Whether it’s a marathon run, a tennis match, a golf tournament or football game, the three stages of a sports event energy management plan are the same:

Before The Event
During The Event
After The Event

Your nutritional needs are different for each stage.

Overall Sports Energy Nutrition

Every sports person should be on a healthy eating plan to both assist building muscle and body strength as well as aiming for endurance stamina. The following three simple every day eating habits should start early in your sporting life.

FIBER - Start each day with complex carbohydrates and protein. Don’t just rely on simple carbs like toast, bagels or cereal. Instead, breakfast on oatmeal or oat bran, or any high fiber [5g per serving] cereal. Add protein with an egg, milk, yogurt or protein shake.

PROTEIN - Eat high-quality protein to build muscle. The best natural food protein is found in fish such as salmon and tuna. These contain Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids which have anti-inflammatory properties to help your immune system. Add in lean red meats for iron and zinc to combat the stresses of training.

Beans: black beans, lentils, kidney beans, chick peas etc are all rich in protein. I use a lot of hummus [made from ground chick peas], instead of butter.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES - Eat a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables to provide antioxidants to boost your immune system and electrolytes that help nerves and muscles function properly.

Day Before a Sports Event

Build up your glycogen reserves, which is where the body stores energy, with some extra carbs. Dishes like chicken pasta, bean tortillas, or a beef and vegetable stir fry with brown rice are ideal. Avoid any new foods or dodgy restaurants. This is not the time for a tummy upset.

Drink plenty of water to hydrate the body

Boost your sodium levels – you lose sodium when you sweat and can risk cramps.

Event Day

Eat a 400-calorie meal two to three hours before a match - mostly carbs with some protein. Include a complex-carb food like oatmeal, plus some milk for protein.
During play, the only drink you need is water. For a snack, choose a banana or a fig bar, something that will be quickly available to use for energy and won’t upset your stomach.

In Between Matches During Tournaments

If you have to play a second event in one day a good energy boosting intermatch snack is a peanut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread.
Bananas are also good as they are easily digested and contain sodium. Avoid citrus and apples; they can cause an upset stomach when eaten close to intense exercise periods.

Desperate Energy Boosts

Coffee is a widely used inter-match stimulant. There are many caffeinated energy drinks like Red Bull or Amp. Caffeine’s stimulating effects start within 15 minutes and can last for several hours. Limit yourself to one; too much caffeine can dehydrate you and upset your stomach.

After a Match

After a match your main goals are:

Muscle repair – Protein: Turkey, Chicken, Fish.
Cleaning up toxins - produced by free radicals from intense exercise using Antioxidants: broccoli, blueberries, and beans
Hydration – Water with electrolytes