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Sports Nutrition Team Sports: Soccer

Sports Nutrition Team Sports: Soccer

Become a better player - nutrition advice

For a team sport like football, you need endurance as well as technical skills and talent. Whether you are fighting for a place in the team or for your position on the pitch, hard work is the key to becoming a better player. An efficient training schedule and a healthy diet will help you to achieve your goals.

Endurance, agility and speed

All players have one thing in common, whether they play competitively or fight not to lose the match: they want to win every match. Team play, agility and speed are some of the most important requirements for success, but endurance must not be forgotten. Did you know, for example, that professional footballers run 13 km every match, of which 800 to 1200 m are short sprints?

Keeping up intensity

A training session or match can leave you physically exhausted. A healthy diet is essential to helping your body to prepare for such intensive physical activity. Due to the characteristic property of many team sports, viz. the combination of endurance with short bursts of energy, there is a particular need for creatine phosphate and anaerobic energy sources (energy that can be produced without using oxygen).

Are you unsure which foods you should eat? Are you looking for a way to change your nutrition habits so that you can become a better player? Etixx products are developed by a team of scientists who work together closely with top athletes in order to be able to guarantee the best results. A specific diet that is designed to allow you to access your energy reserves directly will help you to play energetically for the whole game.

Daily nutrition advice for footballers

Every footballer has a set of personal needs depending on his or her objectives, condition, experience with sports nutrition and specific problems. Excluding these personal effects, we have found a lot of similarities between the members of our teams, including AA Gent, KRC Genk, RSC Anderlecht, KV Mechelen & KV Oostende and all of the football lovers who have been involved in the testing of our products.

In general, footballers require more vitamins and minerals because of the exercise they do. Due to overworking and excess fertilisation, our agricultural land has been degraded, so that fruit and vegetables now contain less vitamins and minerals than roughly 50 years ago. This lower level of vitamins and minerals, combined with lower consumption of fruit and vegetables in general, means that footballers have to pay extra attention to this. For this reason, extra supplements are highly recommended.

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Magnesium 2000 AA

€ 41.99

Magnesium amino acid in chelated form for better absorption
With vitamin C for the protection of the cells against oxidative stress
Effervescent tablet with delicious orange flavour can also be
dissolved in water bottle

Gebruik

1 effervescent tablet a day, dissolve in 200 mL of water, preferably at breakfast.

Food supplement with sweeteners. This should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Do not exceed the daily recommended dose. Store out of reach of young children. Suitable for persons as of 13 years of age. Store at room temperature (15-25°C), protect from light and keep container closed.

Multimax

€ 29.99

High dose of vitamins, minerals and trace elements
Only 1 tablet per day

Gebruik

1 tablet per day, preferably at breakfast, during 4 weeks.

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Do not exceed the daily recommended dose. Store out of reach of young children. Not suitable for persons taking coumarin anitcoagulants. Store at room temperature (15-25°C), protect from light and keep container closed.

Collagen Complex

€ 35.99

Contains a high dose (10g) of collagen peptides
Contains Vitamin C which contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal functioning of the cartilage and bones
With patented ingredients, supported by scientific studies
Neutral taste, can be mixed with water, a drink of your choice or yogurt

Gebruik

Mix 10 g of powder with 200 ml of water, a drink of your choice or yoghurt, once a day.

This product should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Do not exceed the stated daily recommended dose. Store out of the reach of young children. This food supplement is suitable for persons as of 13 years of age. Collagen fit for human consumption. Store at room temperature (15-25°C), protect from light and keep container closed.

Eat and drink before exercise in order to make the best possible gains.

Our level of performance is directly proportional to our loss of moisture. It is important to start your training sessions properly hydrated. Pre-hydration starts the day before exercise, and mainly involves drinking water. The colour of your urine is a good indication of whether you are sufficiently hydrated. Dark yellow urine is a sign that you have not drunk enough. A light yellow colour indicates that you are well hydrated. During the meal before your session (3 hours before) or 10 minutes before the exercise, you can drink a sports drink to hydrate and get some extra carbohydrates.

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Carbo-Gy

€ 35.99

With both fast (maltodextrine) and slow (fructose) sugars for long-term energy supply
Energy drink which can be drunk either cold or warm
Can be used as carbo-loader, in combination with a diet rich in
carbohydrates
Can be used as an energy drink in cold weather or when there's
not much time to eat or drink

Gebruik

As a carbo-loader	70g (4 scoops) in 500ml of water
BEFORE (1.5-4h for*)	70g (4 scoops) in 500ml of water
DURING	70g (4 scoops) in 500ml of water **

* On the day of the competition it is recommended to drink Carbo-Gy during the pre-competition meal. This can be either as a cold drink or as a hot fruit tea.

** During the competition and training Carbo-Gy is suitable in cold weather and when time for drinking and eating is limited.

This powder preparation is a drink fortified with carbohydrates and vitamins for sportspeople. A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important. We recommend not to exceed the daily recommended dose. Suitable for persons as of 13 years of age.

Isotonic drink

€ 31.99

2:1 ratio glucose:fructose for optimal absorption of carbohydrates, without stomach complaints
With extra sodium (552mg/litre) to replenish salt loss and maintain fluid balance
Ideal isotonic thirst-quencher for hot weather
pH-neutral to prevent upset stomach
Available in 4 delicious fruit flavours: lemon, orange-mango, watermelon and forest fruit

Gebruik

Dissolve 35g powder (2 scoops = 35g powder) in 500ml of water. Drink at least 500 ml per hour effort. In warmer conditions and during intensive exercise, it is recommended to drink 750 ml up to 1 l per hour.

