Eating Before a Basketball Game
Nutrition and diet are two of the most important aspects of a basketball players training regimen. Eating healthy, proper nutrition while training and before a game can be the difference between feeling lethargic during the game or being at your peak performance.
That’s why we are providing you with the comprehensive guide to eating before a basketball game. This guide will not only discuss what to eat before the game but also what you should be eating the night before, the morning of, and after the game.
A proper diet is absolutely critical to ensuring your body is well hydrated and fueled before a big basketball game. However, providing harmful, toxic, and poor nutrition can be detrimental to your performance on the court and could end up costing your team the game.
Ensuring that you are providing your body with the proper nutrition will not only help you during the game but will also help you during your training and workout sessions.
What you put into your body will have a direct result on how your body reacts to training, workout, and live game sessions. It is absolutely critical that you ensure your diet is well-balanced, healthy, and properly fueled.
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Proper hydration is key to ensuring that your body performs at an optimal pace. Per a Harvard article, drinking enough water each day is absolutely crucial to regulating the body’s temperature, keeping joints lubricated, preventing infections, delivering nutrients to cells, and keeping organs functioning properly.
In addition, keeping your body properly hydrated improves your sleep, cognition, and mood. These added benefits will be critical to your performance come game time and should not be overlooked.
For men, it is recommended that they drink 16 cups, or about one gallon, of water each day. This number decreases slightly for women, coming in at 11 cups of water. While this may seem steep, it is absolutely essential to keeping your body functioning healthily and at peak performance.
Have trouble keeping up with how much water you drink per day? We highly recommend the Elvira 1-Gallon Motivational Water Bottle. This one-gallon water bottle comes in a variety of colors with motivational etches to encourage you to drink a certain amount per couple of hours throughout the day.
While water is the ideal hydration source, it can be coupled with sports drinks, such-as Gatorade, Powerade, and Body Armor. These sports drinks, while helpful for recovery, should be utilized sparingly. They contain excess amounts of sugar that can be harmful in the long-run and simply cannot replace the benefits of plain water.
If you have trouble drinking water throughout the day, you can add in a lemon, lime, or other citrus fruit to the bottle for added flavor. In addition, you may opt for water enhancers, such as Mio, which adds a bit of flavor to the water. We would suggest using these supplements sparingly and to only add a couple of squirts to the gallon.
What to Eat the Night Before a Game
A proper meal the night before a big basketball game is essential to ensuring peak performance. Ideally, you should aim to eat a high carbohydrate meal to maximize glycogen stores. Again, ideally, the meal should contain easily digestible starchy foods such as pasta, rice, bread, and fruit. Don’t forget to add in a glass of cold water with your meal!
The reason you will want to eat a high carbohydrate meal the night before a big basketball game is due to your glycogen stores. Glycogen is stored in your muscles and liver. When you exercise, or play a big game, these glycogen stores are broken down into glucose for energy. Without the proper reserves, your body will begin to feel tired and fatigued.
What to Eat Before a Basketball Game?
The day of the game is an important opportunity to provide your body with the fuel and nutrients needed to perform at peak level. You should aim to wake up early and immediately hydrate with a glass of water. Avoid milk or sugary, carbonated beverages that may cause cramping.
For breakfast, aim for proteins, carbohydrates, and foods low in fat. This can include a whole grain cereal, with low fat milk and sliced fruit, such-as strawberries or bananas. You can also opt for a Greek yogurt with blueberries and a sprinkle of granolas. Another easy option is oatmeal topped with chopped almonds and sliced bananas.
A few hours before game time, you may eat a light meal that is packed with protein and carbohydrates. This may include a small plate of brown rice with salmon or chicken. In addition, you may opt for grilled chicken with a side of steamed broccoli.
Keep your plate light and don’t overextend your stomach. Doing so may result in cramping or vomiting during the game. You should also avoid spicy or fried foods which may upset the stomach and increase lethargy. As always, these foods should be coupled with a glass of water.
What Snacks to Eat Before a Basketball Game?
Immediately before a game, if you feel tired or hungry, may be a good opportunity to have a quick, small snack. However, it is imperative that this snack be one that is light and one that will not make you feel lethargic or groggy. That is why we recommend an energy or granola bar.
A great option is the Kind Bars, particularly their energy bars. These bars are packed with 100% whole grains and have 35% less sugar than competitor bars. They are also not genetically modified, meaning everything inside the bar is natural, healthy, and great for a pre-game snack.
If you do opt for an energy bar, be sure to not overindulge. Eat only one bar and do so with ample time before the game begins. Leave yourself enough room to begin the digestion process and be sure to kick back the snack with a glass of water.
What to Eat During a Basketball Game?
Unless you’re a spectator at the game, you should not be eating anything during the duration of the game. Basketball is an intensive, high-paced game and one that will leave you with little, to no-time to sneak in a snack. In addition, doing so may lead to cramping problems and potentially leave you feeling nauseous on the court.
Rather, ensure that during the game you are properly hydrated. This means drinking water and other sports drinks during time-outs and at half-time. Be sure to pace yourself to not begin cramping. Avoid other liquids, including sodas, coffee, and tea. Those liquids will do more harm to your energy levels during the game and may lead to added dehydration.
What to Eat After a Basketball Game?
After a basketball game, whether your team won or lost the game, it is important to properly refuel your body. This can be done by eating foods high in protein, including steak, fish, poultry, and chicken. You can add a side of white or brown rice or a side of steamed broccoli.
In addition, due to the loss of electrolytes, it is advisable to drink a sports drink high in electrolytes. This can include both Gatorade, Powerade, or Body Armor. Be sure to pace yourself and to not overindulge or eat or drink too quickly. The game is done, it is now about hitting the gym again and getting ready for the next one.