10 Breakfast Ideas For Football | This Is What You Need To Eat

Breakfast is really important for football. However, we are not going to tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day for you as a footballer – every meal is important once you realize that nutrition doesn’t only serve performance but also recovery.

Having said that, you need to optimize your breakfast for football so that it meets your performance and recovery needs. You are usually seeking a nutrient-dense solution that is going to “fuel” you for your up-and-coming training session/performance.

AFTER CHECKING OUT THE 10 BREAKFAST IDEAS, WATCH THIS VIDEO

WHAT SHOULD A FOOTBALLER EAT FOR BREAKFAST?

As with any other meal, breakfast for football should be high in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, but also contain some good sources of healthy fats (in most cases). Here’s a list with 10 nutrient-packed breakfast ideas you can incorporate in your daily mornings to maximize training/game-day performance, as well as recovery as a footballer:

• Protein Oatmeal
• Peanut Butter/Tahini Porridge
• Greek Yoghurt Energy Bowl
• Scrambled Eggs on (Whole Wheat) Toast
• Veggie-Omelette Wrap
• Turkey and Cottage Cheese on (Whole Wheat) Toast
• Omelette, Beans, and (Whole Wheat) Toast
• Peanut Butter/Tahini and Honey on (Whole Wheat) Toast
• Protein Smoothie
• Energy Smoothie

BREAKING DOWN EACH BREAKFAST IDEA FOR FOOTBALL

Protein Oatmeal

Ingredients

• Oats (60gr)
• Whey Protein Powder (1 Scoop)
• Chia Seeds (1tbsp)
• Banana (1 Medium)
• Almond Milk (125ml)

Kcal – 417, Protein – 31gr, Carbohydrates – 63gr, Fats – 7gr, Fiber – 9gr

Peanut Butter/Tahini Porridge with Greek Yoghurt

Ingredients

• Oats (60gr)
• Skim Milk (200ml)
• Peanut Butter or Tahini (1tbsp.)
• Greek Yoghurt (100gr)
• Chia Seeds (1tbsp.)
• Banana (1 Medium)

Kcal – 604, Protein – 28gr, Carbohydrates – 82gr, Fats – 20gr, Fiber – 13gr

Greek Yoghurt Energy Bowl

Ingredients

• Low-Fat Greek Yoghurt (220gr)
• Mixed Berries (Handful)
• Chia Seeds (1tbsp.)
• Banana (1 Medium)

Kcal – 374, Protein – 26gr, Carbohydrates – 53gr, Fats – 9gr, Fiber – 9gr

Scrambled Eggs on (Whole Wheat) Toast

Ingredients

• Eggs (2)
• Egg-Whites (1)
• (Whole Wheat) Toast (2 Slices)
• Turkey (2 Slices)
• Orange (1)

Kcal – 462, Protein – 31gr, Carbohydrates – 68gr, Fats – 13gr, Fiber – 9gr

Veggie-Omelette Wrap

Ingredients

• Eggs (2)
• Egg-Whites (1)
• Mixed Vegetables (Handful)
• (Whole Wheat) Tortilla (1)
• Turkey (2 Slices)

Kcal – 350, Protein – 25gr, Carbohydrates – 38gr, Fats – 15gr, Fiber – 2gr

Turkey and Cottage Cheese on (Whole Wheat) Toast

Ingredients

• Turkey (4 Slices)
• Cottage Cheese (100gr)
• (Whole Wheat) Toast (3 Slices)
• Banana (1 Medium)

Kcal – 475, Protein – 35gr, Carbohydrates – 101gr, Fats – 6gr, Fiber – 9gr

Omelette, Beans, and (Whole Wheat) Toast

Ingredients

• Eggs (2)
• Egg-Whites (1)
• (Whole Wheat) Toast (2 Slices)
• Beans (50gr)
• Banana (1 Medium)

Kcal – 500, Protein – 30gr, Carbohydrates – 73gr, Fats – 12gr, Fiber – 14gr

Peanut Butter/Tahini and Honey on Whole Wheat Toast

Ingredients

• Peanut Butter/Tahini (2tbsp.)
• Organic Honey (2tbsp.)
• (Whole Wheat) Toast (2 Slices)
• Banana (1 Medium)
• Cinnamon

Kcal – 562, Protein – 16gr, Carbohydrates – 76gr, Fats – 25gr, Fiber – 10gr

Protein Smoothie

Ingredients

• Skim/Soy Milk (250ml)
• Whey Protein Powder (1 Scoop) or Low-Fat Greek Yoghurt (200gr)
• Banana (1 Medium)
• Mixed Berries (Handful)
• Oats (50gr)
• Spinach (Handful)
• Chia Seeds (1tbsp.)

Kcal – 596, Protein – 45gr, Carbohydrates – 93gr, Fats – 9gr, Fiber – 15gr

Energy Smoothie

Ingredients

• Water (200ml)
• Orange/Lemon (1)
• Banana (1 Medium)
• Beets (2 Medium)
• Organic Honey (2 tbsp.)
• Walnuts (30gr)

Kcal – 516, Protein – 8gr, Carbohydrates – 84gr, Fats – 20gr, Fiber – 10gr

EARLY MORNING KICK-OFF/TRAINING SESSION? DO THIS

Many players and teams across the globe, especially grassroots ones, have competitive obligations early on in the morning. Not to forget about the vast majority of (mainly) pro footballers that have many training sessions scheduled for the morning.

WATCH THIS! GAME-DAY NUTRITION FOR FOOTBALL…

This might seem like a “nutrition obstacle” for many, however, if you make the right choices, you’ll do a great job optimizing your breakfast for football performance and/or recovery.

