When, what and how to eat in the morning before an early afternoon match
|
Some simple advices and guidelines to don’t get wrong timing and food when you have to play in the early afternoon |
Why to eat properly before a match
It is important, before playing a football match, to eat something nutritious and easy to digest. In fact, assimilated food influences, more or less successfully, the performance on the field. The aim is therefore to give to our body the right amount of energy, to reduce the risk of fatigue and to prevent feeling of hunger. Having said that, how should we make our choices?You just have to ask a consult to a specialist or simply stick to some basic principles of a good diet. It is also important to remember to drink a lot of water, especially if environmental conditions involve sweating and loss of fluids.
The meal before a match
If you don’t have time to eat a full meal (at least 3 hours before the match) it is possible to make to in a suitable way at a cafè with the typical “eat and run” food. Let’s remedy then with a good sandwich with ham or Bresaola. Be careful to remove those fat parts. A slice of pie and a coffee are fine too. If you have an extra few minutes, we suggest you a plain pasta or with fresh tomato sauce, or a second course of Parma ham without fat and vegetables. Since you are skipping lunch, a rich breakfast is recommended, with:
- frusks or bread with jam (at least 4/5)
- a glass of semi-skimmed milk (or 50 gr of cereals)
- one yogurt or fruit at the end
Mistakes that should be avoided
It is common to make food mistakes that influence the physical efficiency of the player. The pre-match meal must help to keep the glucose level in the blood constant and that acts as fuel. Therefore, avoid any kind of fasting, because it causes hypoglycemia and tiredness, and too much sugar causes instead reactive hypoglycemia, causing symptoms of tachycardia and fatigue. In addition, do not end your meal right before the beginning of the match. The danger is that you may have, with poor digestion, gastric problems (heartburn, nausea and vomit) dizziness and loss of strength.
