First Posted: 4/14/2015
Spring is here. Along with warmer weather, many sports have started and athletes are on their way to competition. Nutrition plays a very big part in performance. Training, as well as food, can make a difference in whether you win or lose.
Last week’s column discussed fluids and the importance of rehydration. For athletes who sweat a lot, choosing a drink with electrolytes, sodium and potassium is important. For those who don’t, water is a good hydrater.
Let’s move on to pre-game meals. Usually there is travel involved when competing in a sport. Also, athletes may be students who need to attend classes just before the event. Whether it’s travel or classes, paying attention to which type of food is eaten as well as the timing is important. Here are tips from the University of Illinois Extension.
• Allow enough time for digestion. Eat the meal at least three hours before an event.
• Choose a meal that’s high in starch. Starch is easy to digest and helps steady the levels of blood sugar.
• Consume only moderate amounts of protein. Protein foods take longer to digest than starch. And high-protein meals may lead to increased urine production, which can add to dehydration.
• Limit fats and oils. They take too long to digest. A pregame meal’s purpose is to give energy quickly, but not too quickly. Fats and oils take a long time to digest, which means the event will be over before the energy is available to the body in a form that works best. This may leave the athlete feeling sluggish.
• Restrict sugary foods. Sweets can cause rapid energy swings in blood sugar levels and result in low blood sugar and less energy.
• Avoid foods and drinks that contain caffeine. Caffeine stimulates the body to increase urine output, which can contribute to dehydration problems and a full bladder can be very uncomfortable.
• Watch out for foods that produce gas. Certain raw vegetables, fruits or beans may cause problems for some young athletes. Be aware of the foods that cause you problems and avoid them just before an event.
• Within these guidelines, choose foods you like to eat.
Together, rehydrating at the proper times and choosing the best foods before an event will give any athlete an advantage over their opponent. Choose your foods and drinks wisely and have fun.
Here is a sample pre-game meal from a fast food restaurant when you are on the road. This meal can be eaten 2-3 hours before the event.
Two ounces of lean meat such as chicken, low salt ham and low salt turkey. Note, there are 16 ounces in a pound.
Fruit- 1 medium
Breads- 2 servings. Examples are bagels, English muffins, and rolls.
For a meal that is 3 and 1/2 to 4 hours, add 1 cup of pasta (light dressing) or baked potato (no butter or sour cream) and ½ cup of low fiber vegetable like peeled carrots or cucumbers. Plus, add one piece of angel food cake or plain animal crackers or graham cracker. These items, however, would need to be packed to take along or the pre-game meal eaten at home.
Here is a great pasta salad which can be packed in a cooler with a freeze pack. It can be part of a pre-game or post-game meal.
Easy Pasta Salad
4 cups pasta, cooked
2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup light Italian dressing
Place frozen mixed vegetables in colander. Boil water, add pasta and then drain over the frozen vegetables. Cool, add chopped celery and dressing.
