High level of energy  =  The fuel of positive performance

Grams of Carbohydrate Needed Daily

Shown is a table that will give you a rough guide to the amount of carbohydrate to eat, depending on how hard you are training or if you are playing an important match. On match days you need plenty early in the day, then a concentrated source before you play, and the rest afterwards to replenish your stores and help recovery.

What is vital is that you get into good habits and then it will be far easier to eat the extra amount. Even on free days you should aim to eat sufficient carbohydrate.

What the table shows you is the minimum amount. Try to eat more than this if you can.

Eating the Carbohydrates the easy way

Yes we know life's too short to be counting up what constitutes 500g of carbohydrate every day. But that's not going to be a problem because what we have done is made it easier for you by converting the grams into simple units.

50 Grams Carbohydrate = 1 Unit
500 Grams Carbohydrate = 10 Units.

The Properly Balanced Diet

• Carbohydrate should make up 60-70% of your daily intake,
• fat 20-30%
• and protein 10-15%

Intake for a 90kg person

Carboyhydates needed is 700 for match day = 10 units

You can see, therefore, that you have to aim at consuming 10 Units per day. What will be easier for you and best for your body is to spread the amount of carbohydrate throughout the day.

Breakfast

• 300 mi of fresh orange juice = 1.5 units
• 60g cereal with semi skimmed milk = 1 unit
• 2 thick slices of toast with jam marmalade or honey = 1 unit

Snacks throughout the day

These should include

• 3 bananas: 1 in the morning 1 in the afternoon and 1 in the evening = 2 units
• A few biscuits = 1.5 units
• 1 chunk of Corbo's cake = 1 unit

Lunch

This must include something from the main list i.e. pasta, noodles, pizza, potatoes, or rice. So something like chilli Con Carne with rice followed by dried fruit salad with low fat Greek yogurt with honey = 2 units

Dinner

Here you must have something from the main list, so if you had pasta at lunch have potatoes at dinner or the other way round. Just look at the list and vary lunch and dinner from day to day. If you had lunch as above all you need to do at dinner is make sure you eat potatoes (either in their jackets, whipped to a creamy mash or sliced and cooked in the oven with onion and stock). Follow this with a dessert - see the ideas on separate page and you will have consumed 2 more units.

How to choose your units

Each of the following items (in the quantities stated) represents ONE UNIT (i.e. 50 grams of carbohydrate).

The important thing about them, - and the reason they have been chosen - is that the fat content of each one is low, which is vital if you are going to eat something else with them. Look again at the chart on page five to see just how much more carbohydrate you need to eat in proportion to fat. Note: some products marked are available only in certain stores: (5) Sainsbury's (T) Tesco (MS) Marks & Spencer.

Cereals

(These should be served with semi-skimmed milk)

• 3 Weetabix
• 3 Shredded wheat
• 60g Branflakes
• Sultana Bran
• Sustain
• Fruit n' Fibre
• Special K
• Muesli
• Cornflakes
• Frosties
• Coco Pops

Breads

• 2 thick-cut slices wholemeal bread
• 2 thick-cut slices malt bread
• 2 thick-cut slices muesli bread (5)
• 3 slices German-style rye bread
• 4 slices bun loaf
• 4 wholewheat crackers
• 1 (2") slice cherry Madeira cake (5)
• 2 wholemeal or spicy pitta breads (S)
• 2 granary pitta breads (T)
• 1 bagel
• 2 crumpets
• 2 English muffins
• 100g garlic and coriander naan
• 100g focaccia bread
• 3 Scotch pancakes (S)
• 2 cheese & bacon muffins (T)
• 2 mini focaccia (garlic & parsley)(T)
• 75g pretzel (original flavour)(T)

Rice and Pasta

• 150g cooked rice (equal to 50g dry weight)
• 150g cooked brown rice (equal to 409 dry weight)
• 300g noodles (equal to 75g dry weight)
• 250g cooked pasta (equal to 65g dry weight)

Cakes and Puddings

• 1 slice of (approx. 2") country fruit cake (MS)
• 1 slice of (approx. 2") iced coffee cake (MS)
• 1 slice of (approx. 2") sultana cake (MS)
• 1 slice of (approx. 2") Madeira cake
• 1 slice of (approx. 2") cherry Genoa cake (MS)
• Approx 1/3 of Battenburg cake (5)
• 1 teacake
• 200g creme caramel
• 100g apple or lemon meringue cake (T)
• 1 slice of (2 1/2") apple & cinnamon twist 95% fat-free (5)
• 1 slice of (2 1/2") lemon Danish twist 95% fat-free (5)
• 1/3 raspberry sponge sandwich (T)
• 1 slice (2") sultana & cherry cake (T)
• 1 slice (2") slice currant & sultana cake (5)
• 2 bars any McVities Go-ahead cake range (97% fat free)
• 2 cup cakes
• 2 raspberry iced buns (MS)
• 4 farmhouse slices (5)
• 80g (approx 3") jam Swiss roll
• 100g any Weightwatchers Sensations (chocolate mousse, cheesecake etc)

Biscuits

• 6 jaffa cakes
• 6 cafe noir biscuits
• 8 Garibaidi biscuits
• 7 gingernuts
• 4 fig rolls
• 8 rich tea biscuits
• 3 digestives (25% reduced fat)
• 8 slices Ryvita multigrain
• 9 arrowroot biscuits
• 4 wholewheat crackers
• 4 any McVities Go-ahead biscuits range (95% fat free)

Snacks

• 2 nutrigrain bars (blueberry, apple strawberry etc.)
• 7-8 fresh dates
• 6-7 dried dates
• 80g (equals 1 large handful) currants, raisins, sultanas
• 7 dried figs
• 75g dried pineapple
• 12-14 ready-to-eat prunes
• 2 medium bananas
• 2 medium mangoes

Vegetables and Pulses

• 200g cooked potatoes
• 200g sweetcorn
• 200g oven chips
• 300g butter beans
• kidney beans
• lentils
• chickpeas

Fast acting Drinks etc

• 5 Dextrose sweets
• 500ml orange juice
• 500g pineapple juice
• 500g grape juice or add 20g (3tbsp) glucose powder to 300mis to any of the above juices
• 500mi coca cola
• 1 can Lucozade or Lucozade NRG

This is the 'tracker bar' for the discerning palate, specially commissioned from the chef and dietitician of NCFC. A brilliant way to clock up one unit.

Canary Crunchies

Makes 12 (2 bars = 1 unit)