Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark – Salad as a meal

Any season, brunch, lunch or dinner, salad can be a soccer and sports-worthy meal-IF you make the right choices. Below is a "complete program" for building the best salad for your sport from Food Guide for Soccer: Tips and Recipes from the Pros.


Salad for Lunch


Salads, whether served as a main dish or an accompaniment, are a simple way to boost your intake of fresh vegetables-that's good! But as a soccer athlete, you need a substantial, carbohydrate-based lunch. Most salads get the bulk of their calories from salad oil-not good. You'll be better able to fuel your muscles if you choose a sandwich with a side salad for lunch, rather than eat just a big salad for the entire meal. However, if a salad is your choice, to make it a meal, make sure to add from the substantial choices below.



Three tricks to making a healthy sports salad are:


1. Choose a variety of colorful vegetables-dark green lettuces, red tomatoes, yellow peppers, orange carrots-for a variety of vitamins and minerals. If the vegetables you buy for salads tend to wilt in your refrigerator, consider frequent trips to the salad bar at the grocery store and deli as an alternative to tossing veggies that spoil before you find the chance to eat them. And here's a tip: dig from the bottom, to make sure to get the coldest (and therefore best preserved) part of the salad bar.


2. Add extra carbohydrates, or protein:

• dense vegetables, such as corn, peas, beets, carrots

• beans and legumes, such as chickpeas, kidney beans, and three-bean salad

• cooked rice or pasta

• oranges, apples, raisins, grapes, craisins

• toasted croutons

• whole-grain bread or roll on the side

• hardboiled eggs, cheese (moderate amounts), chicken, flaked tuna or imitation seafood, preferably without mayonnaise. (If it comes with mayo, hold off adding any extra dressing to the salad or add lemon or vinegar.)


3. Monitor the dressing. Some soccer players drown 50 calories of healthful salad ingredients with 400 calories of blue cheese dressing! At a restaurant, always request the dressing be served on the side. Otherwise, you may get 400 calories of unhealthy oil, or mayonnaise-fatty foods that fill your stomach but leave your muscles unfueled.


If you choose to use regular dressings, try to select ones made with olive oil for both a nice flavor and health-protective monounsaturated fats. If you want to reduce your fat intake, simply dilute regular dressings with water, more vinegar, lemon, or even milk (in ranch and other mayonnaise-based dressings). Or, choose from the plethora of low- or non-fat salad dressings. These dressings are good not only for salads, but also sandwiches, baked potatoes and dip.


Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer-Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Women's Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com


Check out the latest news on the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer season at www.womensprosoccer.com

Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark – Make Time for Breakfast!

As an aspiring soccer star, plan to start your day with breakfast preferably within two hours of waking. From female athletes on a 1,800-calorie weight reduction diet, to tall men who devour 3,600+ calories a day, soccer athletes deserve to eat  a hefty 500 to 900 calorie morning meal(s). If you train in the morning (such as in summer camps or team pre-season), you might want to eat part of your breakfast (as tolerated) before practice, and then enjoy the rest of the breakfast afterwards, either at home, on the way to class, or in your car.

Despite our clear message about breakfast being the most important meal of the day, we have to coax many soccer athletes to experiment with eating (more) breakfast. Far too many of them under-eat in the morning. Let’s take at look at just one standard breakfast excuse—and solutions.

“I don't have time to eat breakfast…”

Lack of priority is the real problem, not lack of time. If you can make time to train, you can make time to fuel for your training. Even if you choose to sleep to the last minute before dragging yourself out of bed to go to school, work, or a soccer practice or game, you can still choose to eat breakfast on the way. Some simple portable breakfasts include:

• a baggie filled with raisins, almonds, and granola.

• a tortilla rolled with a slice or two of low-fat cheese.

• a peanut butter and honey sandwich on wholesome bread.

• a glass of milk, then a banana while on the way to your destination.

• a travel mug filled with a fruit smoothie or protein shake.

• an energy bar and a banana during the morning commute.

Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer—Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Women’s Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com

ww.nancyclarkrd.com.

Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark - Hooray for Carbohydrates!

 

Athletes and other active people should embrace, not shun, a diet that relies primarily on carbohydrates. Fortunately, the cooler temperatures of fall and winter often lend themselves to traditional “carbohydrate cravings.” Ironically, avoiding these cravings usually leads only to other, more destructive cravings: such as for refined carbohydrates, like the kind in sweets. So, do yourself a favor, and include wholesome grains as the foundation of each meal!

