Nutrition is so important that
almost all college coaches have a special diet the players
follow to maintain their conditioning and game performance. It
could the an edge over a more skilled Burger King eating team
and that is the key here.
To get to the point, in order to perform well you should load up
with complex carbohydrates, protein, and limit the saturated fat
that is difficult for the body to break down quickly.
This does not mean you drive to GNC and purchase every
supplement on their shelves! It means to eat a well balanced
diet with "real" foods that your body can absorb naturally.
PRE-GAME AND POST GAME
Meals should be complete 3 hours before a contest. Eat foods
which are easy to digest. Allow as many as 6 hours if high in
fat.
Water is fine to drink but drinks high in sugar should be
avoided within 2 hours of the game. The "high" you receive from
the sugar is counter productive when it starts to wear off
during an event. During a tournament where teams may play 3 or 4
games in one weekend, a sports drink could be consumed but not
take the place of water. Post game after such a instance , the
meal should contain plenty of fluids and carbohydrates.
Beware of the sports drinks before a game as mentioned above
with the sugar factor.
Water should be consumed in large quantities and NEVER allow
anyone to decline your request for more water.
All coaches should encourage their players to commit to good
nutritional habits as everyone benefits.
EXCELLENT CARBOHYDRATE, LOW FAT FOODS
Non White Breads, Cereals (check labels, stray from the
granolas), Pasta without meat and cheese, Vegetables uncooked,
steamed or cooked in a small amount of water, Fruits, clear
broth Soups (no cream style).
HIGH PROTEIN, LOW FAT FOODS
Tuna in water, Fish, Chicken, Turkey, Lean Beef all broiled or
baked, Skim Milk, Non Fat Cottage Cheese (very healthy), Non Fat
Yogurt (good Carbo), Egg Whites.
NO NOs
Butter, Ice Cream, Hot Dogs (loaded with saturated fat and
chemicals), Big Mac, Bacon, Sausage, Egg Yolks, Cheese (more
negatives than positives), Cookies, Cakes, Doughnuts.
Soda is bad before and after an event especially the ones
containing caffeine as they DEHYDRATE YOU.
If you must....
| CHOOSE |
INSTEAD OF |
| Pretzels |
Pop corn, chips, nuts |
| Olive Oil |
Partly hydrogenate, palm, coconut oils |
| Mustard or Ketchup |
Mayo |
| Fruits or Jello |
Cookies, Cake, Milk |
| Hard candy |
Chocolates |
| Baked or Broiled food |
Fried |
If you follow even the basics mentioned above you are on your
way to a healthier life and will perform more efficiently
physically and mentally.
SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE GREEN STUFF
From a nutritional and athletic standpoint, Gatorade is about
the worst stuff you could put into your athletes, especially
during competition. It is far too high in complex sugars to be
easily absorbed by the system during exercise (as compared to
water or "simpler" sports drinks) and so rich in flavoring as to
cause easy irritation and cramping of the stomach lining.
In short, it makes many athletes feel "weighted down" and
"slower".
Gatorade is great for quenching thirst - IE, after a game. For
practices and game time however, you can't get much better than
good ol' water (or a drink with very light flavoring and only
simple sugars).
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