Pre-Game Meals
By Dale Magnuson

In today's society, the body is placed under high amounts of stress. What you eat can have a large effect on how the body copes with stress. The way an individual is taught to eat when they are younger is very important because it will affect their later life.

Everyone has seen the food pyramid at least one time in his/her life. This is great for a healthy long life. It also applies to athletes. But just how far does that go prior to competition? This is not meant as rules to live by, but simply as guidelines prior to competition.
  • Drink more pure water

    • The recomendation is at least three 8-12 ounce glasses of pure water per day. I am not talking about the commercial sports drinks here, but pure water. The body's vital tasks can not be performed well with anything other than water.
  • Eat more raw fruits and vegetables

    • The American Cancer Institute, the FDA, and the USDA encourage everyone to eat a minimum of 4-5 servings of raw fruits and vegetables per day. Raw fruits and vegetables give our bodies increased complex carbohydrates. It also provides increased soluble and insoluble fiber.
  • Reduce alcohol consumption

    • Alcohol is a poison. Many people forget that the body must work harder to remove poisons from the body. When you drink alcohol, you excrete more than you drink. Alcohol dehydrates the body and will impede performance capability.
  • Eliminate sources of extra salt

    • All the salt you will ever need is already in the food available to us. Extra salt only enhances flavor and is not needed for the body. Salt functions as a vasorestrictor, meaning the vascular system becomes less permeable making it more difficult to pass nutrients to the body's tissue.
  • Eliminate Carbonated Drinks

    • Carbonated drinks can contain up to nine teaspoons of sugar in one 12 ounce can, as well as caffeine. Carbonated drinks can also contain phosphoric acid. Ingestion of phosphoric acid requires the body to neutralize acidity in order to restore balance in the body. According to Kevin O'Donnell, in his article "In Search of Optimal Performance," he states that "skeletal calcium is the element used to return the blood's acidity to an optimal level. This leaching of calcium is a detriment to skeletal strength which may become a factor in stress fractures." This is saying that pop is not only bad for you but also increases the risk of injury.
  • Drastically reduce or eliminate dairy products

    • This is extremely difficult to tell athletes because they are taught so much about how dairy is important to the diet. Remember, I am only talking about pre-game meals here. I agree that dairy is very important, but prior to competition it sticks to the inner walls of the body and forces the body to work harder to break it down. This will not help perform to optimal levels.
  • Reduce intakes of fats and oils

    • Reducing intakes of fats and oils is important not only for short term performance situitations, but also for long term life expectancy.
  • Minimize the intake of meat

    • Meat takes almost two days for the body to digest. It is very difficult for your body to excrete and it is also very high in fat. Meat should not be cut out of the diet, but prior to competition it should be reduced from your usual diet.
Dale Magnuson
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