Healthy eating habits/Nutrition & snack ideas for sports performance

Nutrition and snack ideas pre-training

Food eaten prior to exercise is most effectively used once it has been digested and absorbed, to enhance the fuel availability obtained from the food. Foods typically high in fat, protein and fibre take longer to digest, and can hence result in stomach discomfort during physical activity (reference). Therefore, snacks should be eaten at least 1 to 2 hours prior to a game, high in carbohydrates, low in fat and fibre, to assist digestion and reduce discomfort. Above all, before your child partakes in training, tournaments or physical activity all snacks should be tried and tested, to get the best results (reference).

Examples of easy to prepare pre-training snacks

Typical snacks that are 'easy to prepare' before physical activity, training or a tournament include:

• Jam/honey and banana sandwich (white/wholemeal bread)
• Fruit cereal bars
• Fruit or plain scone with jam
• Toasted white english muffin with a thick spread of a favourite topping (i.e. strawberry jam)

All these snacks provide a good source of carbohydrate, moderate/low source of fibre and protein (reference).

Too nervous to eat?

Experiment with a routine that works, foods that are safe and familiar to your child (reference). These could include snacks that are easier to ingest i.e. chocolate milk, cereal bars and some sports drinks. Studies have shown that performance is improved once well-fueled and hydrated (references).