Sports Nutrition

Pre-Exercise | During Exercise | Post-Exercise

Pre-Exercise Eating

Pre-Exercise Meal

• Purpose: To provide adequate fuel/energy for game
• Timing: 3-4 hours pre-exercise or game
• Meal Combination: 50-70% carbohydrate, moderate protein, low fat, low fiber
• Hydration: 16-20 oz water/sports drink
• Examples:
  • Grilled chicken breast, 2 cups pasta, marinara sauce, fruit salad
  • White fish, 1-2 cups brown rice, small green salad, roll
  • 3 oz lean steak, 1 cup potatoes, green beans, 1 cup cold pasta salad, 1 wheat roll
  • Thick wheat bread sandwich w/3-5 oz turkey or ham, lettuce tomato, mustard, 1 cup cold pasta or fruit, part of energy bar
• Finicky Stomach:
  • Meal Replacement shake or smoothie (with protein)
  • Energy bar and Gatorade

Pre-Exercise Snack

• Purpose: Quick burst of energy, maintains blood sugar levels
• Timing: 0-30 minutes pre-exercise/game
• Content: Mostly carbohydrate, little protein, no fat
• Hydration: 5-10 oz water/sports drink
• Examples:
  • 1/2 energy bar & 1 cup Gatorade
  • Energy shake
  • Fruit
  • Granola bar (low-fat)
  • Fruit snacks
  • Crackers (animal, graham, gold fish, wheat crackers)

The Pre-Exercise Plate

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During Exercise Eating

Purpose: What happens to the body during exercise?

• Energy from carbohydrate and fat being used; when carbohydrate levels decrease, energy will come from muscle mass...not what we want!
• Catabolic (breakdown) hormones are released... supplying the body with energy can decrease production of those levels

During Practice

Energy Needed:

• 30-60 grams of carbohydrate every hour after the first hour of a game/training or in hot/humid conditions
• If adding protein, add a small amount to help combat muscle breakdown...you need mostly carbohydrate during exercise (protein from energy bar or drink is good)

Hydration:

• 5-10 oz of fluid every 15 minutes

Adding Carbohydrate:

• Drink Gatorade/Sports Drink, 5-10 oz every 15 minutes
• ½ energy bar and 1 cup sports drink
• Small handful fruit snacks or crackers and water or sports drink
• Low-fat granola bar and water or sports drink
• Fruit and water

For Weight Gain:

• Sip on energy shake (carbohydrate and protein)
• Eat high calorie bar half way through practice and drink Gatorade

During a Game

Energy needed:

• 30-60 grams carbohydrate every hour after the 1st, like practice

Hydration:

• 5-10 oz fluid every 15 minutes--highly individualized ... drink more if needed

Providing the body with energy: Half-time is a great time to "re-fuel" and rehydrate the body

• Drink Gatorade/Sports Drink: 5-10 oz every 15 minutes
• ½ energy bar and 1 cup sports drink
• Handful fruit snacks and water or sports drink
• Low-fat granola bar and water or sports drink
• Fruit and water
• Crackers (animal, graham, gold fish, wheat crackers) and water or sports drink

Listen to your body ... eat if you feel tired
when training or performing!

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Post-Exercise Eating

Purpose

• Post-exercise the body is in "breakdown mode"...good sports nutrition stops breakdown from progressing
• The goal is to provide the body with carbohydrate and protein to replenish energy stores and repair muscle tears and breakdown
• "Window Of Opportunity"
  • 2-hour time period (especially first 30-45 minutes), post-exercise, when the body has the ability to take up nutrients faster in order to recover...think of the muscle as a sponge

0-45 minutes post-workout/game

• What nutrients to eat:
  • 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein (4 grams carbohydrate to 1 gram protein) and little to no fat
  • Carbohydrates replenish energy (glycogen) stores lost during exercise and open the cell for protein to be absorbed
  • Protein starts muscle repair, but most importantly decreases muscle breakdown post-exercise
• Food examples:
  • Low-fat (LF) chocolate milk
  • Energy bar & 8 oz Gatorade
  • Muscle Milk RTD Shake
  • Flavored-yogurt and fruit
  • Cereal and LF milk
  • Smoothie w/8-10 oz LF milk, protein powder, 1 cup fruit
  • Low-fat granola bar & 8 oz LF milk
  • Baggie 1 cup high pro cereal (Kashi), ½ c granola, ¼ c dried fruit
  • 3-4 graham crackers & 8 oz LF milk

Fluids like shakes and smoothies digest much faster than whole food

Best recovery bars: Cliff, Power Bar Harvest, Gatorade, Go Lean Crunch

• Hydration:
  • 17-24 oz fluid (water or Gatorade) for every pound lost during exercise
  • 22-24 oz fluid if rehydration is necessary in short period of time

Within 2 hours post-workout/game

• Balance meal of carbohydrates, protein, and some fat (still low-fat):
  • 50-60% carbohydrate, 20-30% protein, 10-20% fat
• Hydration:
  • Still working on rehydrating/recovering what was lost during workout or game

Within 2 hours post-workout/game

• Meal Examples:
  • 1 whole wheat turkey sandwich w/low-fat cheese & veggies 15 whole wheat crackers, and fruit
  • 3 oz chicken, 1-2 cups pasta with marinara sauce, 1 cup veggies, & 1 whole wheat roll
  • 6 oz fish, 1 sweet potato, 2 cups salad with light dressing, and 1 piece fruit
  • 1 whole wheat pita with 3oz chicken, ¼ c low-fat cheese, lettuce/tomato, light sour cream & 15-20 wheat crackers or pretzels
  • 1 packet oatmeal, 1 scoop protein powder, sprinkle nuts & dried fruit, 8-12 oz skim milk
  • 20 oz Smoothie King-like smoothie with whey protein
  • 1 cup whole grain cereal with ½ c skim milk, 1 low-fat yogurt, 1 fruit
  • Turkey & low-fat cheese sandwich on wheat bread & yogurt w/ ¼ cup granola mixed in
  • 20 whole wheat crackers or pretzels, 3oz lean turkey, one 2% string cheese, 1 piece fruit or fruit cup
  • 1 whole wheat tortilla (broiled in oven for 2 min per side) with 3oz lean, skinless chicken & ¼ c 2% cheese, 10-12 baked multi-grain tortilla chips, 1 c fruit salad
  • 1 grilled chicken sandwich, 1 bag Baked Lays, & 1 piece fruit or 1 cup chopped fruit
  • 1 whole wheat bagel w/ 3oz lean ham and Swiss cheese, 1 cup cold pasta salad, 15 whole wheat crackers
  • Salad w/ 3 oz lean meat (chicken, turkey, ham), ¼ cup cheese (2% if possible), croutons & veggies, dressing on the side, 15-20 whole wheat crackers or pretzels or 2 slices wheat toast, 1 cup chopped fruit
  • 2 egg/2egg white omelet with low-fat cheese & ½ c chopped lean ham, 2 whole wheat Eggo waffles with low-fat butter and drizzle syrup
  • 1 whole wheat bagel w/1 scrambled egg, 1 slice low-fat cheese, 2 slices thin ham or Canadian bacon, 1 fruit, 1 cup 2% milk

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