Food and beverages consumed before, between, and after athletic events have a significant impact on an individual’s ability to perform, either positively if food choices are proper or negatively if the food choices are poor or inadequate. Parent and coaches understand the importance of proper nutrition for their student athletes, but nutrition often gets overlooked due to busy time constraints. Lakes Regional Healthcare Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Beth Samuelson offers the following guidelines for food and fluids to help student athletes and their parents and coaches make good choices to optimize performance.
Fluids
Water is needed for all metabolic reactions in the body. Adequate fluid consumption is the biggest predictor of optimum performance.
- At each meal, athletes should drink 8-16 ounces of fluids. Pick fluids with nutrients like 100% juices and milk over soda pop and sweetened beverages. Water is always a good choice.
- 20-30 minutes before an event or practice, athletes should use the restroom and then drink 8-16 ounces of water or a sports drink. Juices, soda pop, and “energy” drinks can lead to nausea, cramping, belching, flatulence, and diarrhea due to the high sugar content, carbonation, and caffeine.
- During the event or practice, 3-8 ounces of water or sports drink is recommended every 15-20 minutes. Thirst is not an accurate measure of hydration. Some parents mark the bottle with lines as a guide of how much to drink. Water is the recommended beverage, except for events or practices lasting longer than 1 hour or intense start/stop sports like soccer and basketball. In those situations, a sports drink would be more appropriate since the glucose in the drink helps transport fluid to the muscle better. In addition, athletes often accept a flavored sports drink better than water, so fluid consumption improves.
Meal Timing and Food Choices
High carbohydrate foods are digested the quickest and are the major fuel source for activities. Athletic performance is best when the body is adequately fueled, but virtually no food is present in the stomach or small intestines at the time of the event. High protein and high fat foods take longer to digest and therefore may cause stomach discomfort or limit performance if consumed shortly before the event. (See next page.)
Pre-event Meals
- Meals should be consumed 2-4 hours before the event. For early morning events, the athlete will have to get up even earlier to eat his/her pre-event meal.
- The pre-event meal should be less than 800 calories. Macros for that meal should be 75-150 grams of carbohydrate, 15-40 grams of lean protein, and 20 grams or less of fat. Higher fat foods like hot dogs, fries, chips, cheese, eggs, peanut butter, steak, and donuts take a long time to digest and are better tolerated after the event. Spicy foods or gas-producing foods like chili seasonings, refried beans, onions, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower could make the gut uncomfortable during the event.
- School meals, although nutritious, may not be enough food for a pre-event meal. Parents may want to pack additional food for their athlete.
Sample meals include:
- Spaghetti noodles with meaty marinara, green beans, frozen yogurt, and water
- Grilled chicken sandwich, mashed potatoes, corn, apple slices, and low-fat milk
- Baked cod, rice, peas, and a fruit smoothie with yogurt
- Turkey and provolone sandwich, goldfish crackers, pudding, and 100% juice
- Pancakes with syrup, banana, turkey sausages, and low-fat milk
Snacks
- If the athlete has 1-2 hours before the event, a high carbohydrate snack should be consumed with limited protein and fat. Please see the below chart.
- If the athlete has less than 1/2 hour before the event, a regular sports drink (not the zero sugar) would be appropriate or sports gummies.
Sample snacks include bananas, grapes, apple, kiwi, strawberries, applesauce, snack-pack canned fruit, pretzels, saltine crackers (no cheese or peanut butter), Nutri-grain bars, plain animal crackers, graham crackers, vanilla wafers, dry cereal, low-fat yogurt, and snack-pack pudding.
Post-event Food Choices
Refuel the athlete’s body shortly after the event with high-carbohydrate and high-protein foods to replenish needed energy stores and rebuild muscle tissue. Higher fat foods are better tolerated now and not before the event. Omega-3 fats from flax and chia seeds, walnuts, tuna, salmon, and Omega-3 eggs can help reduce inflammation.
Calcium, iron, zinc, and B-vitamins are the most common deficiencies in student athletes that affect performance both on and off the playing field. Ask a health professional before beginning supplementation. The best way to meet these needs is through a daily balanced diet: 3 or more dairy servings, 5 or more fruit and vegetables, plant and animal proteins, and fortified cereals and whole grains.
To learn more, talk to your provider or call Samuelson at 712-336-8785.
