Being an athlete these days means doing everything you possibly can to give yourself a chance to be successful. This is true now more than ever due to all of the information that is out there and all of the specialty coaches and trainers. What I have learned over and over again through my own playing days and afterwards as a coach and trainer is that above anything else you can do on the field and in the weight room is the way that you take care of your body and what you put in to it. Nutrition is the building blocks of anything that you do as an athlete because if you are not taking care of your body you will not have the energy to make the most out of your workouts and will not get the most out of your body during your games.

All coaches tell athletes that you need to be prepared and that preparation is what will help you to win games. It is no different when it comes to nutrition; it is so important for athletes to understand how to plan ahead and know what food they will need through the course of the day. Because you never know what will be provided and where you will be throughout the day it becomes imperative for an athlete to constantly pack the food they will need with them. All great athletes will always have a cooler with them for their shakes, and all the rest of the food that they may need through the course of the day so that come game time or workout time they will be ready to perform at their best.

Click here to listen to sports nutritionist Dr. Susan Kleiner discuss this topic and many more that will help you use nutrition to take your game to the next level.

“What and when you eat, day in and day out, will determine your body’s ability to recover, repair and grow. To really put your food to work for you, timing and combining of foods, meals and supplements will maximize mental and physical training and recovery.” …Dr. Susan M. Kleiner

I’m opening this article on Game-Day Nutrition because it is absolutely essential to understand that performance on game day is not based on what you eat on the day of the game or competition, it’s what you eat day in and day out, for weeks and months before competition, that will ultimately determine overall performance. Once you get your nutrition foundation built, what you eat on the day of the game certainly helps.

These are the key goals for your meals and snacks on competition day.

• Hydrate and fuel during exercise
• Boost mental focus and energy
• Recover, build and refuel after exercise
• Minimize muscle damage and soreness

Before your game, fluids are essential:

• Drink throughout the day
• 2 cups immediately prior to exercise

Among your fluids include water, nonfat/lowfat milk, and 100% juice (4-8 ounce servings).

Your pre-game meal should be 3-4 hours before competition, but this is somewhat flexible based on individual adaptability. In other words, test it out and see what you’re comfortable with. Everyone is different.

• Pre-game Meal
  • Protein, carbohydrate, healthy fats, fluids
• Example foods:
  • Grilled fish/chicken, wild rice/potato, whole grain roll, sautéed green beans, salad, olives, fruit, milk, water

If there is time, you should have a pre-game snack within 60-90 minutes prior to your event. The amount of food and timing is very individualized. Test this out before a game. Don’t ever experiment or do anything new on game day!

• Pre-game Snack:
  • Carbohydrate + protein + fluid (minimal fat)
• Example foods:
  • Yogurt+Fruit+Honey (or pre-sweetened yogurt)
  • Cereal+Fruit +Milk
  • Turkey Sandwich
  • Crackers/pretzels + Apple + Low fat mozzarella cheese
  • PB&J + milk
  • Sports drink + whey protein
  • Protein-energy bar/shake

During your game or event, the goal is to stay well-hydrated:

• Fluids!
  • 4-8 oz. every 15-20 minutes
  • Sports drinks are a good choice on game-day

When the game is over, these are your immediate goals:

• Rehydrate
• Repair
• Refuel
• Grow

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE, DRINK YOUR RECOVERY SHAKE!!

No shake? Drink chocolate milk. It is a great convenient way to rehydrate and recover.

Then shower and eat a meal.

This recipe is adapted from my book, Power Eating, Third Edition. You can use it as one serving if you can use all the calories. Cut it in half of make it two servings for a smaller portion. Many more smoothie recipes are available in the book, available at www.powereating.com.

**Kleiner’s Muscle Building Formula PLUS**

24 g isolated whey protein

1 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries

1 medium banana

1 cup nonfat vanilla soy milk fortified with calcium, vitamins A & D

1 cup orange juice fortified with calcium and vitamin C

Blend for 60 seconds until smooth.

One serving contains:

Nutrients Food Group Servings

436 calories 4 fruit servings

86 grams carbohydrate

27 grams protein 1 nonfat milk serving

0 grams fat 3 very lean protein serving

8 grams dietary fiber 3 tsp added sugar

]]> http://nutritionsg.com/game-day-meal/feed/ 0 http://nutritionsg.com/how-to-eat-for-an-early-competition/ http://nutritionsg.com/how-to-eat-for-an-early-competition/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:48:05 +0000 admin http://nutritionsg.com/?p=22 Any of us that have had an early game or workout know that it is often difficult to decide what to eat and when to eat before a contest like that. Experts will all tell us that in order to get the most out of your body you want to eat 3-4 hours before the game or workout. I don’t know about you, but there is no way that I am going to get up and eat at 5AM when I have a game at 9AM and there is no way that a young kid is going to do that. Maybe the fact that I was not willing to make that commitment is the reason that I am no longer in the NFL but am now writing this blog! Olympic athletes that Dr. Susan Kleiner has worked with will actually get up 4-5 hours before their meet or event have their meal and then go back to sleep!!! But what about those of us that are not going to do that in a million years, what can we do to be effective and have energy for that early morning workout, game or event? In this interview Dr. Kleiner covers this exact topic in her weekly podcast with sportsgist.com

To hear Dr. Kliener’s entire interview click here

Click to hear the entire interview with Dr. Kleiner

]]> http://nutritionsg.com/halftime-to-eat-or-not-to-eat/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Renowned sports nutritionist Susan Kleiner joined sportsgist.com in her regular scheduled podcast and this week covered, among other topics the plan that an athlete should ... Renowned sports nutritionist Susan Kleiner joined sportsgist.com in her regular scheduled podcast and this week covered, among other topics the plan that an athlete should have at half time. All athletes that play team sports have faced that challenge at halftime and that decision of whether or not it is better to grab some food or to just get off your feet, relax and listen to your coaches as you make the necessary adjustments for the second half. I know from personal experience there were times when half time rolled around and I was zapped of energy and feeling pretty hungry but never wanted to eat anything for fear of cramping in the second half. Click to hear the entire interview with Dr. Kleiner diet,,game,,hydration,,nutrition,,performance kit.latham@gmail.com no No