Diet
Our thanks to Clive Brewer and www.scrum.com for
much of the information in the diet section.
Carbohydrate
Top tips to increase carbohydrate
intake
Kit Bag Carbs
Carbohydrate Ready Reckoner
Drinking for Rugby
Eat to Train, Train to Eat
Protein
Fats
When to Eat
Fuelling Optimum Rugby Training
Carbohydrate�
Carbohydrate is the most important fuel for the working muscles
during rugby and should consequently make up the bulk of your diet
- approximately 65% of the overall calorific intake. Whilst
nutrition is a very individual thing, based upon metabolic rates
and activity levels, a practical rule is to ensure that you eat
between 8 - 10 grams of carbohydrate per kg body per day. This
intake needs to be spread throughout the day. You should eat a
variety of carbohydrate-rich foods, in order to ensure a good mix
of all essential nutrients and it makes the diet more
interesting!
Good sources of carbohydrate include breakfast cereals, all types
of bread, oatcakes, rice cakes, cereal bars, pasta, rice, potatoes
(avoid chips, which have a high fat content), corn-based products,
pizza (be careful, as most toppings contain hidden fats), all types
of beans, pulses, fruit & fruit juice.
Carbohydrates are classified according to the glycaemic index.
Foods with a low glycaemic index (also known as complex
carbohydrates, the majority of those listed above) provide a
steady, slow release of sugars into the blood, thus ensuring a more
constant energy supply which the muscles can store ready for
exercise. These foods should be eaten 3-4 hours before training or
playing, to ensure that the muscle glycogen stores are loaded (a
process not optimally achieved by consuming "simple sugars" close
to performing). Conversely, high glycaemic index foods (also known
as simple sugars) provide a much quicker supply of sugars to the
body, raising the blood sugar levels quite rapidly. Examples of
such foods include cereal bars, bananas, jellybeans, Jaffacakes and
white bread. These foods are ideal for replacing muscle glycogen
(the muscular carbohydrate store) after exercise.
Following exercise, not only are your glycogen stores depleted, but
also there is a window of up to two hours when your body is
optimally adjusted to replenish muscular glycogen stores. For this
reason, you should aim to have 1g of carbohydrate per kg body mass
(or at least 50g, e.g. two large bananas) during this period, and
the same for every subsequent two hours until you sit down to eat a
meal. If you prefer, drinking high-energy drinks, containing
glucose, sucrose or maltodextrins in concentrations of 6ml/100ml
can achieve this. These are different to the fluids that need to be
drunk during exercise.
Top tips to increase
carbohydrate intake
- Serve bread at every meal, include: wholemeal, granary,
ciabatta, pitta, naan, bagels, crumpets, rye bread, fruit breads,
malt bread, seed loafs and teacakes, baps and muffins
- Toast and sandwiches should be made with doorstep slices of
bread
- Oatcakes, rice cakes, crispbreads or Swedish baked rolls can be
used as a tasty alternative to breads
- Portions of potato and other starchy vegetables, e.g. yam,
plantain, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, should be
increased
- Likewise pasta and rice portions should be substantial
- Lentils and beans can be added to casseroles and sauces or
served as an accompaniment
- Fresh, stewed or dried fruit can be added to breakfast cereals
and muesli
- Fruit can be eaten as a between meal snack
- Milk shakes and smoothies made with low fat milk, yoghurt and
fruit such as strawberries or bananas are popular, particularly
with young players
If you would like to add up your carbohydrate intake and plan a
diet to meet these carbohydrate needs, you can use the Carbohydrate
Ready Reckoner. You will soon get an idea of how your diet should
look to fulfil your carbohydrate needs.
Kit Bag Carbs�
These high carbohydrate/low fat foods are ideal for refuelling
after training or a match, or as a snack pre-exercise.
The quantities of foods listed below provide 50g
carbohydrate.
In order to help recover muscle and liver glycogen stores, you
should aim to eat 1g carbohydrate per kg of body weight IMMEDIATELY
after exercise. Repeat this after two hours or until normal eating
patterns have been resumed.
Use this list to put together suitable recovery snacks for your own
body weight and requirements:
� 500 ml Isotonic Sports Drink, e.g. Lucozade Sport, Gatorade,
Boots Isotonic
� 500 ml of fruit juice
� 500 ml of low fat milkshake, e.g. Yazoo, Gulp, Frijj
� 500 ml Smoothie
� 300 ml Carbohydrate/Energy drink, e.g. Lucozade NRG, Lucozade
Energy
� 60g jelly sweets
� 3 large bananas
� 1 round of jam or honey sandwiches (thick sliced bread and plenty
of jam/honey)
� 2 Nutrigrain bars
� 2 Rice Krispie Squares
� 2 Mullerice
� 1/3 Malt loaf
� 1 bagel
� 2 Go Ahead Cake Bar
� 4 Go Ahead biscuits
� 2 crumpets with marmite
� 6 jaffa cakes
� 2 fruit scones
� 2 raisin and lemon pancakes
� 2 currant buns
� 1 � pop tarts
� bowl of breakfast cereal with skimmed milk
� 100g Twiglets
� 60 g dried fruit
� 4 Fig rolls
� 1 pot Knorr Micro Rice
� 1 McDonalds Milkshake
� 200g low fat yoghurt topped with handful of breakfast
cereal
Carbohydrate Ready
Reckoner�
Aim for 6-10g carbohydrate per kg body weight per day.
To help you to appreciate the quantities of foods you need to eat
to reach your daily carbohydrate goal the following table gives the
amounts of different foods you would need to consume to get
approximately 50g of carbohydrate.
Summary
Aim for:
- 6-10g carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day.
- Eat at least 1g carbohydrate per kg of body weight IMMEDIATELY
following exercise.
- Include starchy forms of carbohydrate in your meals, as they
will provide other nutrients.
- Sugary/refined carbohydrates can be useful for re-fuelling
after exercise but remember to take care of your teeth!
Drinking for
Rugby�
Water is essential to normal body function. For example, it has
been shown that 5% dehydration can lead to a 20% decrease in
performance. During exercise, the major water loss from the body is
through sweat. If you are unsure how much water you can lose during
a training session (which will obviously be influenced by
environmental conditions), weigh yourself before and after training
(remembering to remove wet and sweaty clothing). Every kg of weight
lost is equal to 1 litre of water lost through sweating. This water
must be replaced, both during matches and training, and you should
be practised at both. Indeed, during rugby, keeping hydrated is
more important than supplying fuel to the muscles.
Therefore careful consideration should be given to the drink that
you are using to rehydrate yourself. Drinks that are too
concentrated will slow the process of absorption from the gut into
the body and consequently contribute to any dehydration effect. The
drink which you are using should be diluted to between 4 -8 ml of
glucose / maltodextrin / electrolyte per 100ml of water. This is
not always the strength recommended by the manufacturers of the
cordial products. If you are unsure, remember that water is a much
better option than an expensive sports drink that is mixed too
strongly. As detailed earlier, after exercise, a different
concentration of drink is required, in order to allow the delivery
of carbohydrates to the body.
The bodys' mechanism of warning you that you are dehydrated is the
feeling of thirst. Please note that this means that you are already
dehydrated and not drinking enough. A good indicator of your
hydration status in your urine: it should be clear and non-smelly,
and you should be going to the toilet every 2-3 of hours.
Eat to Train, Train to
Eat�
Many experts agree that second to training, diet exerts the most
significant effect on sporting performance. With matches won and
lost by such small margins is diet and area of your preparation
that YOU can afford to neglect?
In my experience nutrition is often something an athlete may
consider comes into play on competition day with a focus on the
'pre-match meal' and 'energy drinks'.
In fact it is the training diet that has the greatest potential to
influence your performance. Optimum diet will support high quality
high intensity training, which of course leads to high quality
match play.
At whatever level you play your rugby you need to meet your
nutritional needs if you are to reap the maximum returns from your
training.
Optimum Diet Checklist:
- Are you happy with your body weight, shape and muscle to fat
ratios?
- Have you identified nutritional strategies that work for you in
both training and competition?
- Do you eat high carbohydrate foods within one hour of
training?
- Do you set and achieve targets for your intake of fluids and
carbohydrates in the recovery phase following training?
- Can you sustain 100% training effort over the entire training
session?
- Do you know how to tell if you are well hydrated?
- Do you know the difference between isotonic and hypotonic
sports drinks and energy drinks? Do you know which products if any
could help your performance?
- Do you know the optimum time to eat and drink prior to
exercise?
- Do you follow nutritional guidelines for long-term good
health?
