Tag: Nutrition

Determining how to fuel your body for a long tournament day can be stressful! From deciding what to eat for breakfast to figuring out the best snacks to pack and when to eat them, nourishing your body can quickly become an overwhelming thought. Having a nutritionist-approved game day fuel plan helps eliminate the stress of choosing the right foods and allows you to focus on the game.

There’s no question that fueling your body properly is a necessity, and nutrition industry leaders have observed the impact nutrition has on performance.  According to a study by Kathryn L. Beck published in the Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, nutrition is cited as a “key component of optimal sports performance” (Beck et al.). The article further stresses, “Dietary strategies to enhance performance include optimizing intakes of macronutrients, micronutrients, and fluids, including their composition and spacing throughout the day” (Beck et al.). In other words, what you eat and when you eat is pivotal to reaping all the game day benefits.

Understanding when to consume different macronutrients is crucial for optimal performance. Carbohydrates provide quick energy, protein helps rebuild muscles, and fats deliver sustained energy. In a basketball game, you’ll need all three macronutrients to perform at your best. Here’s a simple guide to timing your macronutrient intake effectively on a tournament day.

3-4 Hours Before a Game

Choose all three macronutrients – carbs, protein, and fat are appropriate here. Focus heavily on carbs and protein; however, small amounts of fat are okay. Here is why: protein is going to help you stay full for longer while giving your body the nutrients it needs to actively repair. Having carbs 3-4 hours before will fill your body’s energy stores for when you need them during game time. You’ll want to avoid large amounts of fat before a game because fat takes longer to digest; having too much fat too close to game time can leave you with an upset stomach.

1-2 Hours Before a Game

Direct your focus towards carbs and some protein. Pay attention to fiber content at this point.  Fiber is classified as a carb; however, it is not digested. Fiber is critical to a well-balanced diet, but similar to the reason to avoid fat before a game, you want to limit fiber before to decrease the chances of GI issues.

Less than 30 Minutes Before a Game

Carbs, carbs, carbs! At this point, you’ll want to consume simple carbs, things that will easily digest and give quick energy.

During a Game

Carb snacks or mouth rinses containing carbs can help improve overall performance during a game. Should you find that your performance decreases during a game, this can be a quick solution while working on identifying how you can prepare your body properly for the game (Beck et al.).

In-Between Games

Most tournaments consist of more than one game in a day. So how do you fuel for this? Follow the timing guidelines above, use your best judgment to decide what timeframe the breaks will fall. No time for protein and fat? That’s okay. Focus on that after the day is done to get your body ready for the next day!

After Game Day is Over

When your long tournament day is done it’s important to refuel using all three macronutrients: carbs, protein, and fat. You want to recover the energy that was lost while competing during the day and give your body enough energy to jumpstart the recovery process while you are resting. Along with filling energy stores that were depleted, your body will use these nutrients to build muscle mass. You will be less sore and more energized for the games the following day. A good rule of thumb is 30-in-30: 30 grams of protein in 30 minutes. But it doesn’t stop there – our bodies thrive with a 3:1 carb-to-protein ratio.

Tournament Day Meal Plan and Packing Guide

Ready to get down specifics? Here’s an example tournament day meal plan and snack packing guide.

Let’s assume your first game is at 10 AM. I would encourage you to have a big, nutrient-dense breakfast around 7:00 AM. This might look like three eggs with toast and chicken sausage, fruit, and a glass of orange juice.

After breakfast, make sure a water bottle is available to sip on while heading to the game. Don’t fall behind on hydration.

The following items are ideas for what to include in an athlete’s snack bag to bring with you to a tournament:

–       Turkey sandwich

–       Chobani drinkable yogurt

–       An apple

–       A clementine

–       Pretzels

–       Beef jerky stick

–       Naked Juice smoothie

After the day is done, be sure to choose a well-balanced dinner with a minimum of 90 grams of carbs, 30 grams of protein, and a healthy fat with fruits and veggies. Still hungry after dinner? I emphasize a late-night snack if needed.

At the end of the day, every athlete has unique nutritional needs and preferences. The most important strategy is to listen to your body—eat when you’re hungry and fuel yourself appropriately. Following the guidelines above will help you make strategic food choices throughout a basketball tournament day, giving your body the nutrients it needs to perform at its peak.

