Nutrition Conditioning Guide With assistance from the Registered Dietitians at Infusion Partners, the following guide is a summary of proper nutrition conditioning for athletes.  This will prove useful for parents and athletes alike in an effort to prepare our bodies physically for the challenge of practicing and playing the game of soccer. Vitamins Folic Acid keeps blood healthy and fights off anemia.  Recommended daily allowance of 300 mcg for youth to 400 mcg for adults can be found is enriched grain products, breads, cereals, pastas, leafy grean vegetables, and citrus fruits.  Iron gets oxygen to muscles which helps performance.  RDA of 8 mg for youth to 15 mg for adults can be found in iron-fortified cereals and broccoli. Zinc helps your immune system and healing/injury recovery.  You sweat out zinc when running.  Low intake of zinc can make you more succeptible to more frequent colds, infections, and bronchitis.  RDA is from 8 mg for youth to 12 mg for adults. Vitamin C protects your body from the oxidative damage caused by exercise and helps maintain a strong immune system.  Many fruits and vegetables contain over 50% of the RDA per serving. Vitamin E helps protect you from heart disease and cancer. Calcium provides health for your bones.  Bones lose calcium as they age, so it is important to include dairy products such as low-fat milk, yogurt, cottage cheese a regular part of your daily menu. Eating Right A proper diet can improved your athletic performance.  A high carb diet will     increase your glycogen which will provide energy for your muscles.  But you      must eat the right carbs ... AVOID red meat, cheese, whole milk, butter,          margerine, mayonnaise, salad dressing, cream cheese, fried foods, bacon and eggs, and deserts. Drinks You should experiment during practice to establish how much fluid your body needs and can tolerate. Juices are excellent.  Apple, pineapple, cranberry, grape, and apricot nectar offer more carbs than orange, grapefruit or tomato juices.  Fruit smoothies are excellent as well. Water is great.  Sports Drinks are excellent.  They replace lost carbs and provide effective fluid replacements during games/training, especially when they last longer than 1 hour.  You should drink up to 12 oz of your sports drink 15 minutes before games or training and 4-6 oz every 15 minutes during the game when possible. Note - Sports drinks are not the same as "Energy" drinks with caffeine.  Fruits Bananas provide lots of carbs and potassium (lost through sweat) and help regulate muscle contractions. Oranges provide Vitamin C necessary to protect you against upper respiratory infections which are common during periods of intense training. Strawberries are rich in Vitamin C and are low in calories. Cantaloupe are rich in beta-carotene which is an antioxidant vitamin that can lower risk to both cancer and heart disease.  Breakfast Bagels, muffins, corn or banana bread Cereals such as oatmeal, raisin or bran flakes, grape nuts, and wheat chex. Pancakes, waffles, french toast and additional carbs in maple syrup, honey and applesauce or jam. Lunch/Dinner Spaghetti, macaroni, noodles and tomato sauce. Luttuce boosts intake of vitamins and fiber. Broccoli provides vitamins and potassium. Rice especially steamed or boiled - Brown is best. Breads, rolls, tortillas - whole grains. Tomatoes provide Lycopene, a phytochemical helps cancer protection. Asparagus provides vitamin A and C. Fish/Shrimp are high in muscle building protien, are low in fat, and contain important minerals (calcium and potassium). Crab is rich in protein. Tuna is high in protein.