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The following guidelines must be considered when planning your pre-event meal:
- Be taken 1-4 hours before depending on personal preferences, experience and event intensity, length and starting time. The closer the meal to the event, the smaller the meal.
- 200-300 grams of carbohydrate for meals 3-4 hours before exercise have been shown to enhance performance
- Include fluids (400-600 ml)
- Low in fat and fibre to help stomach and intestine emptying and minimise gut upsets
- Be familiar foods
- High in carbohydrate to maintain blood glucose and maximise muscle and liver glycogen stores
- Be moderate in protein
- Know what works and doesn’t work for you and practice the planned strategy before the major goal.
Examples of pre-event meals might include:
- Cereal with low-fat milk and fruit
- Bread, toast, muffins or crumpets with jam, honey or banana
- Pancakes with honey, jam or syrup
- Pasta or rice with low-fat topping
- Rice cakes or bread rolls with banana
- Sports bars
- Commercial liquid meal supplement
- Creamed rice
- Fruit salad and yoghurt
In the 1-3 days leading up to the event, the following pre-event tips are suggested in order to maximise the levels of carbohydrates within muscle and liver:
- Increase carbohydrate intake three days out
- Spread the intake of carbohydrate foods and drinks over smaller and more frequent meals or snacks
- Reduce fat and protein intake to leave more room for the carbohydrates
- Increase fluid intake as carbohydrate need water to be stored
- Avoid alcohol in the 24-48 hours leading up to the event