Part 1: Nutrition "You are what you eat"

Throughout my coaching career at Brams United Girls Soccer Club, I have seen and heard what parents are feeding their young players before and after games and it astonishes me, as to what is happening with our young athletes and kids in general.  As the statement says "you are what you eat" and in my eyes it is very true.  And as coaches, we need to be aware of the players nutrition as it impacts the individual and the team as a whole.In general, coaches just want to coach and not have to worry about any "other" factors, but this is never the case. There are so many other factors that contribute to the success or failure of the team, and nutrition is one of them.

  So what is a coach to do? As a coach, we must provide information to the players and their parents about how important nutrition is to the players overall development and what affects it has on soccer player.  Here are 5 answers to the basic questions, I think a coach should know:

1. What is Nutrition?

   Is the science that studies food and how food nourishes our bodies and influences our health. (1)

2. Why is Nutrition important?
 Nutrition is important because of these 3 major contributions:
 1. It provides the body with energy needed to function normal activities and for the athletes it is used to allow them to perform at high intense levels for their respected sports.  
 2. It supplies the body with the building blocks to regenerate and repair broken down issues.
 3. It contains protective substances as vitamins and minerals, that help fight against, injuries, illnesses and diseases.

3. What is under-nutrition and it affects?
A diet that lacks energy or specific essential nutrients. Basically, not enough food to maintain a healthy body condition.When the body does not have enough energy to function and/or perform everyday activities, you body will use it fat stores and muscles to meet its energy levels. This will cause the body to loose weight, become very weak and can result in illnesses.  

 4. What is over-nutrition and it affects?
A diet that has in imbalance of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins or simply too much energy. Or over eating. Once you have an imbalance, you will start to see weight gain, possibly development of dietary diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

5. What is mal- nutrition?
Mal-nutrition, can be used to describe under and over-nutrition as both are extremes. 


With the basics out of the way, I hope this information has shed some light on the topic that has a profound affect on a players performance and to a teams overall success. In the next part, I will discuss what this information means to a coach and a player.

 Until next time!!!

Picture of the Canadian Food Guide.