Pre-Competition Nutrition

As a Sports Dietitian, I regularly get asked what foods should be consumed before a pre-event sport, such as the upcoming city to surf event. Essentially, an increased carbohydrate meal plan that is Low GI (Glycaemic index) is ideal. This is known as carbohydrate loading. Carbohydrate loading is not as simple as eating more pasta, bread, or rice the day before the sporting event. The quantity of carbohydrate you eat depends on how much training and how much of an elite athlete you are. It is important to get this balance right as you may find unwanted weight gain will occur.

For the average contestant, you will find that it is important to have nutritious snacks and carbohydrate meals on the days of your training.

Try some of the following ideas:

Immediately after training, consume a 200g carton of low fat fruit yoghurt, or 60g of Sustagen drink, or a bowl of fruit salad with a handful of nuts on top.

Drink at least 600ml of water for each hour or training.

Carbohydrate loading is important to store readily available glucose in the muscle, which helps fuel your event and prevent fatigue. The amount of carbohydrate to consume is between 7-12gm of carbohydrate per kilogram body weight for 24-48hours before the event. For a specific and tailored meal plan, visit a sports dietitian.
On the day of your event, make the most of breakfast by having 2 slices of toast with a piece of fruit, or for the nervous contestant who can not eat, try having a liquid meal such as an ‘up and go’ breakfast cereal drink. Make sure you have access to a drink bottle during the event, to replace fluid loss and prevent dehydration. Resources on sports nutrition are available on the Australian Institute of Sport website, www.ais.org.au/nutrition.
With these few strategies in place, I am sure you will be a winner on the day. Have a fantastic time.

 

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