Victory meals: what the pros eat on game day

Men's Fitness, April, 1999 by Mike Carlson

CROSSING THE carb LINE

"The most important thing about the pre-event meal is simply to make sure you eat it," says Nancy Clark, RD, author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. "A lot of people go by this myth that you should exercise on an empty stomach." But research says you should fuel up beforehand, that it will give you greater stamina and enhance your overall performance.

"Carbs are the type of fuel your body is looking for," adds Clark, a veteran marathon runner and avid cyclist. "They are the easiest to digest and are readily available. Shoot for 50 to 60 grams of carbs, about 200 to 300 calories, before the event."

While you're carbing up, keep away from the bear claws and go easy on the bacon. Fat takes a long time to digest, monopolizing precious blood and energy that could be directed to working muscles. Protein also slows digestion, but not to the same degree. However, protein will keep you from feeling hungry longer than carbs will. Small amounts of protein are fine before an event if you combine them with carbs: skim milk with cereal, cottage cheese with fruit, egg whites with toast, or a chicken sandwich.

If you know that a nervous stomach will rule out even the blandest menu, make sure to eat extra carbs the day before; scheduling your "breakfast" before bedtime will help keep your strength up. Of course, you don't need butterflies to be kitchen-shy before an outrageously early road race or triathlon. Eat your carb-rich meal the night before, then munch a quick snack in the morning.

"Generally, people don't sleep well the night before an event, and all that tossing and turning burns off calories and lowers your blood-sugar supply," says Clark. "Eating in the morning is intended more to maintain normal blood-sugar levels than to fuel muscles. Eat enough just to give yourself a boost, so you're on the upswing rather than the downswing."

Clark outlines three more important points:

Don't cover new ground. Your competition diet should mimic your training diet. An athlete needs to figure out early on what works and what doesn't, then stick with the tried and true. Above all, don't experiment right before a competition. Satisfying yet safe selections include orange juice, oatmeal or cereal, bananas, graham crackers, bagels, English muffins, pancakes (no butter, easy on the syrup), pasta in a light tomato sauce, vanilla yogurt and sports bars.

Give yourself enough time. People digest food at different speeds and are comfortable with varying amounts of stuff in their stomach. In general, a big meal needs about four hours to settle and a small meal one or two hours. You can usually get away with eating a light snack immediately before a game.

Have security, will travel. A favorite food can be important not just for nutritional reasons, but for the comfort and confidence it provides. If you're going to an event where supplies are uncertain, bring it with you. "Whenever I do anything, I make sure I have my favorite banana bread," says Clark.

WHAT THE pros eat on game day

think of your stomach as a washing machine: You dump stuff in; it churns itself around. Now imagine if your personal gastric Maytag was subject to fatigue, cramping or anxiety. Maybe you overloaded it; maybe you underloaded it. Maybe you read all inane metaphor about appliances in a magazine article that agitated you. On lazy days, it might all come out in the wash, but when you need to compete - whether it's your first 10K or your basketball league's championship - you should know how to make your stomach cooperate.

On game day, your two nutritional priorities are giving your body enough calories to provide energy and making yourself comfortable, You don't want to be distracted by pre-race alimentary jitters or fourth-quarter exhaustion-induced nausea. By making smart food choices, you can be fully fueled and ensure that you don't puke on yourself in front of your teammates.

Like most aspects of sports nutrition, the pre-performance meal is a tenuous detente between scientific principles and personal idiosyncrasies. If you're new to competing, finding your ideal fuel source can be a difficult process of trial and error. A million questions will run through your mind: Should I try to perform on an empty stomach? Are croissants carbs? Can I have a cup of coffee? Do I dare eat a peach? Ultimately, experience will be your best teacher.

Pro food

Professional athletes have learned the hard way how to chow. Here are testimonials from four players who eat to win.

Name: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Sport: Boxing

Description: Blazing hand speed, tooth-rattling punching power and deft movement make this undefeated 22-year-old one of the most complete boxers in the sport.

Highlights: World Boxing Council junior lightweight champion; named fighter of the year for 1998 by Ring magazine.

Prefight meal: On October 3, 1998, Mayweather took the WBC championship belt from Genaro Hernandez in a lopsided eighth-round TKO. "About five hours before the fight, I ate a baked potato, some grilled chicken, salad and some pasta. After that, I just took in liquids and walked around to digest the food," he says.