Introduction - Examples of Pre-Competition Meals - Foods to Improve Performance - Foods to Avoid - Competition Day Tips
Athletics is becoming increasingly competitive. More and more stress is being placed on how well you perform. To reach your highest potential, all of your body systems must be perfectly tuned. Nothing is more important to your well-being and ability to perform than good nutrition. Eating the right foods helps you maintain desirable body weight, stay physically fit, and establish optimum nerve-muscle reflexes. Without the right foods, even physical conditioning and expert coaching aren't enough to push you to your best. Good nutrition must be a key part of your training program if you are to succeed. There is no one "miracle food" or supplement that can supply all of your nutritional needs. Certain foods supply mainly proteins, other foods contain vitamins and minerals, and so on. The key to balancing your diet is to combine different foods so that nutrient deficiencies in some foods are made up by nutrient surpluses in others. Eating a variety of foods is the secret.
The nutrients--the proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water--are teammates that work together to provide good nutrition. Just as each team member carries out different tasks during a game, each nutrient performs specific functions in your body. A lack of just one nutrient is a disadvantage to your body, just as losing a player to the penalty box is a disadvantage for a hockey team. Your body needs all these nutrients all of the time, so the foods you eat should supply them every day. Just because you are not hungry does not necessarily mean that your body has all the nutrients it needs. You can fill up on foods that contain mostly carbohydrates and fats, but your body still has basic needs for proteins, minerals, and vitamins. While the pregame meal can supply your body with significant amounts of energy, don't expect it to supply all the energy you'll need for the event. You should eat the right kinds of food for several days before the event to charge up your muscles with glycogen. Glycogen is a key energy source your muscles use during most sports activities. Although the pregame meal won't cause large increases in muscle glycogen, it will:
• Help avoid hunger during the event
• Stablize blood-sugar levels and add some food energy to complement existing energy stores of muscle glycogen
• Hydrate the body (supply water to the body's cells)• Provide a relatively empty stomach at game time
• Prevent gastrointestinal upset or other adverse reactions to food
No one pregame meal is right for every athlete or every event, but some food choices are much smarter than others.Young athletes have a lot of growing to do. New muscle tissue must be made. Bones need to grow rapidly. And with all of the physical activity, some tissues need to be repaired. All of this metabolic activity requires an abundance of nutrients and energy carried to body tissues and waste products carried away. Water allows all of this to happen. Water is vital for your body's growth, repair, and physical activity. Make sure your pregame meal plans follow these guidelines:
• 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.
• 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, chose foods you like to eat.
• Remember to drink plenty of fluids with your pregame meal.
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Examples of Pre-Competition Meals
Meal 1Cereal (avoid highly sweetened cereals)
Banana slices
Milk (low-fat or skim)
Toast/jam
Pineapple juice*
Water
Meal 2
Chicken noodle soupMeal 3
Poached EggMeal 4
Pancakes (limit butter and syrup)Meal 5
Turkey sandwich/bread and lettuceMeal 6
Cottage cheese/peachMeal 7
Spaghetti/tomato sauceFoods To Improve Sports Performance
PASTA (MACARONI, SPAGHETTI, NOODLES, RAVIOLI
RICE (USE SOY SAUCE AS FLAVORING INSTEAD OF BUTTER)
POTATOES (BAKED, BOILED, MASHED, NOT FRENCH FRIES)
STARTCHY VEGGIES (PEAS, CARROTS, SQUASH, SWEET POTATOES)
BREADS (ROLLS, MUFFINS, CRACKERS, BAGELS)
CEREAL (OATMEAL, HOT CEREAL, COLD CEREAL)
SOUPS (NOODLE, RICE, VEGGIES)
PANCAKES (LIMIT BUTTER AND SYRUP)
FRUITS, JUICES (ORANGES, BANANAS AND APPLES DIGEST EASILY)
MILK PRODUCTS (MILK, COTTAGE CHEESE, CHEESE, YOGURT, PUDDING)
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Foods To Avoid (Off Days and Competition)
CANDY, SUGAR, HONEY (WILL RESULT IN FEELINGS OF FATIGUE AFTER INITIAL RUSH OF ENERGY)
TEA, COFFEE, CHOCOLATE, SODA (CAFFEINE WILL DEHYDRATE YOU)
POPCORN, NUTS, BEANS (WILL CAUSE INTESTINAL PROBLEMS AND GAS PRIOR TO COMPETITION)
ANY NEW FOODS (DON’T EXPERIMENT WITH NEW FOODS PRIOR TO A COMPETITION. GET IN A HABIT OF EATING SIMILAR MEALS EVERY PRE-GAME)
FRUIT FLAVORED DRINKS (HIGH IN SUGAR CONTENT. DRINK ONLY ALL NATURAL FRUIT JUICE)
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All-day events like track meets or other sports tournaments where an athlete is expected to perform more than once, minutes to hours apart, present special problems. Make the most of a bad situation and remember that the basic pregame meal guidelines still apply. You may have to eat several "mini" pregame meals over the day. Each meal should be small (under 300 calories) and low in sugar and fat. Even though schedules can be hectic, try to avoid eating within one hour of event time.
Sometimes, it's impossible to purchase suitable foods at the event. Many times, foods and drinks that are available at the refreshment stand (such as hot dogs, candy bars, and caffeinated drinks) are items that you shouldn't eat before performing. In these situations, you must plan ahead. For example, you can bring appropriate foods to the meet. Foods that spoil should be kept in coolers with ice to keep them cold. Above all, drink plenty of fluids. Dehydration can be a very real danger at all-day events.
Plan ahead to have your favorite, quick, pregame foods on hand during the season. If possible, eat at least three hours before you compete. If you only have time for a quick trip to the store, consider these possibilities:
• Oranges, bananas, pears, peaches, plums
• Juices
• Mozzarella string cheese
• Yogurt (low-fat)
• Single-portion cans of fruit
• Breadsticks/snacksticks
• Bread with jelly
• Cottage cheese (low-fat)
• Milk (low-fat or skim)
Ask your coach, food service director, or home economics teacher for refrigerator space if you need a pregame meal/snack right after school, between classes, or during a free period. A refrigerator and/or microwave would be a good booster club project. Remember: Eat foods you like and that agree with you for pregame meals. You are an individual with your own tolerances for foods. Choosing foods you like may give you a psychological edge.
Water is a basic necessity for all life. Without it, life can't exist. Even when water is limited, living organisms suffer. You are no exception. For young athletes like yourself, not enough water means you can't do your best. It can even cause serious health problems. Our blood circulates like an ocean within us. The water in blood helps carry nutrients and energy to our body cells. It also carries waste products away from our cells for excretion from our body. Water helps regulate our body temperature, too--an important factor for all of us.
As a young athlete, you have a special need for water. When you participate in a sport like track or volleyball, you burn a lot of food energy (called calories). Some of that unleashed energy powers muscles. But some of that energy is released as heat. Water keeps you from overheating. Sweating and evaporation from the skin cools you down. However, water is lost in the cooling process. That can be dangerous if the water is not replenished. If you run low on water, your body can overheat, like a car that is low on cooling fluid. Losing just two percent of the body's water can hurt performance. A five percent loss can cause heat exhaustion. A seven percent to ten percent loss can result in heat stroke and death. Dehydration can kill.
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