On my soccer team, we have a dietitian who created a meal plan for before games and when we are competing in tournaments. Because everyone is different, it is only the kinds of food that you must eat, such as carbs. The meal plan goes all the way back to 2 days before the first game, all the way to 30 minutes before the game. This meal plan is specific to a 14-15 year old girl who plays a competitive, physical sport 5 times a week and does additional training (soccer), but is a base-line for most athletes in competitive/high performance sports.
2-1 days I am carbo-loading, which means I am eating foods full of carbohydrates such as pastas and breads. I am also eating lots of protein. Sugar is necessary to perform well, and it is recommended to have some type with you while playing whether that be Gatorade/sports drink, sports gummies or sports gel (edible), which are all full of sugar. This is because sugar gives a boost that takes place within 30 minutes of eating. Consuming sugar the night before is not recommended, but will not harm you if taken. This is because your body can digest the sugar over night and it will not affect your performance the next morning. It will also not help in anyway, for the rush that consuming sugar gives will run out before you wake up. Foods such as carbs do not have the same instant boost of energy, instead taking a day or two to fully process. Proteins tend to take a few hours before coming into full affect.
The morning of depends a lot more on personal preference, and what your body can handle. Personally, I have 1 piece of pb&j toast, a protein powder smoothie or a cup of soy milk, and an omlette made a 2 eggs, cheese and turkey. I usually eat 3+ hours before the game so that the protein can be at it’s peak performance.
From website: Avoid eating high fat foods, such as bacon, lasagna or cream based foods/soups. Fibers can cause issues in your stomach, so it would be best to avoid foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, onions, brussels sprouts etc.
A few examples given from the site for breakfast are:
- Egg white or Egg Beaters omelet, with two slices of whole-wheat toast or a small bagel and fresh fruit
- A bagel topped with turkey and scrambled egg whites and low-fat cheese, served with fresh fruit or a low-calorie juice such as Tropicana 50, or light cranberry juice and water
- A smoothie made from one cup of fruit, 20 grams protein such as one cup non-fat Greek yogurt or one scoop protein powder, and/or two tablespoons peanut butter or powdered peanut butter, one cup spinach or kale and one tablespoon ground flax or chia seed
A few examples for dinner are:
- A 6-ounce grilled chicken breast (6 ounces) , with a bowl of pasta with light red sauce, peas or corn and water
- A grilled chicken sandwich – but go easy on mayo, and skip the cheese. Round out the meal with fresh fruit and pretzels
- A 6- or 12-inch sub sandwich with roasted chicken, lean turkey or ham, peanut butter or soy protein for vegetarians on whole-wheat bread. Hold the onions, but all other veggies are fine. Choose mustard or light mayo and add a side of fresh fruit plus water or a low-sugar sports drink such as Gatorade 2 or Gatorade Zero
- A lean pork chop, served with brown rice or baked potato with light sour cream and light cheese, peas/corn
Thank you!
The Best Food For Athletes To Eat Before a Competition | University Hospitals (uhhospitals.org)
Hi Sarang Jacob,
Thank you for sharing your blog post #3. I loved how you wrote about a recommended diet for athletes to eat before a game. For example, I love how you included that you need to eat 3+ hours before a game, so that the protein can be at its highest performance during the game. This is because protein takes a few hours for it to come into full affect. I found this information important because my routine after school is to eat a snack and then run on the elliptical machine. However, now, I will try to run on the elliptical machine around 3+ hours after I finish my snack, so that all the snacks’ nutrients can help me while I am exercising. Some questions I have for you are: are there certain vital nutrients that teenagers should take? How is this diet different from an adult’s diet or a child’s diet? What is the recommended amount of intake for protein? Which nutrients are beneficial for mental health? Are nutritional pills more effective than eating nutritional foods?
Here are some resources to further your research [ALL RESOURCES ARE PEER-REVIEWED]
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/nutrient/
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/six-essential-nutrients
https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/nutrition
Thank you,
Sarah Kim
Hello Sarang,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post! I thought that your question is very thought provoking and the points that you brought up were well thought out. One thing I particularly appreciated was the detailed explanations for why each food was needed for each time stamp instead of just saying what foods to eat and when. I personally play many sports competitively and I never once thought about my diet. Now that I know about this, I can play my games more effectively and also know the reason behind why that is. I also liked how you provided detailed recipes to help us create the food. One thing you could do is to add more pictures to show what the food looks like. But other than that, the post is perfect!
https://www.drugs.com/cg/pre-competition-meals-for-athletes.html
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/50-super-healthy-foods
-Frederick Han