9 Foods to Avoid as a Footballer:
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Before we get into this, letâs clear up the titleâŠ
There are no foods that you need to absolutely âavoid or cut out of your life.â
There is no such thing as a food being âoff-limitsâŠâ
You can eat every single food that you would like as part of a well-balanced diet.
The Problem with Characterizing Food as Good or Bad:
When you have the mindset of a food being off limits, it makes you want it more and it can create a bad relationship with food that could lead to a variety of eating disorders, and most likely result in binge eating.
Anyways, the title got you here, and you are reading the article, so that was the main goal.
After coaching hundreds of footballers online and in-person and taking a deep look and deep dive into their diet and eating habits, I have seen a common trend amongst footballers.
They believe or get sucked into the belief that certain foods will improve their performance, but these foods arenât the best choices, and they end up eating too much of them.
So, within this article I want to talk about 9 foods to avoid as a footballer (eat less of) and what to eat instead.
1.Deli Meats:
Trust, me I am a very big fan of a cold-cut sandwich/hero, but eating deli meats too often is not the best for you.
Deli meats are highly processed, and the sodium is about 400 percent higher, on average, in processed meats that unprocessed meats (Sparks, et al. 2018).
Nitrates and Possible Cancer Risk:
Almost all deli meats have additional preservatives that can possibly be âcarcinogenic.â
Carcinogenic compounds may be formed during meat processing.
According to Doctor Frances Largeman-Roth (RDN), ânitrites combined with the amins in meat create nitrosamines, which some studies have found to be carcinogenic (cancer causing).â
Nitrates and nitrites themselves do not cause cancer, but there is concern that they may produce carcinogenic compounds in the body or during processing or cooking.
I understand you may not have wanted to hear the science, but I wanted to provide you a couple of key pointsâŠ
What to Eat Instead of Deli Meats:
 Instead of reaching for deli meats, I would highly recommend spending some time cooking fresh meat.Â
It may take a bit longer and be a bit more effort, but it is well worth it.
You can replace deli meats with chicken (breast or thighs), lean beef or fish.
All of these foods are very easy to cook in the oven or the pan and can be stored in the fridge for about 3-5 days.
Iâve talked about the importance of âmeal-preppingâ many times in the pastâŠ
I highly recommend to all of my 1-on-1 Online Clients to pick 1 or 2 days during the week to prepare all of your food for the week so youâre not âcaughtâ eating convenient or packaged foods on the go.
Instead, all the food that is aligned with your goals and that you know will help you perform well will already be prepared, and ready to eat in the fridge.
Like I said in the beginning, you donât have to eliminate deli meats from your diet, but it would be wise to eat them in moderation and eat more fresh/cooked meat instead.
2.Breakfast Cereal:
Most breakfast cereal has a lot of added sugar and oil to help them taste great (addictive) and to help them last longer on the shelf.
Iâm not sure if you were aware but there are specific scientists hired in the food industry with the main goal of making foods more addictive.
They make foods highly palatable.
You know when you have a bag of chips, and you just keep on eating them without realizing it?
Yup..
Thatâs their job. No matter if youâre hungry or not, these foods become addictive, and you donât realize how much of the food youâre eating.
This way when you taste a food, you instantly get a hit of âhappinessâ and you are likely to come back for more (no matter how bad it made you feel).
Instead of breakfast cereal, eat 100% real oatmeal.
Oatmeal is one of the best complex carbohydrates you can eat as a footballer.
It provides you with consistent energy through the day and you will not feel a crash like most sugar-laden breakfast cereals.
If you want an idea on how to make oatmeal, here is my favorite protein oatmeal recipe:
3.Flavored Yogurt:Â
All flavored yogurt has added sugars, sweeteners, and thickeners that you donât want to be putting into your body.
Yes, they may taste good, but youâre much better off adding your own sweetener instead. Usually, they put way too much sugar in there and the berries that are inside arenât even real!
Instead of Flavored Yogurt, go for:
Full-fat or non-fat (depending on your goals) Greek yogurt and drizzle on some raw honey and REAL berries.Â
Raw honey provides an excellent source of antioxidants and has been proven to be good for the brain and the digestive system.
Also, fresh berries are one of the healthiest foods that you can eat as an athlete and a human.
You may say fresh berries are too expensiveâŠ
No problem, buy them frozen. They will provide you with the same nutritional value.
Greek Yogurt provides an excellent source of protein and probiotics (excellent for the digestive system and brain).
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4.Salad Dressing
Most salad dressings have a load of hidden sugar, thickeners, preservatives, and bad oils hidden within them.
The funny thing about this is that some people will order a salad for lunch to be health conscious but what they donât realize is that the dressing has more calories than the actual salad itself.
So, when ordering a salad out or making one at home, you need to be aware of your choice of dressing!
If you are eating out, ask for the dressing on the side or tell them you donât want dressing.
Instead, ask for olive oil and vinegar on the side.
