Diet gun

Nutrition on match day is definitely something that all competitors should seriously consider in order to achieve maximum performance.

It is not wise to eat foods that only have empty calories, such as refined added carbohydrates (sweets, candies, chocolates) and do not have other ingredients that will help us achieve maximum performance, such as complex carbohydrates, natural simple carbohydrates (fruits), proteins.

It is not wise to not eat anything during the match because we will definitely have a drop in our performance and this will bring bad results. A 10-stage match that lasts about 4-5 hours will exhaust us without taking some small meals in between the stages. It will tire us not only physically, but also mentally because the brain feeds mainly on glucose found in carbohydrates.

Since the match starts in the morning, we should eat a good, but not heavy calorie breakfast that will help us start our race with energy and strength.

This can include whole grain cereals with a little milk (too much milk causes bloating) or toast with cheese and/or ham and/or egg, orange juice, bread with honey, bread with tahini. The amount should not be large, but enough to give us the energy we want. Drinking coffee can help with alertness.

During the match, we can eat healthy snacks such as cereal bars and/or protein bars with carbohydrates, energy gels, fruits, fruit juices, nuts, and of course water to prevent possible dehydration. It is good to avoid foods with a lot of fat because they will create abdominal bloating and because a lot of fat slows down digestion and we may feel heavy during the match.

Energy gels with caffeine, should not be consumed more than once during the race because they will probably cause intense urination.

When should we eat during the race?

It is better every 3 – 4 stages, so that we do not notice a drop in our performance. If we notice a drop in our performance then we should have consumed some light snacks, such as those mentioned above.

That is, in a match of 12 stages in one day, we will have 2 – 3 small meals with our snacks during the match.

After the match, we can consume complex carbohydrates to restore the glucose balance in our body, as well as proteins to give us back our strength and restore the muscle fatigue we experienced during the match.