If you are a mom or grandmother who is in charge of carpooling your student athlete(s) to their tournament or all-day competitions on the road, here are some nutrition strategies that might help your athlete maximize his or her performance throughout the day. Or if you are an adult who competes in tennis, pickleball or volleyball competitions, you can also find some great suggestions.

Developing the Plan                                  

Depending on your tournament or competition day schedule, eating series of small meals or snacks rather than consuming three normal sized meals may be necessary for maintaining optimal energy levels throughout the day. (See Table 1. Suggestions for Packing the Tournament Day Cooler & Back Pack).  The big meal may have to wait until the end of the day when the competition is complete.  Keep in mind, every athlete is different and call tolerate more or less calories for a pre-game meal. 

          Timing of meals is important to maximize energy levels during tournament or all-day competition. In addition, the amount and type of food eaten is important. You need at least 4 hours to digest a large meal containing 700 – 1000 calories.  Three hours are needed to digest a smaller meal approximately 500 – 700 calories.  Small snacks of 300 calories can be digested in under 1 hour depending on the type of snack.  Meals high in carbohydrate and low in fat digest most easily and quickly.

          Liquid meals consisting of 300 – 500 calories digest in 1 to 2 hours (Table 4: Drink Your Meal). Liquid meals are helpful for athletes who are nervous or anxious about tournament competition or who have sensitive stomachs.  However, some athletes have reported that too much liquid sloshes around in their stomachs making them nauseated.  Therefore, these liquid meals should be tested before they are tried on tournament days to be sure they are tolerated. In other words, you must learn through trial and error what foods work best for you.  

Preparing for Morning Competitions

          For morning competition, you should eat a hearty, high carbohydrate dinner and a bedtime snack the night before the event.  Breakfast could consist of a bowl of cereal with some skim or low-fat milk, toast with jelly and fruit juice or English muffin with jelly and low-fat hot chocolate.  Keep the caloric content to less than 300 calories but high carbohydrate (Refer to Table 2: 300 Calorie Meals).  It is best not to eat high fiber cereals such as bran flakes, raisin bran, etc., at breakfast as they may cause gas.  Breakfast should be eaten 1 1/2 to 2 hours before the competition.  A breakfast of this type could be eaten by 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. for an 8:00 match.

Preparing for Afternoon Competitions

          For afternoon matches, you should consume a carbohydrate-rich dinner and bedtime snack the night before the tournament.  Eat a carbohydrate-containing breakfast that provides no more than 500 calories, (refer to Table 3: 500 calorie Meal Options) and, four hours later but at least 1 – 2 hours before the match, eat a light lunch containing less than 300 calories to help provide that competitive edge.  Breakfast could be served at 8:00 a.m. and a light lunch around 12:00 p.m. for a match at 2:00 p.m. Do not forget the importance of drinking enough fluid as the day progresses.  Again, take it easy on fiber.

Preparing for Evening Competitions

          For evening matches, the athlete needs to eat a carbohydrate-rich breakfast and lunch followed by a light snack containing less than 300 calories.  Breakfast and lunch should be planned in 4-hour increments, i.e., 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. respectively.  The light snack should be eaten 1 – 2 hours before competition and could be served for example, at 5:30 p.m. before a 7:30 p.m. competition.  Remember to drink adequate fluids.   

Preparing for the All-Day Competition

          For all-day competitions in which the athlete competes periodically throughout the day, use the 300 or 500 calorie meal suggestions (Refer to Table 2 & Table 3) depending on when the first competition is and when the next match will be.  For example, if the first competition of the day is at 10:00 a.m., then choose a 300-calorie meal to be eaten by 8:00 a.m.  If the next competition is at 2:00 p.m., then choose another 300-calorie meal to be eaten by 12:00 p.m.  However, if the next competition is not until 4:00 p.m., then a 500-calorie meal could be chosen immediately after the first match is over.  A liquid meal might be a good option at this time. 

          If possible, the athlete should weigh first thing in the morning on tournament day and at the end of the day to determine if dehydration is a concern.  For each pound of weight lost during the day, you should drink 16 ounces of fluid to prevent further dehydration.

          Following some simple guidelines for meal composition, size, and timing, you can achieve a greater level of play during tournament action or all-day competitions.

Table 1. Suggestions for Packing the Tournament Day Cooler & Back Pack**

*  Fruits – any kind you like; bananas, oranges, grapes

*  Low fat or nonfat yogurt

*  Fig Newtons (you can also get fat-free newtons)

*  Dried fruits – raisins, apples, pears

*  Canned fruits like applesauce, canned peaches,

*  Baby carrots

*  A sport drink

*  A good tasting sports bar

*  Sub sandwich cut into quarters; lean turkey, chicken, ham or     roast beef; light or fat free salad dressing; non-fat cheese slices

*  Miniature boxes of ready-to-eat cereal

*  Pint of skim or low-fat milk

*  Fruit juice, V-8 juice, lemonade, Kool-Aid, caffeine-free soda

*  Water

*  Skim milk pudding pack

*  Pop tarts, Nutri-grain bars, granola bars

*  Tuna can or pouch, peanut butter, jerky, hard-boiled eggs

*  Cheese slices, individually wrapped or cheese sticks

*  Hummus

*  Almonds, sunflower seeds

*  Graham crackers, Reduced-fat Triscuits or Wheat Thins

*  Smartfood popcorn, corn chips, pretzels

*  Corn muffins

**Many of these items can be bought at convenience stores but some of these items are not cheap. Plan ahead for your family’s food budget.

Table 2. 300-Calorie Meals

Table 3. 500-Calorie Meals Options

Note: You can go to most of the chain restaurants to look at their Nutrition Information online to help your student athlete decide what to choose before their competitions.

Table 4. Drink Your Meal