Chapter 2
Breakfast: The Meal of Champions

If you want to "get it right" in terms of establishing a good sports diet that helps make you a better soccer player, there’s no doubt breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Yes, there can be hurdles to eating breakfast, but the benefits far outweigh the difficulties. Breakfast eaters tend to:

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 calories for their 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. (See Chapter 13 for information on how to calculate your calorie needs for breakfast and the entire day.)

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 a look at some standard breakfast excuses—and solutions.

I don‘t have time: 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:

The key to a grab-‘n’-go breakfast is to plan ahead. Prepare your breakfast the night before. For example, on the weekends, you might want to make the Carrot Apple Muffins in the Recipe section or buy a dozen bagels. Pre-slice the bread or the bagels, wrap the desired portion in individual plastic bags, and put them in the freezer. Take one out of the freezer at night so breakfast will be ready and waiting in the morning, or give it a few seconds straight from the freezer into the microwave.

Breakfast interferes with my training schedule: If you have an early soccer practice or game (8:00 to 10:00 A.M.), you will likely play better and avoid an energy crash if you eat at least part of your breakfast beforehand. (You might have to slowly train your stomach to tolerate this fuel). A swig of juice, a chunk of bagel, or piece of bread are popular choices that can at least get your blood sugar on the upswing, contribute to greater stamina, and help you feel more awake. If you just cannot tolerate this food, a hefty bedtime snack the night before can reduce the risk of a morning energy lag. (Chapter 10 explains in greater detail the importance of morning food.)

Breakfast is equally important if you train or compete at mid-day or in the afternoon. You need to fuel up early in order to frontload your energy for quality training or competing later in the day.

"I used to eat plain oatmeal for breakfast, but I found myself getting hungry at the end of a long practice. I started adding sliced raw almonds for protein and fat, and now I stay satisfied longer."

Rachel Buehler, Defender

I‘m not hungry in the morning: If you have no morning appetite, chances are you ate your breakfast calories the night before. Perhaps you ate a huge dinner? Big bowl of ice cream? Too many cookies before bedtime? The solution to having no morning appetite, obviously, is to eat less at night so that you can start the day off hungry. Eating breakfast should become a habit; reverse your eating pattern and get used to eating in the morning!

If you don’t feel hungry after having played soccer first thing in the morning because the intense exercise "killed your appetite" (due to the rise in body temperature), keep in mind that you will be hungry within a brief time afterwards when you have cooled down. Plan ahead, so when the "hungry horrors" hit, you will have healthful options ready and waiting.

I‘m on a diet: Too many weight-conscious soccer players start their diets at breakfast. Bad idea. Breakfast skippers tend to gain weight and to be heavier than breakfast eaters. A satisfying breakfast prevents you from getting too hungry and overeating later in the day.

Your best bet for successful dieting is to eat during the day, burn off the calories, and then eat a lighter meal at night. (Chapter 14 has more details about how to lose weight and still have energy to train.)

Breakfast makes me hungrier: Many soccer players complain that if they eat breakfast, they seem to get hungrier and eat more all day. This may result from thinking they have already "blown their diets" by eating breakfast, so they might as well keep overeating, then start dieting again the next day. Wrong. Successful diets start at breakfast.

If you feel hungry after breakfast you probably ate too little breakfast. For example, 100 calories of toast with jam is enough to whet your appetite but not to satisfy your calorie needs. Try budgeting about one-quarter of your daily calories for breakfast—500-600 calories for most 120-150 pound players. This translates into a slice of toast with peanut butter, a banana, low-fat yogurt, and juice; or a Greek yogurt and a bagel.

Note: If you overeat at breakfast, you can easily resolve the problem by eating less at lunch or dinner. You won‘t be as physically hungry for those meals and will easily be able to eat smaller portions.

By now, we hope we‘ve convinced you that breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day. What is a good choice to eat, you wonder?

Nancy highly recommends cereal. Cereal is quick, convenient, and filled with the calcium, iron, carbohydrates, fiber, and other nutrients soccer players need. A bowl of whole grain cereal with fruit, slivered almonds, and low-fat milk provides a well-balanced meal that includes all of the four food groups (grain, milk, protein, and fruit) and sets the stage for an overall low-fat diet.

Cereal is versatile. Mix brands and vary the flavor with different toppings:

Nancy’s personal favorite is to put a mix of cereals in a bowl, top it with fresh, frozen or canned fruit (depending on the season and what’s readily available), heat it in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, and then add cold milk. It’s like eating fruit cobbler! Soccer players have all kinds of combo favorites as well, such as raw oats with crunchy Grape Nuts or Fiber One, adding chopped fresh or dried fruit, cinnamon and a little vanilla extract. Why not try the Good Grain Granola in the Recipe Section!

"I like to eat granola and fruit for breakfast before a game, and then I wear my lucky sports bra."

Heather Mitts, Defender

Needless to say, all cereals are not created equal. By reading the Nutrition Facts on the cereal box, you can see that some offer more nutritional value than...