limited, while it is very important to quench thirst with water or orange juice.
Some Practical Examples of Post-Game Nutrition
- MATCH IN THE MORNING
As soon as the game is over, sip a drink sweetened with mineral salts, and eat fresh fruit or a fruit smoothie;
Lunch with pasta, fish or meat with fresh vegetables and bread;
Dessert with fruit ice cream or apple tart;
Water at will and fruit juice.
- MATCH IN THE AFTERNOON
As soon as the game is over, sip a drink sweetened with mineral salts and eat fresh fruit or a fruit smoothie;
Snack with apple tart and orange juice;
Dinner with parmesan pasta or rice, fish or meat with fresh vegetables and bread;
Fruit ice cream dessert;
Water at will and fruit juice.
- POST-GAME MEAL AT THE BAR
As soon as the game is over, sip a drink sweetened with mineral salts, and eat fresh fruit or a fruit smoothie;
Sandwich with bresaola or defatted raw ham;
Tart with jam (avoid cream and creams);
Water at will and fruit juice.
- MATCH IN THE EVENING
As soon as the game is over, sip a drink sweetened with mineral salts, and eat fresh fruit or a fruit smoothie;
Dinner with vegetable soup, fish or meat with fresh vegetables and bread;
Dessert with fruit ice cream or apple tart;
Water at will and fruit juice.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Enrico Arcelli - “Football: nutrition and supplementation - How to eat, drink and integrate before, during and after training and matches” - Edizioni Corre.
- Jurgen Weineck - “The" optimal training "- Calzetti Mariucci Editore.
- Cipolla M, Giani E. - “Sports nutrition (practical manual)”. Publisher Cam Sport.
Other articles on "Soccer Player's Post-Match Nutrition"
- Proper nutrition before and during a football match
- Proper Nutrition of the Footballer
