What to eat and drink before a big match

Ristiano Conaldo

So I have a big match tonight (Championship QF) and was wondering what to eat and drink and how long before the match.

Usually I'd have a banana or a few jaffa cakes and down a can of red bull for energy but I am noticing near the end of games I am getting really tired. I drink lots of water too.

Any advice?

buck65

Pasta 3 hours before eating plenty of water, banana maybe too.
Avoid red bull type drinks they only give you a short term boost. Complex carbs are better.

Clareman

Avoid red bull, it's all about hydration now, get loads of water into you, try mixing in some Miwadi from time to time as well, not only will it make it easier to drink more water but you'll get a few minerals with it that'll replace some of the loss cause of the amount of times you're going to the bathrooms.

Match day meal should be pasta and plain chicken, if you find that awful hard to eat stir in a spoon of Philadelphia cheese into the pasta. Have a pack of wine gums in your gear bag as well for half time, they should help you replace some of the energy you lost in the first half and help you get to the final whistle, first time I heard of that was when I played rugby and the dressing room was like a tuck shop at half time.

rpurfield

if your playing junior b or lower its customary to have a feed of pints the night before and follow up with a large breakfast roll the morning of the match.generally another pint an hour before the match gets you through to full time as well

Ristiano Conaldo

^^ Haha definitely not Junior B, however if we do win tonight there will be a barrel of beer drank by me anyway.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, off to the game now.

nice_guy80

pasta? grain based carbs are way over emphasised in athletes' diets

lots of green veg is the way to go along with lean protein (chicken, eggs etc)

deisedude

rpurfield wrote: »

if your playing junior b or lower its customary to have a feed of pints the night before and follow up with a large breakfast roll the morning of the match.generally another pint an hour before the match gets you through to full time as well

To be safe you would want a hip flask for half time too. Wouldn't want to be dehydrated in the second half

km79

Did ye win ? Did you drink a barrel of beer

Orizio

Ristiano Conaldo wrote: »

So I have a big match tonight (Championship QF) and was wondering what to eat and drink and how long before the match.

Usually I'd have a banana or a few jaffa cakes and down a can of red bull for energy but I am noticing near the end of games I am getting really tired. I drink lots of water too.

Any advice?

Sweet jaysus...

buck65

nice_guy80 wrote: »

pasta? grain based carbs are way over emphasised in athletes' diets

lots of green veg is the way to go along with lean protein (chicken, eggs etc)

Yes a diet of all these is great but complex carbs are the way to go for an even energy boost on match day.

DoctaDee

rpurfield wrote: »

if your playing junior b or lower its customary to have a feed of pints the night before and follow up with a large breakfast roll the morning of the match.generally another pint an hour before the match gets you through to full time as well

LOL... I remember as a young fella playing junior b and the aul lads (30 somethings :rolleyes:) arriving at the pitch after a heavy Saturday night .. them saying "I'm dying stick me in full forward/back line" .. us young fellas were left do the running in the half back/forward line. Went on to play Inters and one season Senior, then the slow fallback to where it all started .."here young lad gimme that number 3 jersey me heads lifting" !

Ristiano Conaldo

km79 wrote: »

Did ye win ? Did you drink a barrel of beer

No and yes

nice_guy80

buck65 wrote: »

Yes a diet of all these is great but complex carbs are the way to go for an even energy boost on match day.

show me the science?

buck65

Well ok , a simple internet search brought this up, read through it , it mentions that carbs rather than protein are more efficient fuel providers.

Again not a medical journal but this is standard stuff I would have thought?

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sportsnutrition/a/Carbohydrates.htm

Antisocialiser

Anyone interested have a read of this sticky from the Health and Fitness forum. This guy is a very well renowned trainer and has worked with plenty of GAA teams, olympic athletes, weightlifters etc

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=67563426&postcount=28

Work a read for anyone serious about their match day nutrition.

kstand

I'd always eat a bag of peanuts the day of a game and a banana if the game was on early. Def avoid eating meat or anything heavy. And drink plenty of water or lucozade sport.

Velvety

nice_guy80 wrote: »

pasta? grain based carbs are way over emphasised in athletes' diets

lots of green veg is the way to go along with lean protein (chicken, eggs etc)

Bullshit. A low carb, lean meat diet is great for losing fat and getting lean. No use at all for performance and energy on the day of a match.