Nutrient Intake and Food Habits of Soccer Players: Analyzing the Correlates of Eating Practice

Abstract

Despite the impact and popularity of soccer, and the growing field of soccer-related scientific research, little attention has been devoted to the nutritional intake and eating habits of soccer players. Moreover, the few studies that have addressed this issue suggest that the nutritional intake of soccer players is inadequate, underscoring the need for better adherence to nutritional recommendations and the development and implementation of nutrition education programs. The objective of these programs would be to promote healthy eating habits for male and female soccer players of all ages to optimize performance and provide health benefits that last beyond the end of a player’s career. To date, no well-designed nutrition education program has been implemented for soccer players. The design and implementation of such an intervention requires a priori knowledge of nutritional intake and other correlates of food selection, such as food preferences and the influence of field position on nutrient intake, as well as detailed analysis of nutritional intake on match days, on which little data is available. Our aim is to provide an up-to-date overview of the nutritional intake, eating habits, and correlates of eating practice of soccer players.

Evaluation of young elite soccer players food intake on match day and highest training load days

“…It is not usual to find such low percentages of this nutrient in young soccer players (Caccialanza et al, 2007;Iglesias-Gutiérrez et al, 2005;Russel and Pennock, 2011;Galanti et al, 2015;Ruiz et al, 2005). We speculate that "under reporting" may have occurred throughout the present study, a practice that seems very common in adolescent population (Caccialanza et al, 2007;(García-Rovés et al, 2014). In fact, a review of published studies using doubly labeled water to estimate energy expenditure and consequently validate self-registered energy consumption in athletes, reveals that "under-reporting" points to an underestimation of energy intake and fluid of about 18-27% (Livingstone et al, 1992;Bandini et al, 1990;Bratteby et al, 1998;Bandini et al, 1999.…”

Nutritional intake and overall diet quality of female soccer players before the competition period

“…For intermittent exercises, like soccer, basketball, martial arts, and others, the recommended protein intake ranges from 1.4 to 1.7 g/kg/day 24,25 . The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends a protein intake of 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day for people who exercise, and for those who practice resistance exercises, the intake must stay closer to the lower limit.…”

Sport Types and Time Spent Playing Sport Are Associated with Eating Pattern Among Young Brazilian Athletes

“…Although they had higher lunch or dinner with parents, soc-cer athletes had the worst eating pattern. A recent review (24) presented an unanimous agreement on the inadequate nutrient intake of soccer players, even though they only found a few studies evaluating the eating pattern. A study (25) of British professional soccer players described several important aspects of the soccer culture that impact the nutritional consumption of athletes, such as the traditional ideas that are prevalent in the sport; the power possessed by the managers, who were generally former players and practiced the nutrition knowledge they acquired through their own professional careers; the fact that many clubs infrequently work with sports nutritionists (25).…”

“…Although there is a consensus on literature from the importance of implementing intervention programs for athletes, there is still a lack of knowledge about the eating patterns of young athletes and its association between these eating patterns and with characteristics of sport par-ticipation (24). Once this relationship is thoroughly understood, efficient nutritional programs conducted by nutritionists can then be performed improving performance and health from athletes.…”