Memphis
Juniors Tournament Nutrition
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Chris Childers a Registered Dietitian, has prepared this template describing the kinds of
things our athletes should be eating to fuel themselves before, during and after
practices and tournaments. Athletes and their parents should carefully consider the kinds
of foods we take and eat during our athletic training, particularly at tournaments. You
are what you eat!!
As a club, we will not be consuming candy, cookies, or soda at tournaments. These are empty
calories, devoid of much nutritional value. Some studies show that young teenage girls
(13 to 14 years old) may get as much as one-third of their daily caloric intake
from soda pop (Cokes for those of you from the South). This is unacceptable for athletes
striving for high performance. Neither is the fast food that is so popular in today's
fast-paced world an acceptable substitute for well-balanced meals prepared from fresh and
healthy ingredients. One of the best services we can be providing to our young athletes is
giving them a lifetime of healthy eating habits.
Parents please pay attention to these guidelines and especially do not "sneak"
sweets and candy to your players on tournament day. This only plays havoc with their blood sugar
levels and may result with them being lethargic just as they step on the court. Team Reps should
be helping to coordinate the parents providing lunches and snacks to the team at tournaments so
that we can ensure proper nutrition for our teams, preparing them for peak performance!!
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Digestion
(time it takes to digest)
Appropriate Diets
Night before:
Pregame Meals:
During Exercise:
Lunch:
After Exercise:
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Carbohydrates: 45 mins
Protein: 1.5 hours
Fat: up to 3 hours!
Balanced meal / banana for snack
Higher carbs to replenish if you exercised that day
Apple in the morning
More than 2 hours before the game:
Solid foods high in carbs, low in protein, very low in fat
Carbs should be complex vs. simple
... complex: pastas, cereals, breads
... simple: candy, cake, other sweets
Less than 2 hours before the game:
Liquids - absorbed quicker
Small amounts of fruits or vegetables
... high liquid content
... no protein or fat
... fiber content may sit in stomach
... during exercise, blood flow changes, slowing digestion
Simple sugars are digested the quickest
and are aborsorbed quicker in liquid form
Sports Drinks:
... simple sugar with electrolytes
... most are too concentrated - dilute by half
... absorbed quickest just above freezing!
Ideally more than 45 minutes before next match
... lunchmeat sandwiches with vegetables
... fruit and vegetables
... NO CANDY
Eat in 2 hour intervals for a total of six hours
... offers maximum glycogen repletion (24 hours)
... best time for protein intake (to repair broken muscle fibers)
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