In a recent comment I had a request asking me to show you what I eat on the days when I have double-header soccer games. I thought it would make a great post! I’ve had two games almost every Sunday this fall, and often they are back-to-back with little time for me to do much more than drive from one field to the other. Here’s a typical day of fuel. I admit I am sure I could be doing some things better from a sports nutrition standpoint, but my main goal is just to eat enough that I don’t get hungry and so that I feel energized throughout both games. And of course, to focus on eating healthy food.
A lot of my co-ed games have started at 11.00 a.m. or 1.00 p.m. and my women’s games are either at 2:00 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. On this day I was due at the field at 12:30 p.m. I started the day with coffee, as per usual, and had a mug at around 7:30 a.m. after getting up and dressed with Mazen.
Next came breakfast (or actually, brunch). My goal here is to eat a huge breakfast on the later side so it fills me up. Also, to have an emphasis on the carbs to fill up those energy stores. I had two slices of sourdough French toast with some maple syrup, plus a small raspberry smoothie made with yogurt, milk, raspberries, and a few spinach leaves.
I packed up snacks to eat between games. I most often crave salty foods, so I filled a tupperware with salted blue corn chips. Chips are a great snack between games because they are light enough that I can start running right away, and the salt totally hits the spot.
I also packed a few dates to have at halftime of each game.
And of course, plenty of water. I filled both of my bottles up and added some Vega Clean Energy to the bigger one. I like this Vega product because it has some caffeine plus simple carbohydrates and a great taste. (For disclosure, they sent me this tub to try, but I will be buying it again when I run out.) I consumed the Vega bottle at game #1 and then just water at game #2. I had an extra bottle of water if needed. In the warmer months I usually drink all three!
I try to drink a whole bottle of water about 2 hours before I leave the house too (much closer and I’ll just have to use the bathroom the whole game and some of our fields don’t have them!).
I had breakfast around 9, so at noon before leaving my house I had a banana and some peanut butter to top me off.
Go time!! Division 4 Co-Rec Semi-Finals! We won!! I played all but 10 minutes, or about 80 minutes of game time. We had lots of stop-and-go intervals of walking and sprinting.
I forgot to eat my dates at halftime, so I had them along with the chips on the way to my second game. Hard workouts take away my appetite though, so I wasn’t all that hungry during my break. I had an extra Larabar with me just in case.
I arrived at the field and drank some more water before we started to play.
It was such a fun surprise to see these two balloons fly over! I played about an hour of that game. My pace definitely slowed as I started to get tired.
I went to pick up Mazen and then headed back home. I made him dinner – a spinach + manchego grilled cheese and parmesan broccoli – and had a half cup of broccoli before hitting the shower. I was really starting to get hungry and was craving those veggies!
I heated up leftover chili with cheese and sour cream on top and had a side of cornbread for dinner. I know alcohol isn’t the best for recovery, but I had an open bottle of wine I didn’t want to waste!
And to finish off the day, a little pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream.
Soccer days are always lower in vegetables because I essentially skip lunch and miss out on a salad or side of them. This dinner wasn’t especially green (although my chili had peppers and beans inside) but I do try to make a point to get plenty of vegetables into dinner. The broccoli appetizer helped!
Soccer is my favorite form of working out these days, and I feel very lucky to have found the two leagues I play on. I hope I can continue to play for years to come! We have one woman who is nearing 70-years-old on my women’s team, and she is my soccer idol!
If you are a long distance runner, Anne has a great post on what to eat before and after a run.
Tonya says
Great post. It reminded me that I need to start carrying snacks again! My day gets sooo busy so, lately, when it’s time to eat I’m starving and not making the best decisions.. I shall return to carrying snacks in my purse.
Emily says
Awesome post! I know you appreciate blog feedback, -!: I like this post because it’s a detailed account of a full day’s eats, and total honesty (love the chips as a choice for fuel in a healthy portion and the treat of wine at the dinner haha). Posts like this give me inspiration and remind me it’s ok to eat what you like, in moderation- nothing off limits, especially on very active days.
KathEats says
Glad you liked it : )
Pat says
I enjoyed this post much more than your “lately” ones. I like seeing the rationale for eating what you do.
Fancy says
Completely agree! Seeing WHY you eat the foods is so much more helpful than just pictures of what you ate.
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby says
I never thought of chips as a soccer snack how clever! Like my running days ha ha I wish I could play soccer but I am just not coordinated enough!
Cait says
I like this post too!I have been doing triathlon for a few years(after a long stint of running only) so I have lots of two-a-day workouts and it’s always good to see what other athletes are eating.Looks great!I love Vega as well,and I do lots of PB bananas…although guilty pleasure at the end of a long ride are Pringles-those blue corn chips look yummy.
Joan says
I always try to pack snacks on our busy active days – love the dates idea, my kids need energy before their soccer games that isn’t in the form of a Snickers bar, haha!