Instead of buying salad dressings on the shelf, make your own.Â
Itâs cheaper and much healthier for your body.
You can use lemon or lime, extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
Add some good quality sea salt and fresh black pepper as well.
5.Packaged Whole Wheat Bread:Â
A lot of footballers think that whole wheat bread is healthy because of the name.
âOh, it has whole grains and whole wheat, so it must be healthy!â
But what they donât realize is the bread has been on the shelf for a couple of months/weeks..
If the bread has been on the shelf for that long, the manufacturer has added preservatives and other additives to make sure the bread stays âfreshâ on the shelf so it doesnât mold.
Instead of buying packaged whole wheat bread on the shelf, spend the time and the couple of extra bucks to buy fresh bread, like sourdough or rye.Â
If gluten doesnât bother you, sourdough and rye bread is one of the healthiest carbohydrates you can eat.
Both breads are packed with nutrients, healthy carbohydrates, protein, fiber and vitamins like folate and iron.
Also, they taste so much better with your avocado toast
6.Flavored Oatmeal:
Like we mentioned oatmeal earlier in the article.
So, you may be saying âok Ric, Iâll just buy the packaged oatmeal and make it really quickly.â
No, no, no, thatâs not the goal.
Packaged/flavored oatmeal have the added sugars, preservatives, and sweeteners (just like the yogurt) that we talked about before.
Instead, take an additional 10 minutes and make your own fresh oatmeal.
Add your own sweetener (100% Maple Syrup or Raw Honey), some fruit, nuts and raisins.
I promise it only takes a couple of extra minutes and has the added benefit of tasting much better and making your house smell much better as a result of slow cooking them.
I donât know about you, but Iâm a big fan of slow cooking good food to make the house smell nice ï
7. Prepared Salads:
Once again, prepared salads have additives and preservatives that you are most likely unaware of.
If you donât believe me, next time you go into a supermarket or cafĂ© and look at a prepared salad, check the ingredients.
Itâs actually atrocious that you canât even read most of the ingredients found inside.
If thatâs the case, I promise you that itâs better off putting that salad down and choosing another option.
âBut Ric, its salad, it must be healthy?!â
I get you, but just because itâs labeled salad, thatâs not the case.
Instead of Eating a Prepared Salad, take 5-10 minutes and make your own salad and your own dressing.
Add fresh vegetables, maybe some cheese (if you can tolerate lactose) and a lean meat (chicken, beef or fish).
And, instead of a store-bought dressing (like we spoke about before), make your own!
Your gut and brain will thank you!
8.Fruit Juice:Â
Most footballers think that fruit juice is healthy because it has the word âfruitâ in front of juice.
What they donât know is that once the fruit it juiced, most of the nutrients go down the drain, especially the fiber.
If the fruit juice is labeled 100% real fruit, it is probably the âhealthiest itemâ on this list, and I would say occasionally, go for it, but I would much rather you eat the whole fruit instead.
Also, it is very easy to over-consume fruit juice and easily go over your calories without getting many nutrients.
All in all, all fruit juice is very high in sugar. An 8-ounce serving of fruit juice and cola both contain about 30 grams of sugar on average (about 8 teaspoons of sugar!).
Also, most juice companies eliminate the healthiest part of the fruit like the skin and pulp, where all the nutrients and fiber are found.
Think about this:
-You arenât likely to eat 3 oranges in one sitting, but itâs very easy to drink the equivalent of that in 8 ounces of juice.
You might say, fruit juice has ânatural sugars,â which it does, but that does not justify drinking a lot of it.
Instead of store-bought Fruit Juice, I would highly recommend going to a place that freshly juices them rather than buying them at a supermarket.
Even better would be to eat the real whole fruit!
9.Vegetable Chips:
âVegetableâ is in front of chips, so they must be healthy!
Once again, thatâs not really true.
Most of these vegetable chips have a lot of added oils, preservatives, and ingredients that REAL VEGETABLES donât have.
They are also very easy to consume and go over your calories.
Seems like a common theme here..
Instead of vegetable chips, eat real vegetables. You will eat many less calories and get many more nutrients!Â
If you find plain, raw vegetables boring, dip them in hummus or another self-made dip.
Conclusion:
 I think you get the point here.
There seems to be a common theme throughout the articleâŠ
Most of the foods mentioned are packaged and highly processed.
Like I talk about all the time, if you want to be feel, look and perform your best, most of your diet should consist of whole-real minimally processed foods.
Yes, they may take some extra time to prepare, but you will definitely save a lot of money and you will feel, look and perform better as a result.
Therefore, I think the small-time investment is well worth it!
As you should have noticed throughout the article, most store-bought items have a lot of extra additives and preservatives inside of them that arenât the best for your body!
But, like I said from the beginning, you do not have to completely cut out these foods from your diet (unless you want too).
You can have them occasionally, but you shouldnât be consuming them too often.
Wish you all the health and wealth!
Much love,
Your Boy Ricky
Referenced Articles:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6267163/
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