Let’s start with the 3 days before the big tournament! Eating well on game day is not enough! If you want to play 2-4 games in a day… remember that garbage in means garbage out! If you eat garbage, you will play that way! You should start carb loading and hydrating 3 days before the big day!
Servings:
For the purposes of this article, a serving of protein, fruit or vegetables is the size of a fist.
protein:
By this I mean pure protein: fish, eggs (remove yolk), turkey, chicken, pork, or lean beef. Peanut butter doesn’t count.
fats:
During this time, limit your fats to what is inherent in your food. Don’t eat fried food until your tournament is over. You can have a little butter on your whole-grain toast, BUT: Don’t eat trans fats, margarine, peanut butter*, crackers or cookies that contain even “partially hydrogenated” oils. These types of fats settle like sludge in the veins. They slow it down and impair its oxygen-carrying capacity. This means you will be slower and out of breath more than you otherwise would have been.
*Peanut butter is one of the highest sources of trans fat in the American diet. Most of it is just peanut flavored lard! The only kind you should eat is Laura Scudder’s kind; just crushed peanuts and salt. If you only like the other guy, then leave him completely!
Raw nuts:
I repeat RAW nuts. It’s easy to find a good mix of raw nuts (even in trail mix) at Trader Joe’s! Bring a large ziplock bag in your purse to the tournament! Great for snack! Eat only a handful at a time…maximum 2 handfuls/hour.
Sugar and white flour:
They are both short chain carbohydrates/simple carbohydrates. They result in quick energy and slow energy afterwards as blood sugar plummets. Eat whole wheat pasta, bread, avoid sugar during this time. No white bread.
Processed foods:
I haven’t found many processed foods that aren’t packed with trans fat, white flour, and sugar. So stay away from that. Eat whole foods. Real food, as straight from the land as you can get.
*Peanut butter is one of the highest sources of trans fat in the American diet. Most of it is just peanut flavored lard! The only kind you should eat is Laura Scudder’s kind; just crushed peanuts and salt. If you only like the other guy, then leave him completely!
Day 3
3 servings of protein: one at each meal.
3-4> servings of fruit: consume at meals or snacks.
3-4 servings of vegetables today. Try to eat them raw, but you can lightly cook your vegetables.
Salt food, but not excessively.
Eat whole wheat products if you are eating them, and eat brown rice instead of white.
6 glasses of water today.
Day 2
3 servings of protein: one at each meal.
3-4 servings of fruit: consume at meals or snacks.
3-4 servings of vegetables today. Try to eat them raw, but you can lightly cook your vegetables.
Eat a large salad with dinner.
Salt food, but not excessively.
Eat whole wheat products if you are eating them, and eat brown rice instead of white.
6 glasses of water today.
Day – 1 This is the day before game day.
3 servings of protein: one at each meal.
3-4 servings of fruit: consume at meals or snacks.
3-4 servings of vegetables today. Try to eat them raw, but you can lightly cook your vegetables.
Eat a large salad with dinner and pasta or brown rice.
Salt food, but not excessively.
Eat whole wheat products if you are eating them, and eat brown rice instead of white.
6 glasses of water today.
Morning:
Wake up at least 2 hours before playing.
Drink something warm so you can go to the bathroom before you play. This will help you feel lighter and be quicker on your feet.
I drink a cup of coffee or 2 because it helps mobilize free fatty acids, this fires up your fat burning machine and depletes glycogen use…you’ll need all you can get!
Eat 2-3 eggs… Scoop out all but one of the whites.
drink a cup of juice
Eat oatmeal or 2 whole wheat toasts (just a dollop of butter)
Bring in a piece of fruit between each game, plus some raw nuts. PRAYED:
2- 3 energy bars, some with protein… balance bars or something like that.
Drink water this morning!
Lunch/game day:
Nothing fried, no hotdogs. Eat a sandwich and a piece of fruit.
Water! If we’re at a tournament and you have any questions about what you should or shouldn’t eat, DON’T hesitate to ask. Just be ready for the answer. You may not hear what you expected!
