SOCCER LOVERS BOOK REVIEW: Fueling Young Athletes
Fueling Young Athletes by Heather Mangieri focuses on the importance of nutrition with valuable how-to information for better sport performance. Easy to follow guidelines provide step-by-step instructions for what to eat and answers the endless questions of why nutrition makes a difference.
Fueling Young Athletes by Heather Mangieri is an indispensable guide to every day nutrition for high level soccer players. Published by HUMAN KINETICS.
Building a champion takes more than training on and off the field.
“Champions decide their habits, their habits decide their future.”
Whether you play soccer at AYSO or the U.S. Soccer Development Academy or with an MLS squad, what you put in your body will — in many ways — dictate how your body performs on the soccer field.
Youth soccer players are always on the go — this book provides the essential nutrition information for peak performance.
The first step towards building youth soccer players is learning good heathly habits for hydration and nutrition — and it is never to late to learn more valuable information on this topic.
Winners realize that lifestyle plays a critical role in athletic success.
With chapters on Training and Teenage Deveopment, Customizing You Sports Nutrition Plan and Recipes that you can easily follow, Fueling Young Athletes by Heather Mangieri is a book we should all have and reference regularly.
SoccerToday’s Diane Scavuzzo interviewed Heather Mangieri on what is really important for youth soccer players ….
Diane Scavuzzo: What should teenage athletes, in particular soccer players, eat prior to a game?
Heather Mangieri: Even if practice is first thing in the morning, athletes should eat before they compete.
What that meal looks like depends on how much time the athlete has before the soccer event starts.
The more time, the more food. The less time, the less foods. Ideally, the meal should consist of complex carbohydrates, protein and even a bit of fat. As the time shortens to only an hour or less, the fat and the protein content of the meal should decrease.
If there’s only 30 minutes before the start, choose something quick to digest such as a piece of fruit, a sports drink or a few rice cakes.
Related Article: HYDRATION & NUTRITION ADVICE FOR SOCCER PLAYERS
The best pre-workout food choice not only depends on how much time you have prior to the start, but also the individual preference of the athlete. Some athletes prefer liquids, so a milk, sports drink or smoothie is the best while others do just fine with solids foods.
The most important consideration is timing.
Keep the fat and fiber low as you get closer to the start because those two nutrients slow digestion.
Healthy hydration is always important, but especially when exercising in extreme temperatures.
Focus on fluids but also on foods that are hydrating, Soup, fruit, smoothies, milk, juice, sports drinks and yogurt are great ways to incorporate adding fluids into your daily meal plan without drinking more water.
CEO/Nutrition Consultant at Nutrition CheckUp
For more information on what to eat three to four hours before training or completion, check out Mangieri’s book. There are complete chapters on the topic with clear guidelines on how much carbohydrates, proteins and fats to consume.
The book provides an important nutritional overview and asks “How intense are your trainings or practice sessions?” so nutritional guidelines can be adjusted for the level of workout.
At the end of the book, in Chapter 11, there are marvelous “Solid-Fuel Recipes” for a variety of Energy Bars and finally — the question that all Energy Bars are not created equal is answered with Mangieri explaining why some are better as breakfast bars, others for after school pre-workout and still others which offer high-calorie post-workout. And, yes, there are gluten free options as well as those made with chocolate!
Fueling Young Athletes is a GREAT READ. Available at Amazon
