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Layla Lucila de la Luz García Moreno

Mr. Litle

ENGLISH121001

17 April 2022

Performance or Image in Female Soccer Players

Stereotypes of teenage girls and women with perfect bodies, misinformation, lack of

interest and even myths become obstacles to proper nutrition for teenage girls playing

college-age soccer. Taking as a central basis the profile of a college soccer athlete and

focusing our criteria on the importance of proper nutrition, we find different and somewhat

extreme judgments, the extremes indicate totally contradictory criteria, differing in the

indications for an adequate diet, for which reason our premise is based on the importance

of having a proper nutrition that meets the requirements for better performance as it is

essential for physical and mental health, avoiding being part of fads or populist diets.

Nutrition is directly related to optimal performance in the classroom and in the different

scenarios that soccer demands from the young students who are dedicated to the practice of

this sport.

One of the most recent trends in the implementation of intermittent fasting or keto

diet. Arroyo Campo, Andres. Dolly Parton (page 07) defines intermittent fasting as "the

variety of programs that rely on pacing meals by using fasting in order to improve body

composition and overall health." in most protocols that follow this type of dietary strategy

is reduced caloric intake as its objective is weight loss, this practice that has different

modalities, is clearly efficient in reducing weight, it is undoubtedly a handy tool for the

general population if this is done in the right way. A clear example of this is with the

population that has a tendency to have diabetes, as Horne et al. (page 23) proves with their
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research on the practice of the keto diet to reduce the risk of diabetes, for this, with a

sample of people with the prevalence of diabetes, they analyzed the effect of fasting on it,

confirming what happened in the previous study, i.e., they had a lower risk of diabetes.

Another example of this is the reduction of triglycerides and thus the risk of

metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Brown, Alysa M (page 15). This is due to

decreased plasma insulin levels; thus, La Bounty and Tinsley (page 38) find that fasting

periods between 18 and 24 hours are beneficial in increasing lipid metabolism, which

promotes the utilization of fat as an energy source, implying more significant fat loss. This

has very broad benefits in very particular cases. However, this does not apply to college-

aged female soccer players. Our body has incomparable needs, occasionally the needs of

the athlete demand similar restrictions to those that apply to the principles of diets such as

these even so these should always be controlled or guided with a specialist.

The importance of energy management is critical to the health of adolescent female

collegiate soccer athletes. Bermejo Alonso (page 56) It focuses on synthesizing the

importance of the different fundamental food groups in the diet of the profile that our

analysis focuses on. In this synthesizes of the importance of the other macronutrients

necessary for a constant balance in the athlete, this study mentions the general

recommended amounts, (starting with the macronutrient that covers the largest number of

calories in the athlete, carbohydrates, rounding this into 6-10 g/kg of body weight per day;

Subsequently to the protein intake will depend on the level of activity but has a

recommended parameter of 1.2 to 1. 4 g/kg, for this intake a good source of animal or

vegetable protein is recommended, without resorting to artificial protein, for calories from

healthy fats it is recommended that this covers 15% of the total calories of the athlete). This

analysis is supported by sufficient evidence to prove that the control in the intake of these
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leads to the athlete to have a regulation of their energy and with this a good development in

the areas that the athlete is involved.

The gluten-free diet (GFD) emerged as the best dietary treatment for celiac disease

(CD). Aljada (page 27) Currently, both the consumption of gluten-free foods and the

number of followers of this type of diet among the healthy population has increased

significantly. This increase has been influenced by celebrity stories, the news, or the

internet. The gluten-free diet (GFD) has demonstrated numerous benefits. To date, we can

confirm that it is the only treatment in the management of some gluten-related disorders.

However, those on a GFD without much diversity of GF products may be at greater risk of

exposure to certain food toxins, such as arsenic in rice or mercury, when compared to

individuals on an unrestricted diet. As with our previous article, this can only be used for

our athlete profile if necessary or special, as we can state in a very general way that the

more varied the diet of a female college soccer athlete, the better her overall performance

will be.

Jacobson (2001) instead postulates in his article the great benefits for our student

athlete to have a varied and adequate diet to their activity, in addition, it shows the risks

that it may present. It focuses on the positive impact of a correct diet, helping to prevent

muscle injuries due to the proper recovery of the fibers, specifically addresses the

fundamental types of food and quality, such as: the three main macronutrients:

Carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and vitamins and minerals of the greatest possible variety

of foods for proper energy management, making it as varied as possible, adapted to the

facilities of each person without giving rise to problems, making an emphasis that these are

very general parameters, therefore, the information in this analysis, cannot be applied in a

simple way in sportswomen. The first step to apply these principles in a proper way is with
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the help of a specialist. On the other hand, it also alludes to the great risks that not being

able to cover this factor can entail, focusing on the risks for women who practice soccer at

university age, directly affecting their optimal development and hormonal uncontrol that

can lead to critical symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision or diseases such as

depression, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, thyroiditis, among others.

Another of the most frequent reasons is that I can consider that caregivers count as

misinformation. Focusing on the absence of this, we find similar experimental studies. An

example of this is Bolles, Jeffrey (page 78)This shows us in a comparative way the

performance of the athletes in their different when they receive a complementary course

that gives them the essential tools to begin to take care or be responsible for their nutrition,

using other groups of students for the realization of this experiment, control groups to

check its effectiveness and variables.

Which shows that some athletes just need the right information to be able to make a

positive change in their diet. Despite all the factors that include the right nutrition for each

athlete, this study bases its analysis on the difference it makes to focus on providing the

right knowledge to the right people, educating that there is more than one factor for student-

athletes playing soccer not being able to correctly implement a decent diet for their

performance, making us aware of the risks and the great benefits of the right diet that

college-aged soccer players can get from this factor. Taking my experience as a reference

point in this analysis, I am able to corroborate the great difference that this factor has made

in my performance, applying this knowledge constantly affects my performance in a

positive way. My physical and psychological changes have undergone a fundamental

advance by taking responsibility for my nutritional health. Prioritizing my performance in

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the different areas that I develop and leaving aside the idealizations of healthy bodies that

are not of an athletic profile dedicated to soccer like me.

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Cited pages

Aljada, Bara et al. “The Gluten-Free Diet for Celiac Disease and Beyond.” Nutrients vol.

13,11 3993. 9 Nov. 2021, doi:10.3390/nu13113993

Brown, Alysa M., "NUTRITIONAL NEEDS IN COLLEGIATE FEMALE SOCCER

ATHLETES" (2017). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional

Papers. 10973. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/10973.

Bolles, Jeffrey. "Home Caregiver Safety When Assisting with ... - Proquest.com." Google

Scholar, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Jan. 2021,

https://www.proquest.com/openview/e15b1d9f5fb93709790b40c3f9868c77/1?pq-

origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750.

“Dolly Parton: A Semiotic Study of Her Life ... - Proquest.com." Google Scholar,

Universidad De León, 4 June 2016,

https://www.proquest.com/openview/2b7393b00948d86b642cf9d183bea103/1?pq-

origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y.

Jacobson, B H et al. “Nutrition practices and knowledge of college varsity athletes: a

follow-up.” Journal of strength and conditioning research vol. 15,1 (2001): 63-8

Soeters, Soeters, Schooneman, Houten and Romijn, 2012; La Bounty and Tinsley,

2015; Klein, Sakurai, Romijn and Carroll, 1993; Varady et al., 2013; Horne et al.,

2013