Football players demand more from the body than the average person.

To this end, attention to nutritional requirements is essential for for efficient functioning during and after performance as well as assisting in the avoidance of health risks.

Nutritional neglect and shortcomings serve to impair performance, lengthen recovery time and have a negative impact on the immune system. To assist the player in a football match the body utilises a variety of fuels. These are carbohydrates, fats and protein.

Carbohydrates are the best source of energy for football players. Foods that have carbohydrates include fruit and vegetables, pasta, whole grain cereals, potatoes and bread. In addition to supplying carbohydrates, these foods also supply vitamins, minerals and dietary fibres.

Candy, chocolate, cookies and soft drinks also have carbohydrates, but these should be avoided for health reasons.

Carbohydrates are converted to muscle glycogen which serves as fuel for the muscles. Around 300 grams of glycogen is stored in the muscles of the average person while 500 grams is stored in very fit football players.

The rate at which the glycogen is used depends on the duration and intensity of the training or match as well as the player's fitness level. When muscle glycogen is exhausted the muscles burn fat and or protein for energy. This has a negative impact on the players' performance as fat is a slow fuel and allows the player to operate at only 50 percent of maximal capacity.

In order to replenish low glycogen levels a player must eat lots of carbohydrate foods as there is a direct link between carbohydrate intake and carbohydrate restoration rate.

A player should continue the carbohydrate intake until glycogen levels are completely replenished. It is important to note that glycogen exhaustion occurs mainly in the active muscles, therefore football players are mainly confronted with glycogen exhaustion in the muscles of the legs.

More specifically, exhaustion occurs in the muscles of the leg used most (a player that kicks mostly with the left-leg would use more glycogen in the left leg than the right).

The second most important source of energy for football players during training and matches is fat.

Fat is referred to as the 'slow' source of energy when compared to carbohydrates and, compared to carbohydrates, the body has large reserves of fat.

Fat averages for women range between 20 and 35 percent while in men the average range is 10 to 20 percent.

Top football players on average have less than 13 percent body fat.

Not all fats are negative. There are good and bad fats. Bad fats are saturated fats such as those found in animal products, candy, chocolate, cookies, etc. Excess intake of these leads to cardiovascular disease and an increase in fat percentage.

On the other hand, the good fats are unsaturated fats found in fish and vegetable products. These good fats help prevent constriction of the blood vessels.

The third source of energy is protein.

Protein is referred to as the building blocks of the body and is important in the growth of muscles and repair of damaged tissues. Foods which contain protein include milk, dairy products, eggs, meat and fish. As many of these contain a lot of fat they should be taken somewhat in moderation.

The choice of fuel used during training or a match depends on the playing intensity, the playing duration and the fitness level of the player as well as the amount of carbohydrate consumption during exercise.

The choice of carbohydrate or fat depends on the playing intensity. During rest most of the necessary energy is provided by fat whereas during high intensity periods, characterised by football actions such as sprinting, shooting and jumping, the energy is provided by carbohydrates.

The fitness level of the player is an important factor as very fit players use more fat when jogging. To this end, as a player's physical condition improves fat becomes an attractive source of energy. A fit player is able to use more fat and less carbohydrate at lower playing intensities such as periods of the match when a player is walking or jogging (aerobic activity).

As an aside, 90 percent of a player's activity during a football match is spent moving aerobically while 10 percent is spent moving anaerobically (sprinting, jumping, shooting, etc.). The 10 percent is critical as it means the difference between victory and defeat.

The fit player who is using fat when walking and jogging is expanding glycogen levels more slowly and has more carbohydrates for the important moments (sprinting, jumping, shooting, etc.) of the match. This does not mean that players should go running to the nearest candy shelves for reason already stated.

A higher level of conditioning of the player also increases the body's capacity for storing glycogen.

Training and match duration also plays a part in the choice of fuels used as well as glycogen usage. The intense intervals as found in football can exhaust the glycogen levels after only 90 minutes and it is impossible to play quality football without glycogen.

As stated, football players cannot function optimally on energy from fat as the production rate is too slow and sprinting can only be done at half speed.

Football players young and old should pay particular attention to their nutritional requirements. Young players should be encouraged to begin the process of eating well now so as to make their nutritional behaviour second nature in the future.

It is important to note that a variety of food types is recommended and the odd snack of candy and cookies does minimal damage. But the bulk a football player's diet should not consist of high fat and generally poor quality foods. A quality diet assists in a higher quality football performance.