This powder preparation is an isotonic drink for sportspeople fortified with minerals. A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are
important. Do not to exceed the daily recommended dose. Suitable for persons as of 13 years of age.

Energy Sport Bar

€ 35.99

With carbohydrates for a prolonged energy supply during exercise.
Can be used as a snack rich in carbohydrates.
Low fat and fibre content, therefore easy to digest.
Choice between 2 different flavours: raspberry and chocolate.

Gebruik

As Carbo-loader	1 bar (as a snack)
30 min BEFORE	1 bar
DURING	1 or 2 bars per hour of exertion*.

* 1 or 2 bars provide(s) 30 and 60 g carbohydrates respectively.

Chocolat: Cereal bar with sugars enriched with magnesium. A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.

Raspberry: Cereal bar with sugars enriched with vitamin C. A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.

Ginseng & Guarana Energy Gel

€ 35.99

Unique tri-phase sugar mixture for quick energy boost (after 10min), but also has prolonged effect
With natural caffeine for extra physical and mental energy boost
With alcohol for better absorption of sugars

Gebruik

10min BEFORE	1 sachet
DURING	1 à 2 sachets per hour effort

Food supplement. This product should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Do not exceed the daily recommended dose. Store out of the reach of young children.

Contains caffeine (53mg / 50g). Not recommended for children, pregnant or lactating women and caffeine-sensitive persons. Do not exceed the maximum daily intake of 400mg caffeine from all sources. Consult your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking concomitant diabetes medications.

Eat and drink something during exercise in order to gain as much performance as possible.

The amount of moisture that you will lose during exercise depends on duration, intensity, genetics, body size and various environmental factors such as humidity and temperature. It is therefore not entirely clear how much you should drink while exercising. A very good way to determine how much moisture you need to consume is to use some scales on a day during which you will be training. Weigh yourself before and after training, and multiply the lost weight by 1.5. The outcome is the quantity of fluid that you need to consume in order to compensate for what you lost as sweat.

In order to perform during long periods of exercise, the muscles must have enough glycogen, and that is why it is important to consume carbohydrates while training and replenish these reserves. If no carbohydrates are consumed during long periods of intensive exercise, glycogen in the muscles will become depleted after 90 minutes. The table below shows how much carbohydrate must be consumed, because requirements depend on the duration of the exercise:

<1h	No additional carbohydrates required
1-2h	30g per hour
2-3h	60g per hour
>2,5h	Up to 90 g per hour

You can choose to consume carbohydrates during exercise in liquid, semi-liquid or solid form. The more liquid the food, the faster the carbohydrates will be absorbed during exercise. In stress situations, preference is always given to liquid sources of carbohydrate, because our digestive system does not work optimally when we are under stress.

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Nutritional Energy gel

€ 35.99

Unique tri-phase sugar mixture for quick energy boost (after 10min), but also has prolonged effect

Gebruik

10min BEFORE	1 sachet
DURING	1 à 2 sachets per hour effort

Liquid food enriched with vitamin C.

Kidney patients should not take more than 200mg of vitamin C per day, considering among others, the risk of hyperoxalemie.

Isotonic drink

€ 31.99

2:1 ratio glucose:fructose for optimal absorption of carbohydrates, without stomach complaints
With extra sodium (552mg/litre) to replenish salt loss and maintain fluid balance
Ideal isotonic thirst-quencher for hot weather
pH-neutral to prevent upset stomach
Available in 4 delicious fruit flavours: lemon, orange-mango, watermelon and forest fruit

Gebruik

Ginseng & Guarana Energy Gel

€ 35.99

Unique tri-phase sugar mixture for quick energy boost (after 10min), but also has prolonged effect
With natural caffeine for extra physical and mental energy boost
With alcohol for better absorption of sugars

Gebruik

10min BEFORE	1 sachet
DURING	1 à 2 sachets per hour effort

Eat and drink something after exercise in order to recover as quickly as possible

Proper recovery after training is crucially important, because strangely enough, your body gets stronger and fitter after exercise, not during. In line with the motto “You’re only as good as your last recovery”, it is important to pay attention to what you eat and drink after exercise. This determines how much you will gain from your training. Often, you have to drive or catch a bus, or rush to your next appointment, so you do not immediately supply your body with the building materials it needs to ensure proper recovery. This can cause you to start your next training with fatigue, potentially causing you to enter a negative spiral. This can result in delayed progress, or even injury. What you should do, is provide your body with fuel and the right nutrition as fast as possible.

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Recovery Shake

€ 49.99

With “fast” sugars (maltodextrin) for optimal replenishment of muscle glycogen
With high-quality protein (whey protein isolate) for rapid recovery
of muscle damage
Rich in vitamins
Choice of two flavours: raspberry-kiwi or chocolate

Gebruik

Immediately after light-moderate intensity exercise: dissolve 50 g powder (3 scoops) in 500ml water/milk / Immediately after an intensive exercise/competition: dissolve 100 g powder (6 scoops) in 500 ml water/milk

Immediately AFTER light-moderate intensity exercise	50 g powder (3 scoops) in 500ml water (raspberry/kiwi) or milk (chocolate)
Immediately AFTER an intensive exercise/competition:	Dissolve 100 g powder (6 scoops) in 500 ml water (raspberry/kiwi) or milk (chocolate)
Immediately AFTER a competition	Dissolve 100 g powder (6 scoops) in 500 ml water (raspberry/kiwi) or milk (chocolate)

This food supplement with sugars and sweetener contains vitamins and minerals for sportspeople. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute to a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Do not to exceed the daily recommended dose. Store out of the reach of young children.

Advanced plan

For those who are ready to take it a step further and are aiming for challenges that are just within their potential. The products below can help you with this depending on your goals.