Below is some advice and recommendations from Food Guide for Soccer: Tips and Recipes from the Pros.

Carbohydrates for Your Sports Diet

By eating grains, fruits and vegetables as the foundation of each meal, you'll consume about 55 to 65% of your calories from carbohydrates. This is exactly what you need for a high-energy sports diet. These carbohydrates are stored in muscles in the form of glycogen and provide the energy you need for performing on the soccer field.

Grain foods are a popular source of carbohydrates for most soccer athletes. The exceptions are the weight-conscious athletes who believe they will get fat if they eat breads, cereals and pastas at each meal. False. Carbohydrates are not fattening; excess calories are fattening.

Fruits and vegetables are also excellent sources of carbohydrates. But some players have trouble figuring out how to consume the recommended daily 2 cups (500 g) of fruits and 2-1/2 cups (600 g) of vegetables. As one 22-year-old soccer player sheepishly remarked, "I'm lucky if I eat that much in a week." The trick is to eat large portions. Most soccer players can easily enjoy a banana (counts as one cup fruit) and 8 ounces (one cup) of orange juice in the morning. That’s already the minimal 2 cups of fruit for the day! A big bowl of salad filled with colorful tomato, carrot, and pepper can account for the minimal recommended 21/2 cups of vegetables.

Eat Right for Yourself, And for Your Team

Just as each teammate depends on the others to be fit, focused and ready to play, so too with being well-nourished. When you eat right, you do so for yourself and for the team effort, since what, when and how you fuel has a direct impact on your performance. Parents, coaches, team captains and/or managers: take a poll before games. Ask players what and when they ate before arriving. If it isn’t up to speed (often that means not enough), pass the pre-game snacks. Make sure to do this, particularly for important games. The players will soon got the message, and learn to eat well on their own.

Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer—Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Women’s Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com.

Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark – No Sweets? - No Way!

Some players love their sweets and treats, and others feel that a good soccer or sports diets means no sweets whatsoever. The truth is a good sports diet can include a reasonable amount of treats. Below is some advice on how to balance sweets and treats in your sports diet. The information is taken from Food Guide for Soccer: Tips and Recipes From the Pros by Nancy Clark RD and Gloria Averbuch.

Although nutritionists recommend eating a wholesome diet based on grains, fruits, and vegetables, some soccer athletes eat a diet with too many sweets and treats. If you have a junk-food diet, you may be able to easily correct this imbalance by eating more wholesome foods before you get too hungry. Athletes who get too hungry (or who avoid carbohydrates) tend to refuel with too many sugary, fatty foods (such as apple pie, instead of apples).

A simple solution to the junk-food diet is to prevent hunger by eating heartier portions of wholesome foods at meals. And once you replace sweets with more wholesome choices (including whole grain carbs), your craving for sweets will diminish.

Take note: You need not eat a "perfect diet" (no fats, no sugar) to have a good diet. Nothing is nutritionally wrong with having something sweet, such as a cookie, for dessert after having eaten a sandwich, milk, and fruit for lunch. But a lot is wrong with eating cookies for lunch and skipping the sandwich. That's when both nutrition and performance problems arise.

The key to balancing fats and sugars appropriately in your diet is to abide the following guidelines:

• 10% of your calories can appropriately come from refined sugar.

(about 200-300 calories from sugar per day for most soccer players)

• 25% of your calories can appropriately come from (preferably

healthful) fat. (about 450-750 calories from fat per day, or roughly 50-85 grams of fat per day)

Hence, moderate amounts of chips, cookies, and ice cream can fit into an overall healthful food plan, if desired.

Need Some Help Shaping Up Your Diet?

If you want personalized dietary advice, Nancy Clark recommends you seek professional advice from a registered dietitian (RD) who specializes in sports nutrition and, ideally, is Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). To find a sports nutritionist in your area, use the referral networks at the American Dietetic Association's website (www.eatright.org) or the website of ADA's practice group of sports dietitians (www.SCANdpg.org). Or try googling "sports nutritionist, your city." You'll be glad you did! This personal nutrition coach can help you win with good nutrition. Better yet, consider doing this on a teamwide basis, and get group nutrition analysis and education.

Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer-Tips and Recipes From the Pros, with Women's Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com

Gloria Averbuch/Sky Blue FC

Director, Marketing & Public Relations

Phone: 732-271-7700 x307 | Cell: 973-449-8880 Fax: 732-271-7735

80 Cottontail Lane | Suite 400 | Somerset, NJ 08873

www.SkyBlueFC.com

www.Facebook.com/SkyBlueFC

www.Twitter.com/SkyBlueFC

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD

Sports Nutrition Services LLC

www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com

www.nancyclarkrd.com (books, handouts, CEUs)

Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 4th Edition

Food Guide for Soccer: Tips and Recipes from the Pros

Healthworks, 1300 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill MA 02467

Phone:  617.795.1875 Twitter.com/nclarkrd

"Helping active people win with good nutrition."

Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch – How much should you weigh?

Being on the "inside" of any female athlete’s life, whether soccer or otherwise, the obsession with weight and body image just gets stronger, despite all efforts to combat it. The beauty of soccer, however, is that the pleasure and success derived from the game are completely contrary to the obsession with thinness. In other words, good appetites and healthful eating contribute to the strong bodies that will prevail in the rigors of the game. Good coaches, parents and players are wisely on the lookout for any behavior that  contradicts this fact.

Body consciousness, however, is not a bad thing in and of itself. People often wonder: how much should I weigh?  Below are some general guidelines on weight from Food Guide for Soccer.

Target Weights

Although only nature knows the best weight for your body, the following guidelines offer a very general method to estimate a healthy weight range. Add or subtract 10%, according to your body frame and musculature. (Note: These guidelines do not work for very muscular soccer players.)

Women:100 pounds (45 kg) for the first 5 feet (1.52 m) of height;

5 pounds (2.3 kg) per inch (2.5 cm) thereafter

Example: A woman who is 5'6" could appropriately weigh 130 lbs, or 117 lbs at the lower end if she is petite or 143 lbs if she is muscular. (1.7 m; 59 kg, 53-65 kg)

Men: 106 pounds (48 kg) for the first 5 feet (1.52 m) of height;

6 pounds (2.7 kg) per inch (2.5 cm) thereafter

Example: A man who is 5'10" could appropriately weigh 166 lbs, or 150 lbs at the lower end if he is petite or 182 lbs if he is muscular. (1.8 m; 75.5 kg, 68-83 kg)

If you are striving to weigh significantly less than the weight estimated by these general guidelines, think again. Remember: in addition to skill, soccer is a game of strength, endurance and power. In addition to the genetic design for your body, if you are a serious player, your soccer training, as well as the conditioning (including weights) is meant to increase performance and prevent injury. It is also likely to create a muscular body. The best weight goal is the weight that makes you feel strong and powerful. That's the "body beautiful," and the body for performance and health!

Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer-Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Women's Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com

Congratulations to FC Gold Pride that locked up the regular season league championship title, and thus earned the right to host the WPS Championship presented by Citi. Most of the teams are still statistically in the playoff hunt, which ensures an exciting finish to the final games in the regular season. Stay tuned to the action on www.womensprosoccer.com.

Gloria Averbuch/Sky Blue FC

Director, Marketing & Public Relations

Phone: 732-271-7700 x307 | Cell: 973-449-8880 Fax: 732-271-7735

80 Cottontail Lane | Suite 400 | Somerset, NJ 08873

www.SkyBlueFC.com

www.Facebook.com/SkyBlueFC

www.Twitter.com/SkyBlueFC

Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch – on the lookout for Eating Disorders

In only its second season, Women's Professional Soccer is heading for the final push toward teams vying for the precious four playoff spots for the 2010 Championship. FC Gold Pride and the Philadelphia Independence have been the solid top two, but making an impressive late run is the fast-improving Boston Breakers.

Those who play the game or who are fans, friends or family, are familiar with the troublesome topic of eating disorders. Below is important information on this subject from Food Guide for Soccer.

It's simply an unfortunate fact that eating disorders are a part of women's soccer, like many women's sports and women's lives. If you suspect your teammate(s) or friend is struggling with food issues, speak up! Anorexia and bulimia are self-destructive eating behaviors that may signal underlying depression and can be life-threatening. Below are some helpful tips. For a list of organizations dealing with food issues, check out the Internet, or Food Guide for Soccer.

