Have you ever wondered what you should be feeding your young athlete before, during, and after games? Listed below are just a few tips recommended by “Conditioning Young Athletes” by Tudor O. Bompa, and PhD Michael Carrera, Human Kinetics.
Purpose: to replenish the body and prevent injury
Pre-game meal: 2-3 hours before a game
- High in carbohydrates
- Just a regular meal that consists of carbs, proteins, and fats
- Protein sources should come from both plants and meats
- Avoid gassy foods like legumes, chickpeas, and kidney beans as they may cause distress on the body reducing your child’s performance
- DON’T EAT ON THE RUN! (if you can)
Post-game meal:
- 30 min after a game, have a snack that consists of a protein and a carbohydrate (i.e. banana and peanut butter, chocolate milk, or a bagel with peanut butter)
- Avoid sugary snacks (i.e. cereal bar)
- 60 min after a game, have a regular meal that consists of higher carbohydrates to replenish the energy used during the game
Tournament Days:
- If the game’s early, eat light (i.e. egg on toast)
- After first game, they can have a suitable meal
- Protein and carb based snacks throughout the day; such as tuna wraps, veggies, etc…
- Eat whether they feel hungry or not, that way they can avoid an energy crash during the game. Essentially they are keeping their fuel stores going
- Water for games or tournaments that last only 60 minutes but if the tournament lasts longer than 60 minutes, drinks like gatorade can be consumed. This way their electrolytes will stay up throughout the day