What we usually suggest footballers do if they have an early morning kick-off or training session is to sleep and wake up early to give themselves adequate time for digestion. This would mean that you should wake up at least two and a half to three prior to kick-off. If this still isn’t possible, make sure to have a good dinner the night before (click here to learn more about carb-loading).

No matter what you end up doing with your sleep, you MUST get something inside your stomach. The closer you are to training/kick-off the smaller the portion. Limited time equals limited food. Therefore, you need to only include what is really important. We’re mainly  talking about foods that are high in simple carbohydrates here

Simple carbohydrates digest much faster in comparison to complex ones, rapidly loading your body’s glycogen and glucose stores. This is something we seek around and during performance.

The Checklist

Here’s a checklist with the key things you need to keep in mind:

1. Sleep and wake up early to give yourself time to digest
2. If you have 3+ hours available, eat your normal breakfast with a slightly bigger emphasis on simple carbohydrates
3. If you have less than 3 hours available, choose meals high in simple carbs (i.e. energy smoothie, tahini and honey on toast, tahini porridge, etc.)
4. Adjust portion size to the time you have available (the closer you are, the smaller the size)
5. Fill up the nutritional gaps of your breakfast post-game/training (usually with snacks that are high in protein)
6. Carry high simple carb snacks with you to consume during half-time or water breaks

BREAKFAST FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS THAT WANT TO LOSE FAT

Fat-loss in football is a really common goal. In an article that we wrote some months ago, we broke down the process into 3 fundamental steps: 1) a calorie deficit, 2) a high protein intake, and 3) appropriate training.

Taking into consideration the first two steps (calorie deficit and high-protein nutrition) we can make some suggestions in regards to breakfast that will help you in the process of losing fat as a footballer.

So, given that fat-loss requires you to stay in a calorie deficit, low-calorie options are best suitable for you to achieve a lower caloric intake. To reduce your breakfasts caloric content you can either a) consume smaller portions of your meals, or b) cut off caloric-dense ingredients from your meals and keeping them as “lean” as possible. 

Essentially, we are talking about fatty foods here. Although they are essential – as any other nutrient – you might as well decrease their intake in an attempt to lower your caloric intake. As a result, your plate would be left unaffected in terms of protein and carbohydrates, which are a bit more crucial to performance and recovery.

Starving yourself off is not a sustainable way to lose fat. Opt for healthy eating habits and make the appropriate adjustments so that your nutrition helps you accomplish your goals.

One last thing we would like you to keep in mind, however, is to avoid or limit the fat-loss process during the season. A lower caloric intake puts limits on your energy. That is something we want to avoid. If your performance is suffering because of excess fat, you might consider a slight calorie deficit, about 200-300 calories below your maintenance calories. Otherwise, fat-loss should be considered extensively during the off-season due to limited performance obligations.

BREAKFAST FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS THAT WANT TO GAIN WEIGHT/MUSCLE-MASS

We couldn’t forget to mention some tips for the footballers that have a hard time putting on weight and/or muscle mass. These players are usually defined as “skinny”. In contrast to fat-loss, weight and muscle gain require you to stay in a caloric surplus (not a deficit) along with maintaining a high protein intake and following a good training regimen structured to your individual needs.

Given that we want to accomplish a caloric surplus, your job is to create a calorie-dense breakfast, but at the same time, sustain a quality nutrient density.

Having said that, calorie-dense foods are your best friends. Healthy fats are THE way to go. Some healthy fats include olive oil, nuts, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, flax seeds, avocados, egg yolks, etc.

By adding those ingredients to your breakfast, you drastically increase its caloric content.

Another way you can go at it is by increasing the size of your portion. A higher volume breakfast can equal a higher calorie meal – although that’s not always the case! A combination between bigger portions and calorie-dense ingredients will help you add some more calories to your daily nutrition.

THE #1 THING YOU’RE NEGLECTING…

Food is important. What is also important, however, is WATER.

Unfortunately, MANY footballers neglect their water consumption. Not only in the morning but during the whole day. We suggest you start off your day with at least 2 big glasses of water and continue adding up your water intake after you consume your breakfast.

Think of it like this. Your body went through an entire 8 to 10 hour sleeping window without any water and food. It is wise to say that your body needs to rehydrate.

Drinking water is not hard. Just do it. Details matter.

THE SUM UP

Breakfast is just as important as any other meal of the day. Treat it properly. Usually, the aim is to achieve a high protein and carbohydrate content in your meal. At the same time we want plenty of vitamins and minerals which can be found in fruits and vegetables. Healthy fats can be added but with attention due to their high caloric density. Water is a non-negotiable.

Massive attention also needs to be paid to early morning kick-offs and practices. Your priority here is to consume a meal that is primarily high in simple carbohydrates.

Lastly, in regards to fat-loss and weight/muscle gain, you’re basically aiming for a caloric deficit or surplus. Depending on your goals, you can either a) decrease/increase the portion of your meals and/or b) cut off/add calorie-dense ingredients (which are mainly found in fatty foods).

Related Articles

• 10 Lunch Ideas For Football | Meals High In Carbohydrates
• 10 Dinner Ideas For Football | Meals High In Protein
• 15 Great Snacks To Boost Football Performance
• How Much Protein Does A Football/Soccer Player REALLY Need?
• Supplements For Football Performance & Recovery | All You Need To Know
• A Footballer’s Diet Plan | This Is How To Create Yours
• Fat Loss In Football/Soccer | This Is The ULTIMATE Guide

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