• Approach the person gently but be persistent. Say that you are worried about her health. She, too, may be concerned about her loss of concentration, light-headedness, or chronic fatigue. These health changes are more likely to be a stepping-stone to accepting help, since the person clings to food and exercise for feelings of control and stability. If you are a parent, pay attention to your own player's eating habits, and those of her teammates. Consult with other parents or the coach if necessary.

• Don't discuss weight or eating habits. Address the fundamental problems of life. Focus on unhappiness as the reason for seeking help. Point out how anxious, tired, and/or irritable the person has been lately or, how unhappy she is with her performance on the field. Emphasize that she doesn't have to be that way.

• Suggest the coach or team manager distribute or post a list of resources (with tear-off websites at the bottom) where the person will see it.

Be proactive. Invite a sports nutritionist or other eating disorders expert to give a talk to the team.

Remember that you are not responsible and can only try to help. Your power comes from connecting with community resources and health professionals, such as a counselor, nutritionist, or eating disorders clinic.

Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer-Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Women's Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com

Gloria Averbuch/Sky Blue FC

Director, Marketing & Public Relations

Phone: 732-271-7700 x307 | Cell: 973-449-8880 Fax: 732-271-7735

80 Cottontail Lane | Suite 400 | Somerset, NJ 08873

www.SkyBlueFC.com

www.Facebook.com/SkyBlueFC

www.Twitter.com/SkyBlueFC

Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch – Soccer Nutrition on the road

Summer often means soccer "on the road," with significant travel for tournaments and camps. That, in turn, entails eating out, or eating on the go. Ironically, however, it is during this season of intense soccer when diets can go awry by making poor choices (or not planning ahead) when away from home. Below are some suggestions for healthful food choices from common "on the road" food stops, featured in Food Guide for Soccer: Tips and Recipes from the Pros.

In the meantime, Women's Professional Soccer heats up with a final push toward making it to the playoff run. Stay tuned to see which four teams qualify for a run to capture the 2010 WPS Championship presented by Citi.

MAKE THE BETTER FOOD CHOICES ON THE ROAD

Dunkin' Donuts: Low-fat muffin, bagel, juice, bean or broth-based soups, hot cocoa, bagel and egg-white sandwich

Deli: Bagel with bean- or broth-based soups; sandwiches or subs with lots of bread and half the roast beef, turkey, ham or cheese. (Or, ask for two extra slices of bread or a second roll to make a sandwich for your second lunch with the excessive meat.) Go light on the mayonnaise, and instead, add moistness with sliced tomatoes, lettuce, mustard or ketchup. Add more carbohydrates with juice, fruit, fig bars, or yogurt for dessert.

McDonald's: Sandwich with grilled chicken, yogurt parfait, salad with dressing on the side

Wendy's: Bowl of chili with a plain baked potato

Taco Bell: Bean burrito

Pizza: Thick-crust with extra veggies or a side salad rather than extra cheese or pepperoni or other fatty meat

Pasta: Spaghetti or ziti with tomato sauce and a glass of lowfat milk for protein. Be cautious of lasagna, tortellini, or manicotti that are filled with cheese (i.e., high in saturated fat).

Chinese: Hot and sour or wonton soup; plain rice with stir-fried entrées such as beef and broccoli or chicken with pea pods. Request the food be cooked with minimal oil. You can also ask for it steamed, which is without any oil. Limit fried appetizers and fried entrées; fill up on steamed rice, instead.

Soups: Hearty soups (such as split pea, minestrone, lentil, vegetable, or noodle) accompanied by crackers, bread, a plain bagel, or an English muffin provide a satisfying, carbohydrate-rich, low-fat meal.

Beverages: Both juices and sugar-filled soft drinks are rich in carbohydrates that fuel muscles. Juices, however, are better for your health, providing vitamin C, potassium, and overall nutritional quality.

Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer-Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Women's Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com

Gloria Averbuch/Sky Blue FC

Director, Marketing & Public Relations

Phone: 732-271-7700 x307 | Cell: 973-449-8880 Fax: 732-271-7735

80 Cottontail Lane | Suite 400 | Somerset, NJ 08873

www.SkyBlueFC.com

www.Facebook.com/SkyBlueFC

www.Twitter.com/SkyBlueFC

Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch - Eat your Veggies!

The 2010 Women's Professional Soccer season is entering the crucial portion of the season, with two teams pulling away from the competition: FC Gold Pride and Philadelphia Independence.

Both these teams, and players from throughout the league, are health conscious. Part of being a professional athlete, and making it through the long season healthfully and successfully is good nutrition. This is equally true for serious youth players, and particularly important for developing positive, lifelong habits.

