Training alone isn't synonymous with body balance. To monitor the development of aspiring athletes, in addition to physiology, nutritional monitoring is necessary to monitor the wear and tear caused by physical exertion. Nutritionist Silvia Ferreira, known as Silvinha, has worked with youth players for over 20 years and explains how proper nutrition works for Flamengo players.

The Youth Football Nutrition department, at the George Helal Training Center, works with two guidelines: Daily meal production and nutritional care for athletes.

The daily meal production—five meals a day—serves the resident and non-resident athletes, the coaching staff, administrative staff, and the Training Center's security guards and monitors. Menu development, food purchasing, and storage are all part of the nutrition department.

Nutritional care for athletes in all categories is assessed and planned twice a year, during which a study is conducted to investigate their eating habits. Nutrition works in an integrated manner with physiology and physical preparation to understand the athlete's body composition.

"Whenever there's a need to reduce body fat or gain muscle mass, the nutrition department is contacted. In this case, the athlete will receive written nutritional guidance so they can monitor their diet at home," explains Silvia.

An athlete's body is their work tool and, therefore, requires an adequate amount of energy for training and competition. Therefore, it is essential to choose the right diet.

"If we choose inappropriate foods, we can seriously compromise the athlete's performance and performance. Therefore, it is essential that the athlete nourishes their body with a balanced diet to obtain good results and even avoid injuries," says the Mais Querido nutritionist.

To meet all the demands of the players' nutritional training, Silvia has three cooks: Fátima Vides da Silva, Lucélia Alves and Maria José da Bandeira; three kitchen assistants: Graziela de Oliveira, Miriam dos Santos and Teresa Barbosa; two waiters: Flavia Rodrigues and José Antonio da Silva and two nutrition interns: Luana Castro and Diego Veras.

In the coming weeks we will present the departments:

- Psychology;

- Doctor;

- Social Service;

- Technical Committees;

- Intelligence and Market Center;

Read the first articles in the series: