The All-Ireland final is looming, history is in your hands, you can’t sleep and your stomach is in knots. How do you get your diet right in the lead up to the biggest occasion in your life? Sports Dietician Richelle Flanagan explains what you should eat and drink in the lead up to the big day

WHAT you eat and drink leading up to a big game is very important. Resorting to a big bowl of pasta on the night before your game is not enough - you need to fuel your body properly during the week. The key nutrient to focus on is carbohydrate. Protein is also important for the recovery of your muscles, while fluids are essential to keep you hydrated and your daily FIVE fruit and vegetables to keep illness at bay. The benefits of fuelling your body properly are outlined in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Benefits of Optimal Fuelling in the week before your big game:

Improved strength, speed, and stamina

Reduced risk of injury/illness

Enhanced healing of injuries and/or illness

Delayed fatigue

Improved performance

Confidence in being well prepared for your game

The difference between winning & losing


Your nutrition in the week leading up to the game
Carbohydrate – the main fuel for your sport
Just like a car, your body needs energy or fuel to keep going and the better the fuel the further you’ll go. Carbohydrate is made up of glucose/sugar units which are needed by your working muscles for energy. These sugars are stored in your muscles as ‘glycogen’ and it is this store of glycogen that fuels your muscles when they are working hard in training or during your games. If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates, your muscle stores of glycogen will be low, causing you to tire early during your game.

You need to be eating at least 7g carbohydrate per kg of your body weight on the training days in the week of the big game. So for an 80kg player, that would be 560g carbohydrate a day. Then on the day before the game and, on the day of the game you can increase the amount of carbohydrate to anywhere from 7-10g carbohydrate per kg of your body weight per day (eg, 560g to 800g carbohydrate based on an 80kg player). This may mean you have to eat up to 8 times a day so organisation and thinking ahead are key!

How do you increase your carbohydrates?
Carbohydrate foods can generally be thought of as starchy (bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta, rice) or sugary (juice, sugar, sugary drinks, jam, jellies, biscuits, cakes).  Starchy carbohydrates, especially the wholegrain versions, are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre and form the basis of any healthy eating plan.

However, it is difficult to meet a 7-10g carbohydrate per kilogram target using these bulky and filling foods alone.  Sugary foods, other than fruit juice, are generally poor sources of vitamins and minerals and are, therefore, not features of the typical healthy eating diet.

However, they are an effective addition for the serious athlete who needs compact forms of carbohydrate to meet their high demands for energy.  Carbohydrate containing fluids such as fruit juices and sports drinks also make a significant contribution to total carbohydrate intake without added bulk. And don’t forget your fruits - fresh, tinned and dried - they contain natural sugars which are a very useful way to meet your carbohydrate requirements. Table 1 provides a guideline to foods which contain 50g carbohydrate.

Table 1: Foods that contain 50g carbohydrate

Food            Weight (g) Serving
Bread with jam/
marmalade/honey              3 slices
Currant bun/scone    100          2 average
2 slices of wholemeal
bread & 1 banana              1 sandwich
Fruit cake        100   
Shredded Wheat/
Weetabix        65          3 biscuits
Porridge
(made with milk)        375          1 1/2 bowls
Special K/Start/
Cornflakes/Sugar Puffs    60          Large bowl
Museli/cereal bars    80          2 1/2 bars
Dried figs        90          5 figs
Banana            200          2 large
Raisins/sultanas/currants    75          2 heaped                           tablespoons
Apples/oranges        500          3 medium
Cooked rice        160          4 heaped                           tablespoons
Cooked pasta        225          8 heaped                           tablespoons
Tinned spaghetti in
tomato sauce        400          1 large can
Potato baked/boiled    200          1 large
Mashed potato        325          5 scoops
Baked beans        325          3/4 of a tin
Low fat rice pudding    325          1 can
Milk (semi-skimmed)    1 litre          2 pints
Fruit yoghurt (low fat)    250          2 pots

Protein – important for keeping injury free and reducing tiredness
Every time you train or play a game your muscles are put under pressure. Eating protein helps to prevent injuries and repair muscle. Many protein rich foods also provide iron which is important for the transport of oxygen around your body. Foods that contain good sources of protein include lean red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, baked beans, lentils, butterbean, kidney beans, low fat milk, low fat yogurt, low fat cheese and nuts.