Below are some tips on consuming vegetables, a vital part of a healthy sports diet, from Food Guide for Soccer: Tips and Recipes from the Pros.

Eat More Veggies!

If you struggle to consume the recommended two to three servings of vegetables per day, the following tips may help you to enhance your vegetable intake - and your health.

• Eat more of the best vegetables, less of the rest. In general, colorful dark green, deep yellow, orange, and red vegetables have far more nutrients than pale ones. Hence, if you dislike pale zucchini, summer squash, and cucumbers, don't work hard to acquire a taste for them. Instead, put your efforts into having more broccoli, spinach, and winter squash - the richly colored, more nutrient-dense choices.

• Include lettuce, tomato and green or red peppers on your sandwiches and wraps.

• Keep baby carrots and cherry tomatoes handy in the front of the refrigerator for easy snacking.

• Bring a baggie of cut up veggies to practices, games, and tournaments. In an environment with hungry, thirsty young players, you'll be surprised how popular veggies are, and how quickly they get eaten - particularly if you include a low-fat ranch dressing for a dip!

• Eat colorful salads filled with tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, spinach, and dark lettuces. Pale salads with white lettuce, cucumbers, onions, celery, and other pale veggies offer little more than crunch. When smothered with dressing, this crunch becomes highly caloric. Alternatives to a pale restaurant salad include tomato juice, vegetable soup, a steamed veggie or, when you get home, a handful of raw baby carrots for a bedtime snack.

• Fortify spaghetti sauce with a box of frozen chopped broccoli or green peppers. Cook the veggies alongside the spaghetti (in a steamer over the pasta water) before you add them to the tomato sauce.

• Use a blender to finely chop veggies to include in meatloaf, soup, and stews.

• When all else fails, eat fruit to help compensate for lack of vegetables. The best alternatives include bananas, oranges, grapefruit, melon, strawberries, blueberries and kiwi. These choices are rich in many of the same nutrients found in vegetables.

Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer-Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Women's Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.nancyclarkrd.com or www.amazon.com.

Gloria Averbuch/Sky Blue FC

Director, Marketing & Public Relations

Phone: 732-271-7700 x307 | Cell: 973-449-8880

Fax: 732-271-7735

80 Cottontail Lane | Suite 400 | Somerset, NJ 08873

www.SkyBlueFC.com

www.Facebook.com/SkyBlueFC

www.Twitter.com/SkyBlueFC

Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch - Soccer & Hydration

Summer soccer—or any activity in the heat—means a constant and essential focus on hydration. Particularly among youth players, there are often questions not only on how much to drink (probably more than you are currently taking in), but what to drink. Below is elaboration on the subject from Food Guide for Soccer.

In the meantime, take note that players in Women’s Professional Soccer are provided with both water and sports drinks (including concentrated versions of those drinks for those who sweat heavily). Over the years, professionals learn by trial and error their own hydration routine. With encouragement and guidance from coaches and parents, youth players should do the same.

Water or Sports Drinks?

Water is an adequate fluid replacer during soccer sessions that last less than 60 minutes, particularly if you have fueled-up with a pre-exercise snack. Sports drinks are helpful during training sessions and games that last longer than 60 to 90 minutes or on multiple game days; they replace both water and some carbohydrates. Because carbs help maintain a normal blood sugar level needed to feed your brain, you'll discover you’ll perform better, think clearer, make better decisions, and feel better after playing.

For youth soccer (or any age soccer, for that matter), orange sections + water, watermelon, pretzels + water are all options that will refresh players between halves and offer more nutritional value than a sports drink. Sports drinks are essentially sugar water with a dash of salt. A sports drink provides:

• small amounts of carbohydrates to fuel your mind and muscles.

• sodium to enhance water absorption and retention.

• water to replace sweat losses.

Sports drinks are designed to be consumed during exercise that lasts longer than an hour. However, soccer sells a lot of sports drinks. They seem to be a staple at every game and practice, yet there is no need to drink them throughout the day. A constant intake can damage your teeth, so limit them to playing. With the multitude of sports drinks on the market, you may feel confused about what’s best to drink, and wonder if some are better than the others. The bottom line is that you should choose the drink that tastes best to you; there are no significant advantages to one over the other. The most important point is to drink enough.

Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer—Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Women’s Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com