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First, the
athlete should maintain a healthy diet every day, not just on
game day, for overall well-being.
Now on
game day...
I have
always believed in a diet high in carbohydrates (avoid fats,
grease) about 1-2 hours before game-time or practice (you need
time to digest it). Players should eat enough to feel their
hunger is satisfied, but not overeat or stuff themselves. If it
is a larger meal (lunch or dinner), eat at least 2 to 3 hours
before the game; if it is a snack (you already had lunch or
dinner earlier), eat the snack 1 hour before the game.
Suggested foods:
Some kind of
pasta is a good lunch or dinner choice.
Others:
Cereals and
grains
Vegetables
Crackers,
peanut butter cracker or peanut butter sandwich
Pancakes
French toast
Bagels
Orange juice
Apples
Bananas
Grapes
Lean Meats
Avoid dairy
products high in fat. Low fat yogurt would be fine.
Adequate
fluid intake is important before and during the game to avoid
dehydration... but again, too much is not good medicine. In
addition to water, sport drinks or fruit juices are good
choices.
If your
practices or games are late afternoon, right after school, make
sure you eat breakfast and lunch that day. Some fruit like
bananas or oranges one hour before the practice or game would be
a good booster.
Check these pages for even more details:
The Federal Consumer Information Page --
Winning Nutrition for Athletes
(http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/win-win/athletenutrition.html)
Columbia University, Go Ask Alice
(http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1438.html)
Copyright
2002-2004, James A. Gels, all rights reserved.
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