Do I need protein supplements?
You can get enough protein by choosing a good source of protein twice a day (eg meat, fish or egg in lunchtime sandwich and chicken breast at dinner). It is generally not necessary to take protein supplement drinks or bars.
However, it is important to eat a carbohydrate and protein rich snack after intense training or a big game (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Examples of snacks for after games or intense training
• Sandwich or small roll with 1 slice ham/chicken/
turkey/1 egg/30g (matchbox size) of low fat
cheese
• 2 low fat fruit yoghurts
• 330mls low fat milk

Minerals and Vitamins – keep those illnesses at bay
In order to keep illness at bay you should have been eating your FIVE fruit and vegetables a day long before the big games. However, it’s never too late to start. The worst thing that can happen to a player is to fall ill the week of a big game. Fruit and vegetables are nature’s multivitamin. You may be sick of hearing about eating FIVE servings of fruit and vegetables a day but you will be even sicker if you miss the game! The fruit servings will also enable you to meet your carbohydrate requirements. Table 2 shows examples how you can meet your 5 servings of fruit and vegetables.

Table 2. What is a serving of fruit or vegetables?
Vegetables (cauliflower, cabbage, peas, carrots, leeks, courgettes, broccoli, french beans, peppers)    3-4 dessertspoons
Mixed salad, eg lettuce, cucumber, pepper   
1 small dessert bowl
Tomato   
1 medium or 4 cherry tomatoes
Whole fresh fruit e.g. apple, orange, pear, peach    1 medium or 1 small banana
Tinned fruit in natural juice, eg peaches, pears, pineapple, raspberries, pears   
3-4 dessert spoons
Stewed fruit, eg rhubarb, apple, cherries   
3-4 dessert spoons
Large fruits    
1 slice melon or pineapple, 1/2 grapefruit
Small fruits   
12 grapes, 3 apricots, 2 plums, 2 kiwis, 7 strawberries
Dried fruit, eg raisins   
1 gamebox size
Fruit juice no added sugar   
1 small glass (125mls) max 1 per day

Fluid – the forgotten nutrient
If you are dehydrated you will not perform to your best ability – it can slow your reaction time, decision making and overall performance. Remember, thirst is not indicator of the need to drink, by the time you are thirsty your body has already lost up to 2 litres of fluid! You need to drink 2 litres (10 mugs) of fluid on a daily basis in the week of your big game - this can include fluids such as water, juice, cups of tea and glasses of low fat milk.
One of the primary uses of isotonic drinks is to provide carbohydrate energy for athletes to help them last longer during intense training or sporting events. Unfortunately, many of these drinks are taken at the wrong time by athletes. Ideally you can use these drinks either to make up your carbohydrate requirements on your intense training days, during an intense training session or game lasting over 60 minutes and afterwards to help your muscles recover. A 500ml bottle of isotonic fluid will contain approximately 30g carbohydrate.
Warning, alcohol is damaging to your muscle recovery and will make you dehydrated and can exacerbate injuries – so NO alcohol in the week coming up to a big game.

Your nutrition on the day of the big game
The following section provides guidelines on what you should eat and drink before, during and after your big game. Guidelines are based on an average player of 80kg with a game starting at 3.30pm:

What should you eat and drink prior to the game?
Pre-game foods:
Based on games being at 3.30pm, eat at least 2g carbohydrate per kg of your body weight (so for an 80kg player than means 160g of carbohydrate) within one to four hours prior to your game. So based on a start time of 3.30pm, that means eating anytime between 10.30am to 2.30pm. See sample meal plan (Table 3).
Eating in the hour prior to your game may cause tummy trouble. So this means eating your major carbohydrate foods such as cereals, breads etc by 2.30pm.