Nutrition Prior to a Game

Proper nutrition should be a part of an athletes every training guide and routine. Athletes need to be more aware of nutrition the effects of how eating healthy can enhance and improve performance. As a coach, teaching your athletes about good nutrition is just as important as teaching them fundamental skills and having a game plan to succeed. Coaches frequently overlook the value of nutrition and focus on the game, thinking that is there best route to success. Little do they know that success is stimulated and derived from good nutrition and how athletes take care of their bodies. Knowing how much to feed athletes, what to feed them, and when to feed them is extremely important. Especially in the college setting, the timing of when to eat and what to eat can be crucial or detrimental to performance. Before any game my coach enforces us to eat exactly four hours prior, a healthy meal such as a turkey sandwich, a granola bar, and water or gatorade. Her philosophy is that four hours prior to a game is enough time for the body to break down the food, store it as energy, and that it will be enough time to prevent food cramps or fullness. She has bought into the four hour prior to a game system and so have we as her athletes. We trust our coach and value the intelligent directions she leads us in. Healthy high carbohydrate snacks for athletes are a great source of energy. These snacks include whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk, low-fat fruit flavored yogurt, peanut butter on whole wheat toast and half an apple, graham crackers, animal crackers, and an low-fat pudding bagel. These small snacks are just a short list of healthy go to snacks for athletes of all ages.