Taking part in a sporting competition can motivate you and help you excel. This requires preparation in terms of both sport and nutrition. If you want to take part in a sporting competition, it’s in your best interests to apply a number of nutritional strategies to limit energy, water and electrolyte losses and so boost performance!
For optimum effectiveness, the nutritional strategies to adopt before a competition are divided into several stages:
- one week before the event
- in the 3 days before the event
- at the last meal before the competition (3 hours before)
- while waiting for the start (waiting ration).
The right choice of food and fluids before a competition are major assets in terms of performance. They enable you to
- supply the body with energy during the first part of the competition, with the rest coming from your refreshments during the effort. To find out more about what you need to eat during exercise, read this article.
- start the competition with optimum hydration levels to delay and minimize dehydration
- restore liver glycogen reserves and reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia
The week before the event
You shouldn’t make any major changes to your diet at this stage. It’s important to maintain a balanced diet, stay well hydrated and avoid processed foods. However, there are a few things to bear in mind:
- Increase glycogen reserves to ensure adequate energy reserves (complex carbohydrates: rice – pasta – potatoes).
- Keep optimally hydrated to avoid arriving at the race dehydrated. You can find our article dedicated to hydration here.
- Maintain a comfortable digestive system, by splitting up your meals to keep your calorie intake at a sufficient level.
In the 3 days before the event
As the competition approaches, a balanced diet is always essential, but certain foods should be avoided to limit digestive discomfort. Others should be increased to maximize glycogen reserves:
- Increase carbohydrate intake to 8-10g/kg/d
- Maintain a normal protein intake of 1-1.2g/kg/day (to avoid overloading the renal functions)
- Limit added fats such as cream, sauce, butter or oil
- Avoid gaseous, fermented, smoked, very sweet or spicy products, to avoid disrupting digestive functions
- Encourage hydration
The last meal before the competition (up to 3 hours before)
A hearty but digestible meal should be eaten 3 hours before the event. If the time between the last meal and the start of the competition is too short, digestion will not be complete. The circulatory needs of the muscles and the digestive tract will overlap, leading to digestive problems and reduced performance. It should consist mainly of carbohydrates to preserve essential glycogen reserves prior to exercise.
Example of a last meal:
- Starches (rice or pasta, not wholemeal as they take too long to digest)
- Lean meat or fish (white ham, chicken, lean fish such as hake)
- Very few vegetables, well cooked: no raw vegetables
- Cooked, mixed or dried fruit
- Dairy according to your tolerance (low-fat dairy: plain yogurt)
Example of a breakfast as the last meal (for morning tests)
- Hot drink (tea or coffee) or fruit juice according to your tolerance
- Cereal products (rice-oats-buckwheat)
- Low-fat dairy products (according to tolerance)
- Cooked or dried fruit
The waiting ration (up to 1 hour before)
The waiting ration will be light if your last meal was substantial or larger if it was light. Solid and/or liquid, depending on your preferences.
- Energy bar or cereal products (depending on your tolerance).
- Carbohydrate-containing exercise drink (drink to be continued during the race).
During your race, the aim will be to make up for fluid losses and avoid energy exhaustion by providing carbohydrates.
Drinking an energy drink every 15 to 30 minutes will provide carbohydrates and prevent dehydration. For efforts of more than 1 hour, eating an energy bar or gel provides your body with energy, increases your endurance and prevents hypoglycemia. Choosing the right refreshments is key to performance! To find out more, read our article on the subject.
The ideal thing is to test your different nutritional strategies before the big day, to find out what you can tolerate and avoid all the problems that can result from a poor diet.
Chloé Masson
Nutrition Project Manager
chloemasson.nutrition@gmail.com
See previous nutrition articles:
WHAT TO EAT DURING TRAINING?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO EAT HEALTHY?
WHY HAVE BREAKFAST?
HOW SHOULD YOU EAT BEFORE TRAINING?
SPORT & HYDRATION: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW