Must-Make Easy Recipes for Game Day! (2024)

FAQs

What to eat on game day? ›

Athletes should eat a balanced meal containing carbohydrates, protein, and fruit or vegetables 2-3 hours before game time. Make sure to drink 12-24 ounces of water with a pre-game meal to stay hydrated. Pre-game meals may include: Whole wheat chicken sandwich with vegetables.

Anything too fatty, like junk food or milk, is digested slowly and will make athletes feel slow and sluggish. Athletes should also avoid eating too many high-fiber foods, like beans, fruits and vegetables, which are also difficult to digest and cause stomach problems on the field.

For instance, starchy carbohydrates are ideal as they break down and can be stored as glycogen to provide the body with a consistent energy source over a few hours. Potatoes, pasta, rice, bread (ideally wholemeal unless just before a game), oatmeal, cereals, vegetables, and fruit are healthy carb options.

The pregame meal

Carbohydrates are an athlete's primary fuel source, so you want your meal to consist primarily of carbohydrates. Sources include: Starches and grains — Good options are bread, cereal, crackers, rice, potatoes and pasta. Fruit — Fresh is best, but frozen, canned or dry is OK too.

Use caution with foods higher in fat.

Higher fat foods slow digestion, which is not ideal for an athlete facing a competition. Greasy, fried foods and high-fat desserts are filling and may leave your athlete feeling tired and sluggish. Skip the fries or pizza before practice, and keep fat content on the light side.

“Starch-based meals should be the focus, says Turner. “Foods like lower fiber rice, pasta, and breads are good options.” But don't pig out—you want enough food to give you energy, but not so much that you feel that burrito bowl sloshing around in your guts during the first quarter of the game.

Eat a healthy breakfast

Pairing carbs with protein, such as eggs, yogurt, milk, and peanut butter/nuts will help hold you over throughout your first game. Eating this heathy pre game meal 2-3 hours prior to your game is vital to topping off energy stores as you get game ready.

3-4 Hours before a game:

This means you can have all the nutrients on one plate including lean protein, complex carbs, fat, and fibre. A great pre-game meal 3-4 hours before a game could be: Chicken, rice, and broccoli. Whole grain pasta, tomato sauce, and meatballs.

Carbohydrate is essential as the most immediate and efficient fuel to the muscles. In its circulating form in the blood, carbohydrate is called as glucose, and its storage form in muscles and in the liver is called as glycogen.

What is a good football menu? ›

Bonci also shared other foods she says are popular among NFL players. They include yogurt, Greek or regular, by itself or as a parfait; smoothies that are usually fruit-based mixed with protein powder, vegetable stir-fry, eggs, and pastas.

What to eat on the day of a game. On the day of the game, you should ideally finish eating 3-4 hours before it begins. To keep your energy up during the game, it is also a good idea to have an easily digestible light snack (such as a jelly drink) about 1-2 hours beforehand.

Carbohydrates: Carbs provide energy for the body and are an important source of fuel for a young athlete. Without carbs in their diet, kids will be running on empty. When choosing carbs, look for whole-grain foods like whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, whole-grain bread and cereal, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.