Meals eaten around the training time are mostly those eaten before, during and after the activity. They have a great impact on our organism: they prevent from feeling fatigue, improve complex skills such as strength, agility, concentration and influence our after training regeneration. It is good to remember that badly chosen or not eaten meals can cause many problems.
How should a meal before a training/match look like? What should you pay attention to?
Time: The pre-training meal has to give you energy needed to train. Time of consumption is very important. It should be individualised and adjusted to your organism and eaten within 2-3 hours before the activity. If the training is longer, you can plan an additional snack around 1h 45 min before the training.
Composition and a way of preparing meals: You should limit products rich in fibre before training, choosing those with average or small amount (look table below). Most of fruit and vegetables are rich in fibre but to reduce its amount you can eat vegetables consommé or steamed veggies. As an addition to the meals choose those with a smaller amount of fibre such as tomatoes (without skin), olives, zucchini, grapes, grapefruit, and beetroot. If you still feel discomfort from alimentary canal (stitch, stomach ache, splashing in the belly), give up diary produce containing lactose (sugar) such as cottage cheese, milk, yoghurts. You can change it to vegetable based milk: rice milk, almond milk or just take it in a different part of the day (breakfast, second breakfast, supper). Resign from hardly digested food such as: nuts, cucumber, pepper, tomatoes with skin. Meals should be prepared by stewing with a small amount of fat, grilling carefully, or steaming to obtain a mild flavour of the food.
Important! Before training give up sweets (chocolate, bars, sweet drinks) as they will cause a rapid increase of sugar level and then rapid decrease which will contribute to sluggishness and fatigue during the training
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Time of meal consumption |
Product base |
Examples of meals |
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Pre-training meal (2-3h) |
Carbohydrates: millet, basmati, rice potatoes, rice noodles, durum pasta, graham bread, wheat bread Proteins: fish, eggs, meat (chicken breast, turkey breast, beef) Vegetables: carrot, beetroot, pumpkin, zucchini, vegetables consommé, tomatoes (without skin), pumpkin |
Millet with fruit and milk |
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Egg muffins wih vegetables and bread |
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Spaghetti pasta/rice noodles with chicken and tomato sauce |
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Toasts with lean ham and vegetables |
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Risotto with turkey and easily digestible vegetables (carrot, beetroot, pumpkin). |
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Couscous with stewed chicken and carrot |
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Pre-training snack (1-2h) |
Products: Fruit, dry fruit, Bread (graham/ white bread), Rice cakes Peanut/walnut butter *Diary produce: Natural yoghurt, kefir (sour yoghurt), buttermilk (for people without food ailments) |
Fruit mousse |
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Wholemeal bread with jam, peanut butter |
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Dry fruit (dates, dry figs, dry cranberry) |
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Fruit: bananas, apricots |
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Energy bars (muesli, oat cakes) |
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Fruit coctails |
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Yoghurt with fruit |
During training/match
During long trainings up to 1,5-2 hours you can include a small snack such as energy bar, isotonic drink or juice diluted with water (proportion 1:1). If the training is shorter, there is no such need, you only need to remember about hydration. Important! Test the form of snacks on the training before an important match.
Post-training meal:
During the season professional footballers need to take care of their post-match regeneration and prepare themselves for the next meeting as soon as possible. The post-training meal should be eaten up to 30 minutes after the activity. It should be a source of easily-released carbohydrates in order to replenish the losses of glycogen.
Next meal eaten at home should be wholesome and include proteins, carbohydrates and some vegetables. Below there is a table with examples of particular meals.
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Time of meal consumption |
Examples |
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Post-training meal (up to 30 minutes) |
Fruit mousse |
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Fruit: bananas (approx. 2 pieces), pineapple |
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Fruit coctail |
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Sandwich with honey/jam |
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Dry fruit (dates, dry figs, cranberry) |
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Fruit juice |
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Energy bars, oat cakes |
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Main post-training meal (after 1-2h) |
Frittata with vegetables and bread (wholemeal, graham)/ Scrambled eggs with vegetables and bread (wholemeal, graham) |
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Letcho with lentils, bread (wholemeal, graham) Lentil soup with bread (wholemeal, graham) |
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Greek-style fish with millet |
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Frittata with vegetables and bread (wholemeal, graham) |
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Turkey breast with broccoli, rice and vegetable salad |
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Wholemeal toasts with cottage cheese and vegetables |
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Tomato cream with mozzarella cheese and bread |
If you have any questions, write to me: erwina.szymczyk@soccerskills.pro
