If you played soccer as a kid or if your kids play(ed) soccer then you know how synonymous orange slices are with the half-time break. But have you ever wondered why? What is it about oranges that make them a good choice for mid-game refueling?
Soccer is a sport that combines high-intensity exercise (think quick bursts, jumping, kicking, etc.) and endurance exercise (depending on the position you play, you are expected to run consistently for the entire game). It is a physically demanding sport that requires diligent fueling and hydration in order to keep performance high as well as aid in post-game recovery and fend off illness or injury.
Properly fueling the body for a high-intensity sport like soccer is crucial for maintaining energy levels, avoiding fatigue, and playing at your best for the entire 90 minutes. The nutritional key to achieve all of this is carbohydrates! Carbohydrates are our bodies main source of energy and the body (being super smart) does a great job at taking those carbohydrates that we eat and breaking them down into smaller molecules, called glycogen, that get stored in the muscles and liver to be used as energy (fuel).
During strenuous exercise (or a soccer game, for example) the body quickly uses up those glycogen molecules that have been stored in the muscles. This stored energy can be depleted after just 15-30 minutes of high-intensity exercise. We experience this as the onset of fatigue, reduced performance quality, and even impaired decision-making or poor technique implementation. This means the athlete requires a sufficient amount of stored carbohydrates before and during the game in order to fuel and sustain their activity. For a soccer game that lasts 90 minutes, half-time is an opportunity to quickly and efficiently restore some of those lost carbohydrates and rehydrate the body at the same time.
There are many ways an athlete can refuel during half-time in order to come out stronger during the second half, but why orange slices? Well, oranges are little nutritional powerhouses, aside from their claim to fame of Vitamin C! Most notably:
They are mostly water! (approximately 87%) - boosting hydration
They are high in carbohydrates - replenishing those glycogen stores in the muscles
Low calorie - won’t weigh the athlete down before resuming play.
Contains dietary fiber - reduces feelings of hunger
Low glycemic index - the body quickly assimilates the nutrition while providing a gradual increase in blood sugar rather than sharp spikes & crashes
High in Vitamins C, B6, phytonutrients, & calcium
Contains potassium - a key electrolyte to help in hydration and prevents muscle cramps
Consuming some easy-to-digest carbohydrates during halftime will be helpful for all soccer players and give them a boost to finish the game strong, but for those athletes that do not like oranges or have a history of digestive distress from citrus fruits, there are other options that will provide similar benefits at mid-game:
Fruits - banana, apple slices, grapes
Dried fruits or fruit strips - mango, apricots, raisins
Sports drink - store bought (low sugar options) or homemade
Low sugar granola bar
That all said, it is extremely important to avoid mid-game snacks that will increase dehydration or cause gastrointestinal (GI) distress thus leading to poor performance. Some things to avoid mid-game (save them for after the game):
Salty snacks such as chips
Sweets like cookies and candy as they cause blood sugar spikes and may lead to headaches or nausea
High-fat foods like dairy or cheese (these are best left for post-game meals/snacks)
Providing athletes some orange slices at half-time during their soccer game will give them a quick boost in hydration, replenish those tired muscles, and give them a sustained boost in energy. Sure, there are great alternatives for a mid-game energy boost but very few offer all the benefits that oranges do. Bonus, they are relatively easy to find, will easily provide nutrition for a large team, and won’t break the bank doing so. It is not so surprising to learn why NFL teams are required to provide at least three dozen oranges to their players during halftime!
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