What's the purpose of the pre-competition meal?

1.     To keep you from feeling hungry before and during the event

2.     To maintain the levels of sugar in your blood for your muscles to use during competition.

 Skipping meals or not eating before a meet lowers the stored energy in your body and can hurt your performance.

Food that remains in your stomach during an event may cause stomach upset, nausea, and vomiting. If you eat your meal 1 to 3 hours before the start of your competition, your stomach will be almost empty during the event.

What is a good pre-competition meal?

Your pre-event meal should include foods that are high in carbohydrates, such as breads, pasta, fruits, or vegetables. Your stomach and intestines digest these foods quickly. Carbohydrates also help build up stored energy in your body for use later during your event. To avoid stomach upset or nausea, the closer you are to the time of your event the less you should eat. You can have a liquid meal closer to your event than a solid meal because your stomach digests liquids faster. This is especially useful if you are nervous and tense.

At all-day events such as track meets you may be tempted by whatever is available at concession stands. The hot dogs, doughnuts, nachos, potato chips, and candy bars found at most concession stands are very high in fat and not digested quickly. If you eat these foods as pre-event meals, they will likely be in your stomach much of the morning or afternoon. Avoid or limit eating these foods for your pre-event meal. Consider the amount of time you have between your events, bring healthy foods, and plan accordingly.

Suggested pre-event menus include the following:

1 hour or less before competition

ü  Fruit or vegetable juice such as orange, tomato, or V-8, and/or

ü  Fresh fruit such as strawberries, apples, watermelon, peaches, grapes, or oranges and/or

ü  Fresh vegetables, like celery without peanut butter. The fat in peanut butter slows down your digestion!

ü  Up to 12oz of a sports drink, such as Gatorade.

2 to 3 hours before competition

ü  Fresh fruit, fruit or vegetable juices, and/or

ü  Bread; bagels; English muffins with a small amounts of butter, margarine, or cream cheese; or low-fat yogurt; and/or

ü  Up to 32 oz of a sports drink, such as Gatorade.

3 to 4 hours before competition

ü  Fresh fruit, fruit or vegetable juices, and

ü  Bread; bagels; baked potatoes; cereal with low-fat milk; low-fat yogurt; sandwiches with a small amount of peanut butter, lean meat like beef jerky, or low-fat cheese; and/or

ü  Up to 56 oz of a sports drink

Does eating sugary foods before exercise improve performance?

Athletes sometimes consume simple carbohydrates such as honey, candy, or soft drinks right before an event in hopes of getting quick energy. Unfortunately, eating sugary foods won't provide it. Most of the energy for exercise comes from foods eaten several hours or even days before the start of the event.