A FOOTBALL coach once told me that the hardest part about coaching a team is monitoring their diet.

This is, of course, a personal opinion of this acquaintance of mine and may not necessarily apply to all coaches.

"It's not like yelling 'five more laps!' during training and they have no choice but to do it.

"Unless you're with them 24/7, food intake isn't something us coaches can have full control over, especially with the younger ones, where they are not yet fully disciplined," said the coach.

Adding to our previous articles, this statement helps highlight the importance of a proper and healthy diet for athletes.
To make things easier for all parties, here's a simple guide for all you mischievous adolescents out there sneaking in a chocolate or two between meals.

This sample eating plan with enough carbohydrate and protein portions is suitable for an adolescent football player training at least an hour per day.

Breakfast starts at 7.00am with:

Two slices of toasted bread with two tablespoon of jam or peanut butter

1 cup of cereal with 1/2 carton of milk, a small tub of fruit yogurt and a pear

1 pack of 250ml UHT flavoured milk or 1 glass of fruit juice

1 glass of water



Enjoy a Mid-Morning bite at 10.30am:

1 ready to buy bun with sausage

1 apple

1 glass of water



Get a full lunch at noon:

1 serving of spaghetti bolognaise

1 orange

1 large salad

200ml of UHT flavoured milk

1 glass of water



Enjoy a mid-afternoon snack at 3pm:

1 large steam pau

1 glass of water



Remember to hydrate yourself before training with:

1 glass of water



Keep yourself hydrated during training only with:

Water



After training, have a post-training snack:

1 banana

1 cereal bar

300ml UHT flavoured milk or UHT plain milk



Dig in for dinner at 7.30pm:

100g of lean meat

1 cup of rice

Stir-fried mix vegetables with 1/4 cup of cashew nuts

1 glass of water



End your day with supper at 10pm:

1 pack (250ml) of UHT flavoured milk

While some may be able to practice the diet plan according to the above, athletes can choose to substitute some of the meals with other alternatives as long as they fulfil the necessary nutrient intake required for a particular lifestyle.

For example, liquid intake is crucial for those on the field, like footballers and hockey players, as the need for continuous hydration plays a big part in maintenance of stamina and consistency in performance.

l The writer is the Consultant Dietician, appointed by Tetra Pak, the Nutrition Partner for Ken Barnes Football Club.