If your answer to all of these questions is YES,
CONGRATULATIONS! You are maximising the potential nutrition can
have on your rugby performance.
If the answer to any of these questions is NO you may find the
following information plus future articles on this site
useful.
The Basic Principles of Good Nutrition
There is no such thing as a bad food; it is how foods are combined
into your overall diet that determines whether you will achieve
your nutritional goals. Foods are a complex mixture of nutrients,
which interact with each other and with the nutrients in other
foods eaten at the same time.
The body must obtain energy plus over 40 other nutrients, essential
for life, from foods. Additionally there are other groups of food
components such as dietary fibre, carotenoids and some trace
elements such as boron that are not considered essential but which
are important for the maintenance of health and possibly for
preventing chronic disease.
For many of these nutrients it is possible to define reference
values or guidelines as to optimum intake for health. Additionally
it is also recognised that an individuals requirements for each of
these nutrients can be affected by factors such as an active
lifestyle and the demands of training and competition.
The First Simple Step - Variety is the spice of life!
The challenge of the training diet is to provide sufficient energy
and of each of the essential nutrients to meet the demands of the
training. Because the essential nutrients are found in a wide range
of foods it is important that the diet is drawn from a wide variety
of foods and not limited to just a few.
Remember to include foods from all the major food groups in your
diet:
Starchy Foods
Breads, potatoes, breakfast cereals, pasta, rice, noodles, oats,
chapattis etc
These foods should make up a substantial part of each of your meals
and snacks.
These foods contain starch a type of carbohydrate important in
providing the fuel for exercise. These foods also contain calcium,
fibre, iron and B vitamins. Many breads and breakfast cereals are
also fortified with vitamins and minerals. Whole grain/meal
varieties will provide more fibre.
Fruits and vegetables
Aim for at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
Fresh, frozen, canned, dried, fruit juices, beans and pulses all
count towards this goal of 5 a day.
Fruits and vegetables are important sources of vitamins including
vitamin C, carotenes (a form of vitamin A), folic acid; fibre and
also provide some carbohydrates.
Meat, Fish and alternatives
Meat, meat products, offal, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, beans and
pulses, meat substitutes e.g. Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP),
soya protein.
These foods provide protein, B vitamins, minerals such as zinc,
iron and magnesium.
Choose lower fat versions of meat and meat products. Remove all
visible fat form meats and remove the skin from chicken and
poultry. Cook these foods without adding additional fat eg grill,
dry fry, roast, casseroles etc
Meat alternatives such as lentils, beans etc are low in fat.
Milk and dairy products
Milk, cheese, yoghurts, fromage frais, butter, eggs and
cream.
These foods contain calcium, protein, vitamins including A, D, B12
and riboflavin.
Try lower fat versions of these foods, e.g. skimmed or semi-skimmed
milk, low fat yoghurts, lower fat spreads and lower fat cheeses
e.g. Edam
Fats, Oils and Sugary Foods
Butter, margarine, oils, mayonnaise, salad dressings, biscuits,
cakes, puddings, crisps, chocolates, pastries
These foods should be used sparingly, although in the extremely
active player we may call on the sugary foods as a carbohydrate
source at particular times to support training and match
play.
There are of course some foods that as a rugby player you need more
of than others e.g. the starchy, carbohydrate rich foods such as
pastas, potatoes, breads, cereals, rice etc, whilst although still
an important part of the diet, fatty foods and oils are need in
smaller quantities.
Anne Price
Protein
As an indication, Top-level rugby players need between 1.2 and 1.7
g of protein per Kg body mass per day. This is usually adequately
achieved through a sensible and varied diet. Protein is of primary
importance in the growth and development of the body, as well as
being important in maintaining a healthy immune system. The
following list details sources of protein in the diet. It should be
remembered however that some of these foods are high in fat
content, and that vegetable protein is usually of a lower quality
than animal protein.
Good sources of protein in the diet:
Animal
Meat, poultry, offal
Fish
Eggs (protein in the whites)
Milk, cheese, yoghurt
Vegetable
Beans - baked, haricot, kidney, etc
Pulses
Nuts and seeds
Soya products
Bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, cereals
Fats
Fats form an essential part of a healthy diet. However, given that
even the leanest players have large reserves of fat, there is no
need to consume a lot of fat in the diet. Whilst many fats are easy
to see, and therefore avoid (e.g. cream, dripping, butter, fat on
meat), much of the fat players intake through their diet is not so
obvious. Such fats are hidden in sauces that accompany foods; in
meat, especially red meat; in the oils that food is cooked in;
within nuts and seeds and also in products containing milk, such as
cheese or chocolate.
