Carbohydrates – Why You Need Them

Carbohydrates (a.ka. carbo and carbos) are the most efficient fuel for energy production. They are stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver which means that your body will not consume them directly. That’s why soccer players are encouraged to eat a lot of carbos in order to perform well on the pitch.

Your muscles will get most of their energy from your glycogen fuels. It is crucial to have enough glycogen in your muscles and liver in order to feel good. Otherwise you will soon or later start to feel fatigue, your concentration will decrease and your body will not recover properly.

In order to meet your body’s carbo needs you should try to eat frequent small meals that are rich of carbos. But, you need to keep in mind that not all carbos are good for your body. In fact, there are many different types of carbos that have different breaking down rate.

This means the time your body needs to break down what you are eating into glycogen and store it in your liver and muscles. One common word for this is glychemic index or GI as many people prefer to call it. GI is a table that refers to the speed at which the carbohydrates are released into your bloodstream. A high GI indicates a quick break down and lower GI indicate a slower break down.

Eating wrong type of carbos in wrong time will directly impact on your performance on the soccer field. If you are for example playing a late afternoon match you should try to eat a big meal of slow carbohydrates 4-5 hours before the start of your game. However, if you are playing an early morning match you need to eat food with high GI rating.

Pregame glycogen storage is crucial for your performance. As a soccer player you will spend a lot of time running up and down the field. This will place a big drain on your glycogen fuels. Generally, the players that have more glycogen in their muscles and liver will have an advantage on their opponents. To achieve high glycogen levels, you need to constantly consume a lot of carbohydrates and fluids.

So, what carbos should you eat? Well, my personal favorite is pasta with mincemeat sauce 4-5 hours before a game. Here in Sweden, mincemeat sauce with pasta is the most popular meal among soccer players. You should also try to eat fruits (especially bananas), bread, potato, and rice. These carbos are middle slow and it is therefore important to consume those 4-5 hours before the start of your game.

In order to get an immediate energy boost I like to eat raisins. If I play my game early in the morning I like to eat some muesli with milk and a lot of raisins as breakfast. In order to find your own favorite mix of slow and fast carbos I recommend you to check out this GI table for more ideas.

The importance of carbos cannot be overemphasized enough. Simply, without enough carbohydrates you can’t expect to perform well, it’s not more difficult than that. Having good ball skills is crucial in soccer. However, you will not come any far if you can’t boost your body with enough fuel.

This is similar to owning a Ferrari but not be able to provide it with fuel :-) So, if you thought that playing soccer is just about being able to handle the ball well, then you were wrong.