When and What Athletes Should Eat

Many athletes, weekend warriors, and soccer moms who want their kids to perform well, want to know what to and what not to eat before and after exercise. What you eat does make quite a difference on performance and on recovery.

When we were living in West Virginia, we watched many of the athletes at the college where we were teaching struggle because they ate so horribly. The football players would get up and eat things like
steak, eggs, sausage, milk, biscuits and gravy, before heading out to practice. YIKES! What they found was that their performance suffered – sometimes plummeted.

Remember digestion takes a tremendous amount of energy - so it makes sense that you don’t want to require your body to digest much if you are planning to exercise. You don’t want the energy you need to play the game diverted to digest food, especially protein and fatty foods which take the most energy.

Many people mistakenly think that they should eat a meal before a game so that they will have energy to play in the game, but it takes about 12 to 24 hours to digest a meal, so the energy you are using today actually came from what you ate yesterday, not from what you ate this morning. Eating a meal before working out will leave you with less energy to play, not more.

This doesn’t mean you need to starve yourself. I prefer not eating anything, but many runners will eat a little something before a run, so that their stomachs won’t rumble and they don’t have hunger pangs. This usually consists of some easily digested carbohydrates like a half a bagel or a piece of toast.  They do NOT drink protein drinks or eat bacon and eggs!

Protein, fat, and fiber are foods that are difficult to digest, thus requiring a lot energy from your body. Do not eat those before working out or even several hours before working out. They take longer to digest, so they stay in the system longer.

The same goes for foods with a lot of sugar, but for a different reason. Foods with too many simple sugars digest too quickly. Many people think that eating sugar before a game will them “quick energy” to play better. But too much sugar in the blood stream causes your body to increase insulin production.

Insulin drops blood sugar levels and drops them quickly, especially if you are exercising and there is nothing else in the system. This can cause the person to go from a sugar high, to a sugar low. If you don’t have enough sugar in the blood stream, you won’t have enough energy to play. You’ll probably feel lethargic and slow.

This is why some energy drinks can actually cause you to have less energy. They often contain large amounts of sugar and caffeine. They digest quickly leading to an energy high, but then an energy low. Another thing to consider when you are exercising is that foods you have recently eaten are moved more quickly through the digestive system. When sugars are digested too fast, it can cause bloating, cramps, and diarrhea. Caffeine makes this even works. Let’s face it, gas and diarrhea can put a damper on any athletic event.

When my husband and I ran the St. George Marathon, we pulled into Cedar City at about 4 pm the afternoon before the race. We had fruit and a nice veggie salad. Then we didn’t eat anything else except water before the race started the next day around 5 am. This worked for us. The food was nutritionally superior and completely digested so that when we ran, we gained great benefit from it.

Many people talk about carbo-loading before a race, but few know how to do it. (True carbo-loading takes several days, not just one meal before the event.) It is mostly used for athletes who have periodic events that they train for like marathons, triathlons, and intense bike races, not for those who have games and events more than once a week.

The best way to eat - is to think about what you are eating all the time. Athletes, who eat well all the time, tend to perform well all the time.  Remember what you eat today, fuels your performance tomorrow.  This is also true for hydration. It can actually take days for your body to hydrate properly, not just a few drinks before or after a game. That is why post nutrition and hydration are very important components to optimal sports performance- as well as other activities like work and school.

After a workout, it is imperative to get enough water. Read the article Is Gatorade Good for Kids for more information on hydration during and after exercise.  Water has larger molecules and is not as easily absorbed by cells as you would think. That is why keeping hydrated should be on your mind all of the time, not just before or after exercise.

After a great workout is the best time to replenish glycogen (sugar) and protein stores in the muscle cells. During the first 30 to 45 minutes after intense exercise, your body allows not only the best absorption but more absorption than any other time. During this post workout period, your body will actually soak up more sugar and protein, thus allowing you to have more energy for tomorrow’s workout. This helps improve your performance.

Because this window of opportunity closes quickly, you should drink easily digested sugars and proteins as quickly as possible after a workout. Sports drinks and easily digested protein drinks are ideal. (Be sure it is a protein drink, not a meal replacement drink as those have a different nutritional purpose.)

Another terrific and inexpensive drink is low-fat chocolate milk. Low-fat chocolate milk contains the different types of sugars and proteins needed to restore and replenish that which was lost during exercise. Who would have thought something that tastes so good, could be beneficial to you? (Remember though, you have to work out first!)

What if you have several games or events in one day? Athletes who are in tournaments need to be especially careful. It is easy to eat too much after a game. If you eat too much or eat the wrong foods (protein, fat, or fiber) too soon before the next game, you will have the same problems we talked about above, (lack of energy, lack of focus, lethargy cramps, bloating, and yes, bowel problems).

 In between games, hydrate with a good sports drink (see Is Gatorade Good for Kids) and small amounts of easily digested carbohydrates like a small granola bar, toast, grapes, an orange, a banana, etc. Save the protein drinks and chocolate milk until after your final event.

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