Practical hints to decrease the fat content of your diet
include:
- Buy low fat varieties where available.
- Use low fat spread only in small amounts (if at all).
- Avoid whole milk, cream, evaporated or condensed milk.
- Keep pastry products to a minimum.
- Eat less red meat: Replace with white meat or vegetables.
- Be careful of hidden fat in sauces.
- Trim excess fat off meat.
- Boils, grill, and microwave rather than roast or fry.
Using food labels on products will help you to select
appropriate foods to eat. These will show you the amount of fat per
100g of product, and the amount per average serving. Try to choose,
where possible, the lowest fat content food. For example, if you
require a mid-afternoon snack, a typical Cornish pasty may have 35g
of fat, whereas a Tuna and salad sandwich may only have 5.4g. Such
information would also be important in calculating your daily
protein and carbohydrate sources.
The sensible rule with fat products is one of moderation. Whilst it
is important to have the occasional binge, it is equally important
that this does not become a habit. Fueling the body appropriately,
and maintaining body weight, are essential components of top level
performance.
When to Eat
The process of digestion is an active one, and therefore calories
are burned up in the process. Therefore, it is better for smaller
meals to be eaten more frequently that larger meals less often.
This also helps to ensure that the body has a relatively constant
supply of energy. You should eat a meal of high G.I. foods 3-4
hours prior to a game, as detailed earlier. However, should you
feel hungry prior to a game (or you feel that your blood sugar
levels need to be topped up), foods that have a high G.I. but low
fat content, and which will not rest heavily in the stomach, (for
example, Jaffa cakes, or jelly babies) are good foods to consider.
It is therefore good practice to take a packet of these to games
with you for this purpose.
As a general rule of thumb, your metabolic rate begins to slow
around 8pm. Therefore, any calories consumed after this time will
not be burnt off. It is important however that you don't go to bed
on an empty stomach if you haven't eaten a meal by this time.
Because the metabolism slows overnight, it is important that you
provide the body with a stimulus to "kick-start the system" in the
morning, when the body has been a number of hours without
food.
Your eating pattern should therefore consist of a large (a relative
term) breakfast, with small, frequent meals (not snacks) throughout
the day, and a light meal in the early evening.
Fuelling Optimum Rugby
Training
As a player progresses through the various standards of rugby,
optimal nutrition becomes not only a distinct advantage, but also
an essential lifestyle factor if training is to be maximised and
excellent performance levels achieved. What is eaten on a daily
basis affects your energy levels, and consequently
performance.
The aim of this paper is to provide information about how a player
may achieve optimum energy levels; An attempt to change the
tradition "who ate all the pies" attitude to one of "who ate all
the carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals!" It is
important that the energy balance is maintained within you, so that
energy intake equates to your energy expenditure. Excesses in
energy intake are stored in the fat cells of the body. As fat
contributes little to the energy provision for the sport of rugby,
such stores represent useless weight, and should therefore be
minimised. Conversely, if energy intake is insufficient (remember
that your energy requirements will increase with an increase in
training volumes), the body will obtain energy by utilising
substances such as proteins, causing a defiency in the ability to
repair tissue following training. Over time, this will result in
the body entering a catabolic state, which will lead to a decrease
in the performance potential, and an increased risk of becoming
injured.
Improving fuelling of your rugby training and performance involves
the analysis of 3 major components of the diet: Carbohydrates,
proteins and fats. Dietary fibre is also an essential part of the
diet, which has no nutritional value, but has an important role to
play in maintaining a healthy excretory function. Fibre is found
within all cereal products and also in fruit and vegetables.
Vitamins and minerals are also important considerations in a
healthy diet. However, mineral deficiencies are rare in athletes,
with the possible exceptions of iron, particularly in vegetarians,
and also calcium. It is rare that a player eating a balanced diet
requires supplementation of vitamins, and some may have a
detrimental effect on training.
In order to obtain sufficient energy for top level performance,
your total energy intake should comprise a diet of 65%
carbohydrate, 22% fat and 13% protein.