Sports Nutrition For Athletes | WARNING: Controversial Information
Sports nutrition is a controversial and confusing topic.
There are so many different sports nutrition diet plans on the Internet it can be extremely overwhelming for a young athlete.
In this article (and the soccer nutrition video below) I will share a weird, crazy, and controversial sports nutrition diet plan I’ve personally developed of the years to maximize my:
- Energy levels
- Muscle building ability
- Metabolism & weight loss
- Speed of recovery
- Mental clarity
- Longevity
- General health (immunity)
- and obviously sports performance (on the soccer field)
In reality…
The best sports nutrition diet plan is the one you’re actually going to stick to. For some reason, people think eating healthy cannot also be delicious.
We all have different tastes and preferences when it comes to food – and that should be taken into consideration.
Why you DO NOT need a meal plan…
You’re goal when creating a sports nutrition meal plan should be to incorporate the healthiest foods available to you – but in a way that you find delicious and enjoyable to eat.
For that reason…
You don’t necessarily need a soccer player diet plan.
Instead, you need a sports nutrition education.
With the proper sports nutrition education you can create your own sports nutrition meal plan. Otherwise you’ll always be relying on someone else and that is not a position you want to put yourself in.
To help you take control of your soccer career, life, and your sports nutrition I have created a helpful video describing my personal full day of eating and it’s called:
Sports Nutrition For Athletes | WARNING: Weird Soccer Player Diet & Full Day of Eating with Crazy Footballer
Watch this video now:
There are a few concepts from the video I would like to review in more detail so you can make them part of your personal soccer player diet plan.
Sports Nutrition Idea #1
Intermittent Fasting / Time Restricted Eating
Based on other sports nutrition advice you may believe that you need food to heal your body.
However…
The best thing you can do to heal your body is NOT eat at all.
For this reason, I believe some form of intermittent fasting / time restricted eating should be incorporated in every professional soccer player diet plan.
Intermittent fasting / time restricted eating will:
- Reduce inflammation (speed recovery)
- Promote fast loss
- Lower heart rate (improve stamina)
- Improve mental clarity
- Increase human growth hormone
- and many more benefits beyond the scope of this article
Intermittent fasting. may seem difficult in the beginning but over time you will learn your body doesn’t need food to function.
Start with 12 hour fasts (skip breakfast and make lunch your first meal). Gradually push your fasting window and overtime you’ll be able to go 16 – 20 hours without food comfortably.
Sports Nutrition Idea #2
Proper Hydration
When discussing sports nutrition for athletes we always ask questions about the specific food we are consuming.
But what about the liquid?
In my opinion, before addressing sports nutrition we should always focus on sports hydration because if an athlete (soccer player / footballer) is even slightly dehydrated his / her energy, mental function, metabolism, recovery, speed, and overall sports performance will all suffer.
Unfortunately…
Most athletes are chronically dehydrated because they don’t give hydration the attention it deserves.
My daily hydration looks like this:
- Warm water (1.0 L)
- Green / Oolong tea (1.0 L)
- Decaffeinated black coffee (500 mL)
- Pre-training (500 mL)
- Intra-training (500 mL)
- Post-training (500 mL)
- Pre-meal (Apple Cider Vinegar w/ lime + lemon – 250 mL)
- Another round of pre, intra, post hydration (1.5 L)
- Bed time tea (250 mL)
- Approximately = 5 Litres per day
I’m not recommending you consume exactly what i do everyday because our body types, physical demands, and overall obsession levels with nutrition / sports hydration are different.
However, I am hoping this example of my full day of eating will encourage. you to take a second look at your personal hydration.
Sports Nutrition Idea #3
Vegan / Vegetarian / Plant Based Diet
In the video above – I explained that I’ve been a plant based athlete (consumed a vegan diet) for nearly 6 years.
Yes…
I am still alive.
In fact, my peers (of similar age) consuming different sports nutrition diet plans seem to be slowing down, gaining weight, losing motivation, at an alarming rate.
I’m not encouraging you to adopt a vegan soccer player diet. Remember, the best soccer player meal plan is the one you are actually going to follow and enjoy.
However, I am encouraging you to increase the percentage of plant based foods in your diet because the benefits are undeniable.
Here are some of my results I’ve seen with a vegan sports nutrition plan:
- Reduce inflammation (faster recovery)
- Better breathing
- Increased stamina
- Ease of weight loss (hard to gain fat)
- Better digestion
- Higher energy level
- and even better muscle development (more on this…)
Sports Nutrition Idea #4
Micronutrients > Macronutrients
Most sports nutritionists focus on macronutrients:
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
However…
I believe micronutrients are more important than macronutrients.
Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals which are essential for energy levels, immune function, hormone balance, bone health, and much more.
Macronutrients are important but the foundation of your health starts with the most overlooked nutrients: micronutrients.
I said this information would be controversial. Therefore, we cannot conclude this post without talking about protein.
Personally, I believe the recommendations for protein has been grossly over exaggerated by sports nutritionists.
And what about Protein…
Do we need protein?
Yes!
Do we need as much as other sports nutrition diet plans would recommend?
No.
I’ve lived on a soccer player diet plan consuming 200 grams of protein per day from animal sources. Currently, I’m living on a soccer player meal plan that is closer to 80 grams of protein per day. Yet I have more muscle on my body than ever before.
Could I have even more muscle on a higher protein sports nutrition diet ?
Possibly but I believe it would also come at the cost of higher inflammation, slower recovery, and lower energy.
Protein is conversion for a different blog post so comment below if you have any questions about sports nutrition for athletes, soccer player diet plans, full day of eating for footballers, intermittent fasting, hydration, vegan diets, macronutrients, protein, or any other nutrition topics.
Want To Improve Faster & Achieve More?
If you found this content valuable and would like to join the growing number of players around the world working with Progressive Soccer to improve their game and achieve success in soccer…
There are several options you can take a closer look at:
For more information about: Online Soccer Academy
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Work with Dylan Tooby (1 on 1): Online Soccer Coaching
In Conclusion
Please do not overlook your nutrition. It has the ability to transform your game and change your life.
Applying the principles in this article will increase:
- Energy levels
- Muscle building ability
- Metabolism & weight loss
- Speed of recovery
- Mental clarity
- Longevity
- General health (immunity)
- and obviously sports performance (on the soccer field)
If you have any questions about this topic please comment below.
Thanks for reading: Weird Sports Nutrition For Athletes
WARNING: Controversial Information On The Soccer Player Diet
