SPORTS NUTRITION AND HYDRATION FOR PERFORMANCE
HOME RUN EATING
Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, LDN
We all know that we need to eat and drink, but you may not know that what you are, and did you drink enough to hydrate can make a difference when you step up to the plate? To swing, throw, field, and run the bases, you need to think not only about what goes into your body, but also, when and how much.
You would never show up at practice without your helmet, glove, cleats and bat, BUT do you bring something to drink and eat? Make sure that you always have a beverage and a snack in your sports bag.
Think about practice as starting one hour earlier, and lasting 15 minutes longer. Use the hour before practice as your eating and hydration practice instead of batting practice. This way, you will have fluid in your muscles before you take the field which means you will be 6-8% stronger, faster and less likely to get tired!
As soon as practice or games are done, your body needs something to eat or drink right away to help you recover. The season is long, and you may have doubleheaders, so to make sure your body is ready to play the next day plan on having a snack or a sports drink as soon as you come off the field. If you wait longer than 15 minutes it may take your muscles an extra day to recover from exercise, tired arms and legs don’t make for winning athlete!
The number of times an athlete eats during the day is as important as what they eat. You need to eat breakfast. Even my professional players make it a point to eat something within 1 hour of waking up, and for all of you, your brains need to be fueled to learn well in school. If you have an early lunch in school, plan on bringing a snack to have in the afternoon. If you have the last lunch, bring a snack to have mid-morning. If you have a late game, you don’t need to eat a huge meal after you play, but you do need to eat something to help your body recover. How about a bowl of cereal, or a smoothie?
You need to think about how much you eat. WE all require different amounts of food, and if you are trying to put on mass, you may need to increase the amount of food you eat, whereas if you are trying to lean up, you may need to trim the size of your plate. Good advice to follow: Never eat anything larger than your head, and that is with your batting helmet off!
Think about eating just like running the bases, first base is the carbohydrates, second base is protein, third base is fat, and home plate is fluids. A Nutrition home run means you touch all the bases every time you play. Eating a mix of food will help your body and brain to be well, grow well, and play well. Just as you all do different types of drills for your sport, your nutritional needs are not one size fits all. We all have foods we like and foods we don’t, but our bodies need to know they are getting enough of the right stuff every single day.
So what are the stars in our nutritional lineup?
At first base are carbohydrates, which include bread, cereal, pasta, rice, fruits, vegetables and sweets. There are some carbs that have a greater nutritional value than others, but you need these foods because they supply the quickest energy to your muscles. Carbs are also the foods that help your muscles to recover after exercise.
Be selective about your carbohydrate choices. We all like sweets and chips, but they are not nutrition powerhouses, so maybe we choose less of those, and more pasta, bread, cereal, fruits and vegetables, the star carbs.
At second base are proteins which include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, soy foods, beans, nuts and seeds. Protein helps muscles to grow and along with carbohydrates, help the body to recover after exercise. Some of the best protein foods are lean meat, grilled or baked chicken or fish, low-fat milk, yogurt and peanut butter. Hey, a peanut butter sandwich after a game sounds pretty good, right?
At third base are fats such as oil, salad dressing, mayonnaise, nuts, nut butters and seeds. Now you may think that your body doesn’t need these types of food, and you don’t need a lot of them, but they are a source of energy and are used as a fuel source when you exercise for longer periods of time. Think double headers! This doesn’t mean loading up on chips, or pepperoni pizza, or fries, but putting some peanut butter on toast, or some salad dressing on your salad, can help your body play well, and fat makes foods taste
good too!
The most important base is home plate, and here we feature fluids. You won’t be able to run far, hit well, or throw if you don’t drink enough. Most of your season is going to be played in warm weather, which means you sweat. So if you lose fluid, and don’t replace what you lose, your performance is going to suffer. Sometimes baseball players find they get tired during practice, or have a headache, or notice that they don’t play as well on Friday as they did on Monday. That can be because they don’t drink enough, or the right kinds of fluids.
So to hydrate your body well, first of all, you need to drink enough:
Boys 9-13- 8 cups a day
Boys 14-18- 11 cups a day
And that doesn’t include drinking something before, during and after practice or games.
One hour before practice or games, try to drink 10-20 ounces of sports drink or water. During practice and games, you need to make sure you drink regularly, try to gulp instead of sip fluids, and remember you need to swallow, not spit the fluid on the ground or pour it on your head!
How do you know that you are drinking enough? See your pee! If your urine is the color of lemonade, you are drinking enough, but if it is the color of apple juice, you are going to need to drink more.
So what should you drink? There are lots of beverages to choose from. Milk and juice are great liquids to have at meal times, but during exercise, try to pick sports drinks and water which can do a better job of helping to hydrate your muscles. So bring your own bottle of water or sports drink to every practice and game. You may have seen the energy drinks out there, but they are source of caffeine, which is not a source of energy, and many of them have too much sugar, which means they take too long to empty the stomach and are not available in your muscles. The same goes for carbonated beverages and fruit drinks.
Some of you may be salty sweaters, and may notice that you are more likely to have sweat that stings your eyes, or muscle cramps, or your skin feels gritty after practice or games. That is salt loss. If you are a salt “loser” use sports drinks during exercise, as they contain sodium to help replace what you lose. And also add some salt to foods, or eat salty foods such as pretzels, crackers, and pickles.
So now, let’s talk about the game plan. If you want to play well, you need to come to the ball park prepared, and that means more wearing your uniform.
Your pre-game meal may be 3-4 hours before you play. Some of you may get very nervous before games and don’ t like the feeling of food in their stomach, but guess what? Your body STILL needs to be fed. So, have something light, like a bowl of cereal, or a smoothie. The goal of the pre-game meal is to provide fuel that your muscles can use during the game.
For an afternoon game, your pre game meal might be scrambled eggs, waffles and fruit
For an evening game, you may have chicken, rice and vegetables, or pasta with meat sauce and salad, and something to drink
During games your body is going to need more than water or bubble gum. Have a sports drink available for quick fuel, and if you are going into extra innings, how about a granola bar, or sports bar, or a handful or two of trail mix.
As soon as you come off the field, before you shower, text, celebrate, or talk to your friends, you need to refuel your body. Grab a sports drink and peanut butter crackers, or chocolate milk, or a sports bar to help your body recover more quickly.
So remember, to be your best on and off the playing field, make sure that you eat well, drink enough, and come to practice and games well fueled any hydrated.
Sit down to the plate, Step up to the Win! Be good to your body and it will be good to you!
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