Working with two Premiership clubs, he reviews both current nutritional thinking within football and the wider issue of the degree to which this supposedly professional sport takes science seriously.
Let’s look at his specialist area first. An athlete’s diet must be high in carbohydrate, moderate in protein, low in fat, include sufficient vitamins and minerals, and plenty of fluid. This simple model, quoted by Broad, is one to which few would take exception. ‘However, as our understanding of the game in this country has improved, nutritionists have been able to tease out strategies from each of the model’s sub-sections that more closely match the requirements of our sport,’ he says.
He cites a number of examples.
Calorific intake. Until relatively recently, football was classed as an endurance sport because of the duration of matches, but recent studies have shown that the energy expenditure of players is not particularly high, largely because time spent training is much less than for, say, a distance runner. In Scandinavia, calorific intake in excess of 4000 kcals per day may be appropriate given their seven-day per week training regime, but not in the UK where players typically train four times weekly.
Carbohydrates and the glycemic index: the index ranks food according to their immediate effect on blood glucose. Five years ago, the emphasis was on high-carb, low fat foods; any food meeting these requirements was regarded as good for glycogen building, whereas ‘emphasis is now placed more on achieving optimum carbohydrate intake prior to matches, and during the recovery period after matches, particularly when some clubs find themselves involves in up to three games per week in the busiest part of the season.’ FORMULA ONE IS BALANCED – SLOW RELEASE CARBS! PLUS F2
Supplementation: there may be greater knowledge about reducing fat intake in the sport, but dietary analysis shows consistent low uptake of essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA). Broad comments: ‘Despite the appearance of oily fish in the canteens of football clubs, there may be a case for blanket supplementation in this particular group of sportsmen.’ HERBALIFELINE
He also discusses the use of protein supplementation to promote protein synthesis and adaptation of muscle. FORMULA 3 PROTEIN POWDER –MIX OF SOY AND WHET IDEAL
Urine indices: osmometers at many top clubs can now give instant urine analysis readouts to identify dehydrated subjects – USE THE HYDRATION SCALES – IDEAL IS 65% (most athletes are BELOW this!!)
On the more general use of science in football, Broad points out that the facile assumptions about sophisticated foreign teams can be unhelpful. While Real Madrid employ no fewer than nine masseurs, they do not have a specialist nutritionist on staff and he comments that ‘players from overseas bring with them their own ideas nearly always related to vitamin intake, but very often lacking in scientific support’. But the biggest change he has seen is the degree to which science is now the servant of the sport in providing answers to pertinent questions – as compared with the time not so long ago when there was plenty of scientific scrutiny (the ‘measure everything approach’) which was not in response to specific needs.
Scientific research shows players should concentrate more on appropriate energy intake, and high carbohydrate and fluid intake.’
Towards a ‘Personal Hydration Strategy’Hydration is perhaps a more emotive issue in American football where fatalities have occurred in training and competition, but at a more mundane level, ‘there is good evidence that players who become dehydrated are more susceptible to the negative effects of fatigue, including loss of performance and increased risk of injury. There is also growing evidence that excessive sweat losses, especially high salt losses, can be a factor in some of the muscle cramps that affect players in training and competition.’ THERMOJETIC HYDRATION WITH THERMO BEV – COLD OR HOT!
Survival techniques in a cut-throat world….
There is a task force at work in the English Football Association charged with developing the use of psychology in the sport, chiefly through coach education and one of the people working with the FA, Misia Gervis, reports on a year spent working with a professional football club manager.
Managers operate in a macho world of apparent omnipotence, but are in fact at the mercy of multiple pressures from players, owners/investors, fans and the media. This creates a climate of insecurity and uncertainty and it is therefore not surprising that mental and physical health often suffers.
The work had three key aims:
· To develop more effective inter-personal communication skills;
· To enhance understanding of group dynamics, and how to affect them;
· Personal stress reduction. GIVE STRESSED FOLK THE TANG KUEI – AFTER MATCHES/TRAING – USE ALOE JUICE IN WATER TO REDUCE ‘BUTTERFLY TUMMY’
