Nutrition...Before and During Competition

Have you ever wondered why visitors to tournaments are offered Donuts, Hot Dogs, Hamburger's, Pop and even a bag of potato chips to follow? It may not always be hospitality!

 

What the players eat and drink before and during a competition can be critical towards winning or losing. We all too often rely on misinformation or "when I was a kid/player" syndromes but there is medical proof that the food intake before and during a competition can and does make a difference.

 

Please feel free to copy the following "guide" and distribute freely. Remember it is only a guide, and we don't guarantee success in your next competition.

 

Evening Meal - Before a Competition

Pre-event nutrition can have a major effect on performance. Players diet should be HIGH IN CARBOHYDRATES, LOW IN FAT. The target is 60-70% carbohydrate, 10-15% protein. This is a very important meal as the main energy reserves are made up from the previous days meals, not from the pre-game meal or big breakfast of the competition day.

 

Items recommended the night before a competition are:

Drinks	Meal Items	Desserts, Snacks
Apple Juice Orange Juice Vegetable Juice Fruit Juice Water	Spaghetti Tomato Sauce with Meat Rice (steam or boiled) Lean Meat Fish Poultry Potatoes Cooked dried peas, beans or lentils Salad (very low dressing) Vegetables (fresh, frozen or canned) Pizza, (Cheese & Veggie) Bread, all varieties	Cheese and Crackers Popcorn (no butter) Fruit - fresh or dried Sherbet, 1 scoop Pretzels Plain Biscuits

 

AVOID

Nutrient-poor carbohydrates: Jam, jelly, white sugar, marshmallows, jelly beans etc.

 

Fat: Chocolate, potato chips, tacos, nachos, cheezies - Gravy, sauces, salad dressing, butter, margarine - Fried Foods - High fat cold cuts (bologna, salami, sausage)

 

 

 

Breakfast - During the Competition

On most competition days the breakfast is the pre-game meal. The pre-game meal offers very little for the energy production system however, it can do much damage if the wrong foods are consumed.

 

It has been suggested that the player enter the game with stomach as empty as possible. When there is food in the stomach, the heart pumps large volumes of blood to the stomach to aid in digestion. If playing or practicing, however, the blood is shunted to the working muscles, therefore stopping the digestive process. This often causes stomach cramps and gas, making the player very uncomfortable.

 

Items recommended for breakfast the day of a competition are:

Drinks	Meal Items	Desserts, Snacks
Apple Juice Orange Juice Vegetable Juice Fruit Juice Water Hot Chocolate Milk	Bagels Raisin Bran Toast, 2-3 slices Yogurt Muffin, Bran or Oatmeal Pancakes (low butter/syrup) Bread, all varieties	Fruit bars Fig Newtons Fruit, Fresh Raisins Banana

 

AVOID

 

Fat: Bacon, sausage, excess butter / margarine etc.

Fried Foods:Homefries, hash browns, fried/scrambled eggs etc.

.

 

 

Lunch - During the Competition

If lunch is a pre-game meal please refer to the pre-game section. The pre-game meal offers very little for the energy production system however, it can do much damage if the wrong foods are consumed. It has been suggested that the player enter the game with stomach as empty as possible. When there is food in the stomach, the heart pumps large volumes of blood to the stomach to aid in digestion. If playing or practicing, however, the blood is shunted to the working muscles, therefore stopping the digestive process. This often causes stomach cramps and gas, making the player very uncomfortable.

 

Items recommended for lunch the day of a competition are:

Drinks	Meal Items	Desserts, Snacks
Apple Juice Orange Juice Vegetable Juice Fruit Juice Water Milk Shake Milk	Sandwich (2oz meat, fish or poultry) Cup of stock soup Bagels Vegetables Bread, all varieties	Fruit bars Fig Newtons Fruit, Fresh or Dried Raisins Banana Cheese & Crackers Pretzels Saltines

 

AVOID

 

Fat: Excess butter / margarine etc., Salami, bologna, sausage, hamburgers, hot-dogs

Fried Foods: French fries, homefries, hash browns etc.

 

Pre-Game Meals/Snacks

The GOAL:

• An empty stomach and gastrointestinal tract, but enough fuel for the muscles and enough food to prevent hunger.
• A settled stomach and a confident athlete.
• A well hydrated, comfortable athlete.

 

Why?:
So that the blood will go to the working muscles, not the
digestive organs.Because muscles rely primarily on fuel
stored from meals eaten in the days before the competition.
Food eaten on the day of the game fuels the brain and keeps
the muscles topped up when the competition is long or intermittent.
So that pre-competition nerves don’t upset the stomach.

 

Items recommended for snacks the day of a competition are:

Drinks	Snacks
Apple Juice Orange Juice Fruit Juice Water	Fruit bars Fig Newtons Fruit, Fresh or Dried Raisins Apple Banana Popcorn (no butter) Saltines

 

 

 

This is intended as a guide only.