Download Pre-Game Meals

What is eaten before
competition has four main
functions:
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Prevent hypoglycemia
Settle the stomach
Absorb gastric juices
Decrease hunger
Fuel muscles
Glycogen stores
Glycogen present
Pacify the mind
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Why are pregame meals important?
What should we eat?
What should we avoid?
Sports nutrition benefits
begin days in advance.
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Every day
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Eat adequate highcarbohydrate meals
Fuels and refuels your
muscles
Food eaten within an hour
before exercise
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Reduces hunger
Maintains blood sugar
Doesn’t significantly
replenish muscle glycogen
stores
Exercising 60-90 minutes eat
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Complex carbohydrates
Slowly enter the
bloodstream as they are
digested (low glycemic
index)
Rice, pasta, yogurt, oatmeal,
bean soup, lentils, apples, or
bananas
When eaten an hour before
exercise
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Digested enough to be
burned for fuel
Provide sustained energy
during the long workout
Less than an hour snack
on foods that
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Digest easily
Settle comfortably
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High-carb, low-fat
choices
Bread, english
muffins, bagels,
crackers, and pasta
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Limit high-fat proteins
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Cheese, milk, steak,
hamburgers, and
peanut butter
 Take longer to empty
from the stomach
 Results in
 Sluggishness
 Nausea
Be cautious of
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Sugary foods (such as soft
drinks, jelly beans, and even
lots of maple syrup or sports
drinks)
Carbohydrates which quickly
enter the bloodstream as they
are digested (potatoes, honey,
or corn flakes)
May cause
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Drop in blood sugar
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Tiredness, lightheadedness, and fatigued
Experiment and learn how
your body responds
High calorie meals take
longer to leave the stomach
than do lighter snacks
Allow
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Adequate food digestion time
3-4 hours to digest a large
meal
2-3 hours for a smaller meal
1-2 hours for a blended or
liquid meals
Less than an hour for a small
snack
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Learned how to best fuel your
bodies
Some athletes eat before exercise
Others abstain until after
exercise
Exercise increases blood flow
to muscles
Decreases blood flow to
digestive organs
Stomach irritation
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Eat familiar foods before
a competition
Don’t try anything new!
 Carries risk of settling
poorly
 Intestinal discomfort,
acid stomach,
heartburn, or cramps
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Drink plenty of fluids
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Why are we told to carbo-load?
Who should use carbo-loading?
What benefits do we receive?
What are the drawbacks?
Store maximum amount
of glycogen prior to an
event
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“Super-compensate” for
glycogen depletion
Endurance athletes with
events longer than 90
continuous minutes
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Examples: Long-distance
runners, swimmers, bicyclists,
and cross-country skiers
Other athletes that
benefit
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Involved in prolonged
movement sports with
varying intensities:
Examples: Soccer, lacrosse,
ice hockey, and tennis
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3 days of high intensity
training
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Deplete glycogen stores
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5g/kg/day of carbs
Minimum amount
recommended
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The first day
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90 minutes of intense
training (at 70% of
VO2max)
Followed 2 days
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40 minutes of intense
training
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Taper intensity over the
next 3 days
Increase to 10g/kg/day
of carbs
Followed by 1 day of
rest
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Weight should increase
1-3 pounds
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Water is stored with
glycogen
 May feel sluggish and
heavy
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Eating too many
carbohydrates can lead
to intestinal distress
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Choose wholesome, fiberrich carbohydrates
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Keeps system running
smoothly
 Pasta, rice, bran muffins,
whole wheat bread, bran
cereal, fruits, and vegetables
are good choices.
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What should we eat after the game?
What will help our muscles recover?
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What you eat after does
affect your recovery
Foods eaten after
require the same careful
selections as before
exercise
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2 or more workouts per day
must be concerned about
recovery diet such as:
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Competitive swimmers
Triathletes
Aerobics instructors
Basketball players
Football players at training camp
Athletes have reasons to not
eat after exercise
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Don’t feel hungry
Don’t have time
Recommendation is 1.5g/kg
body weight
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Mr. Young
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Muscle glycogen replaced
better with smaller frequent
meals
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Easily achieved with a
banana, 10oz of sports
drink, and a bagel
Larger meals
Blood glucose and insulin rise
rapidly
Return to baseline quickly
Blood glucose levels sustained
for a longer periods of time
with smaller meals
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Research indicates
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2 hours for carbohydrate
reloading
.75 to 1.5g/kg consumed
each of the next 3 hours
Ideally, consume within 15
minutes after workout
Enzymes that make glycogen
are most active
Most rapidly replace
depleted glycogen stores
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Liquids and solid foods will
refuel muscles equally well.
Liquids should contain
glucose rather than fructose
Fructose does not result in
glycogen synthesis rates as
high as those with glucose
Solid foods should have a high
glycemic index
These are most effective in
enhancing the resynthesis of
glycogen
Ex: white bread, corn flakes,
baked potatoes, white rice,
pancakes, bagels
Many “energy bars” have a
high glycemic index
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Protein intake after
exercise is important for
muscle anabolism
Recommendation is 6g
immediately after exercise
 .1g/kg body weight
Good examples of
proteins are:
 Yogurt with fruit in the
bottom
 Chocolate milk
 Turkey sandwich
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Some protein can
actually enhance
glycogen replacement
in the initial hours after
hard exercise.
Protein eaten along
with carbohydrates is
recommended
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Sweating not only causes
water lose but also some
minerals (electrolytes) such
as potassium and sodium
that help the body function
normally.
Electrolyte losses are
primarily responsible for
muscle cramping and
intolerance to heat.
Most athletes should be able
to consume more than
enough electrolytes from
standard post-exercise foods.
Salt tablets or special
supplements are rarely
needed