Football and food, the two go together like Messi and Neymar, Shearer and Sheringham and Dalglish and Rush

We love football at SK, but as we are all about the food (there’s another song for you Meghan) we find it intriguing what the modern day footballer now eats.

Gone are the days when footballers could have a full fry-up and a few pints before the big game, and believe me they did, and now every aspect of their diet is monitored to make sure they are getting the right kind of food to keep them at the peak of their ability.

This doesn’t just apply to professional footballers of course. You could be a Sunday league player or someone doing any other kind of regular physical activity and it stands to reason that eating the right food at the right time can make such a big difference.

Here are some tips and ideas:

Breakfast
It’s called the most important meal of the day for a reason so if you have been getting by on a cup of coffee for breakfast, stop now.

Try to avoid sugary cereals because despite people thinking that sugar gives you more energy, they can actually make your energy levels dips and block the body’s ability to burn fat. Imagine Cristanio Ronaldo eating a bowl of sugar puffs before he goes off to training!

Swap cereals for oats as they provide slow release energy, keeping you fuller for longer, so porridge (without sugar of course) is an excellent breakfast. Bananas and berries are also great and rather than break, toast a whole-wheat bagel and serve it with some lovely home-made omelette, scrambled or poached eggs.

Lunch
With football games now kicking off at all times of the day and night, it must be difficult for footballers to remember what meal they are actually having. Those who kick off at lunchtime, for example, will have their lunch at breakfast, if you know what I mean.

If you are doing a physical activity in the afternoon, eat some carbohydrates, These are often seen as bad food but they are a quick and efficient way to provide available energy, as long as you eat the right ones.

So, despite being a nation of sandwich lovers, bread, especially white bread, is not always ideal as it is highly processed nutrient-free, so swap it for a plain bagel or, even better, a super grain, such as protein-packed quinoa.

Rice and pasta before exercise is also fine, but try to eat the wholegrain versions of these foods, as they release energy more gradually. Try to keep your dishes simple by making a tomato-based pasta, rather than a heavier one with cream, such as carbonara.

Chicken, rice and vegetables, particularly those high in iron like spinach and asparagus, are good combinations.

Dinner
If you have done your exercise and are settling down to dinner, don’t suddenly think you can eat what you want but do allow yourself a treat from time to time.

There’s nothing wrong with a good curry, and I am not just saying that because of where I work, but try to avoid the buttery and creamy ones. How about an amazing chicken tikka with served with some raita and brown rice?

Honey-glazed salmon is a great post-workout ­recovery meal. It is full of antioxidants and omega-3 fats and I suggest you serve it with a salad or brown rice.

Kidney beans and butter beans are another fantastic way of boosting your protein intake, without the added fat, so make a chilli, using extra lean minced beef or even quorn for that added protein boost.

Snacks and drinks
Snacks are often where peoples’ diets go off the rails. We are all guilty of thinking we can treat ourselves to something full of fat, sugar or calories when we have done some exercise. But this is how you can easily undo all of the good work.

You should substitute your sugary drinks for sugar-free versions, or try coconut water or just good old fashioned H20. And instead of a chocolate bar or bag of crisps, snack on bananas, which contain potassium to replenish electrolytes, or seeds/nuts, which are full of ‘good’ fats that your body needs to support the immune system, as well as having anti-inflammatory properties to aid tissue repair and recovery.

So, if you follow these tips there’s no reason why you couldn’t mesmerize like Messi, run like Ronaldo or shoot (not bite!) like Suarez!

About Neil Shaefer
Marketing & Communications Executive of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.