What You Should Eat During a Competition

World Wide Web | What You Should Eat During a Competition | Eating properly during a competition is just as important as eating properly before a competition. What you eat before a competition prepares your body for it. Eating the right food keeps your body healthy and physically fit to take on the strenuous activities of your sport. It gives you the right nutrition that your body needs to perform well so your training is effective and you can also perform well during the competition itself. So while it is important to eat right during training and before a competition to prepare your body, it is just as important to also eat right during a competition to keep your body in shape while the competition is going on.

When eating during a competition, you need to have a lot of carbohydrates. There are two forms of carbohydrates: simple carbohydrates (sugars) and complex carbohydrates (starches). Simple carbohydrates or sugar is a one-time pulse of energy and that's it. Complex carbohydrates or starches burn more slowly, so they last for a much longer period of time. So when you eat carbohydrates during a competition, it's best to have a combination of both forms of carbohydrates, but the majority of it has to be complex carbohydrates. You can't really on just sugars and sweets to give you the energy you need for a competition. They run out right away so are not really that effective. It's better to have pasta than candy, since the pasta gives a longer energy boost more than the candy you eat right before the competition.

Examples of complex carbohydrates food are rice, pasta, whole grain cereal, oatmeal, muesli, whole meal bread, sweet potatoes, yams, dried fruit, peas, beans and lentils. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids as well such as fruit drinks, cordial and water. Make sure you are also comfortable with these kinds of food as well. Stick to more familiar food to make sure your body doesn't react weirdly to food that you are not so used to eating. You can already try to have meal rehearsals while you train to find out what specific foods you are compatible with for the competition.

Eating during a competition is more of snacking rather than eating a full meal. If you eat too much, you will tend to feel more lethargic than energized when you have a full stomach. So eat lightly or more snack type food. Also make sure you get the timing right when you snack. Try to eat right after your turn in a competition to give yourself enough time to recover by the time it's your turn again. And avoid sugary snacks like candy and chocolate bars on the day of your competition. They will do you no good, so just stick to complex carbohydrates instead.

Article Source: EzineArticles