Nutrition
Plan your pre-training strategy
There is evidence showing that if players consume carbohydrate and fluids before training or exercise then there are likely to perform better (31). A pre-training snack approximately 2 hours before training is therefore to be encouraged as it will top up so to speak the body's valuable carbohydrate fuel stores. Frequently many players may miss a lunch before going to evening training. This is not a good habit as training effort will probably be affected. A sensible strategy to overcome this is to prepare a lunch snack or pre-training snack the night before. Some excellent suggestions are given in Table 5 to help the player be better fuelled before training. If training is at 7 pm then a 5 pm snack is ideal. Some players however may feel that they can cope better with just a lunch earlier in the day. This may be because they are not accustomed to eating within 2 hours before training. In such cases a sports drink in the hour before training is a good alternative.
| Table 5. Some sample pre-training snacks that are mainly carbohydrate based. Players can consume within 2-3 hours before training. They are easily digestible and generally well tolerated before exercise. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Snack | Cals | Pro-CHO-Fat (grammes) | Comments |
Pre-training carbohydrate mainly based Snacks |
|||
| Muesli (50 gms) with 1 cup (250 mls) skimmed milk | 300 | 15 - 46 - 5.25 | Snack with balance of all nutrients. Can be enjoyed at home or at work. |
| Banana sandwich made with some light spread | 236 | 5.6 - 53 - 1.7 | Easy to prepare at home in morning and wrapped in paper foil. |
| Banana & 500 mls Sports drink* | 225 | 1.2 - 56.7 - 0.6 | Simple, high carbo snack easy to pick up on your way to training |
| Small bowl of Special K (30 gms) cereal with ½ cup (125mls) of semi-skimmed milk (no added sugar) | 171 | 9 - 29 - 2.5 | Convenient and quick if at home |
| *Sports drink: Energise Sport | Contains 6.2 grammes of carbs per 100ml and sodium of 50mg/l00 mls making it an ideal sports drink | ||
The following snacks (Table 6) are primarily protein and carbohydrate based snacks and can be consumed as a pre-training snack and also as an immediate post-training snack. Note the different ranges in protein and carbohydrate content. Higher calorie snacks are recommended for players who wish to gain muscle. Note that the following is just a sample of several snacks that the player can prepare the evening before training.
| Table 6: A selection of protein and carbohydrate snacks ideal for pre- and post training or playing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Snack | Calories | Pro-CHO-Fat (grammes) | Comments |
| Protein and Carbohydrate based pre- and post- training Snacks | |||
| Mixed nuts (mainly peanuts (2.5 oz or 70 g) a small handful! | 360 | 10 - 13.5 - 29 | A convenient solid snack while on the move. Add a sports drink for additional carbohydrates. |
| Muesli (50 gms) with 1 cup (250 mls) skimmed milk | 300 | 15 - 46 - 5.25 | Snack with balance of all nutrients. Can be enjoyed at home or in the team room. |
| Tuna in brine (small tin = 95g) with 2 slices bread | 260 | 30 - 32 - 1.6 | High protein balanced with carbos from bread. Add grapes and kiwi fruit to dish for added taste and carbohydrates |
| Energise Sport Recovery 20 | 250 | 20 - 40 - 0 | 20 grammes of protein with 40 grammes of carbs. A convenient way to Recovery while on the move, even during a warm-down! |
| Banana & 500 mls Energise Sport | 225 | 1.2 - 56.7 - 0.6 | Simple, high carbo snack with limited protein. Could add nuts to this for added protein. |
| Fruit Smoothie 200ml low fat milk, raspberries and crushed ice | 165 | 7.6 - 23.2 - 4.2 | A delicious tasting way to get protein, carbohydrates and fat with the addition of vitamins and minerals |
| Energise Sport 500 mls | 124 | 0 - 31 - 0 | Refreshing carbohydrates – rehydrates and provides valuable energy before, during and after exercise |
Pre-game
Remember keep topping up your fluid levels after your pre-training snack so as to ensure you arrive at training well fuelled and hydrated. The following hydration guidelines will help you. If training is in the evening ensure that you consume at least 500 mls of water at lunch time. Ensure that you have a late afternoon snack (or a pre-training snack) with another 500 mls of water. Then consume the equivalent of 250 mls of fluid every 30 minutes in the hour and a half before training.
On match day a pre-game meal should be consumed about 3 hours beforehand. Again this implies that players are topping up their fluid stores every half hour before the game. A sports drink consumed in the hour before the game may be helpful for players in ensuring that both fuel and fluid stores are well topped up. The content of the pre-match meal is often a topic of debate. Science now tells us that ingesting a combination of nutrients (protein and carbohydrates) may be beneficial. However, players should always be guided by the principle that whatever food you consume make sure that you are comfortable with it. Also don't experiment with a new sports drink or a different food in the hours before a game. Some pre-match meal suggestions are presented in Table 7.
| Table 7. Pre-game meal options. Again the menu includes mainly easily digested carbohydrate foods. A selection is presented below. In general a pre-game meal should be consumed 3 hours beforehand. |
|---|
| Select from the following |
| Pancakes |
| Rice pudding |
| Pasta |
| Fruit selection |
| Cereal and milk |
| Vegetable soup made with water |
| Bread: sandwiches made with chicken, salad, turkey, tuna.. |
| Water |
| Sports Drinks |
Key Points - Pre-training and pre-game strategy
- A pre-training snack should be consumed about 2 hours before exercise.
- The pre-game meal should be consumed about 3 hours before and consist of easily digested carbohydrate foods