Disclaimer: The information contained within all materials of this document is intended for educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and isn’t intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. This information may not be construed as professional medical advice, nor does it represent a client-practitioner relationship between the author and viewer. You should always consult a qualified medical professional before engaging in any dietary or lifestyle change.

Cited Sources

Beck, Kathryn L, et al. “Role of Nutrition in Performance Enhancement and Postexercise Recovery.” Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 11 Aug. 2015, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4540168/.

About the Author

As a Certified Nutrition Coach, Julianna Quiring helps athletes optimize their performance through proper nutrition. Drawing from her experience as a Performance Nutrition Intern at Iowa State Athletics and nutrition coach at Life Time Fitness, she creates personalized strategies that enhance athletic achievement. Her goal is to guide and inspire athletes to make informed nutritional choices that support their success both on and off the court.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recognizes March as National Nutrition Month^®. Are you excited? I know I am – a whole month dedicated to learning more about nutrition. Each year, a theme is chosen; the theme for 2025 is “Food Connects Us.” This is such an important reminder that food is much more than the nutrients it provides; it brings people together worldwide, improves your overall health, builds relationships, and so much more.  Food is a historical, emotional, and cultural connection that brings people together.

The Power of Food: Connecting Nutrition, Health, and Relationships

When we gather around food – we nourish more than our bodies; we nourish our connection with others and our overall well-being. When life gets busy, it can create stress, causing us to forget the importance of gathering around a meal. Our bodies go into fight-or-flight mode when stressed, causing difficulty with digestion and absorption of valuable nutrients.  This is where our vagal nerve comes into play; when we stimulate our vagal nerve, our bodies relax, allowing optimal digestion and absorption.

One of the most effective ways to engage your vagal nerve is through laughter and socialization. Laughing and socializing naturally stimulate the nerve, promoting relaxation and better digestion. So, when we share a meal with loved ones, friends, co-workers, teammates, or even new acquaintances, we do much more than just eat–we create an environment that allows our body to benefit from the sweet nutrients we’re consuming. This is the power of food beyond its nutritional value. It’s a tool for connection, relaxation, and overall well-being.

An Activity to Engage with Feelings and Emotions Around Community and Food

Take a second to reflect on a special memory of a meal with a loved one that brings you to a happy place. How does this memory make you feel? What do you sense? Now that you have taken a second to reflect and pause, notice the power of those feelings and emotions. Were you aware of the moment? Who was this person? Did you share more than a meal?

Let’s take this a step further. Think about the role food played in this memory. Were you cooking, baking, eating a meal, picking out recipes together? Next, think about those emotions in the first half of this exercise. Are they positive feelings filled with love? Maybe you felt excited! What about a sense of longing? Whatever emotions came up, notice that food has the power to generate these feelings. Finally, consider how to bring these feelings into cooking and mealtimes this month. Can you recreate a family recipe? Start new traditions or practice an existing one? Invite friends over to cook and enjoy a meal together? Food is not just about nutrition – it is about being connected to our food, others, traditions, and love.

Tips for Preparing Meals Together

It may feel overwhelming to cook or prepare your own meals or snacks reducing your time to engage in meaningful mealtimes. However, with a few tips to simplify cooking, you can create a meal for yourself and your loved ones with much more confidence!

1. Keep it Simple: Choose a simple dish over a complex one. It doesn’t need to be a masterpiece. Look for recipes with minimal ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions. My favorite place to search for recipes is Pinterest. A quick search like “under 20-minute dinners” populates many great places to start!
2. Buy Pre-Cut Items: If you are in a time crunch, choosing pre-cut items helps you eat nutrient-dense food without the prep time, leaving more time to enjoy, laugh, smile, share, and taste the meal together.
3. Cook with Others: This makes food fun! Cooking together makes your experience more of an activity versus a task. You might even learn a new tip or trick while cooking with someone else. Don’t forget to take a photo of this moment together – a photo is worth a thousand words.
4. Prep Healthy Snacks: This ensures you are choosing nutrient-dense snack options. Homemade snacks allow you to share a bite with friends and strike up a conversation about what you made and how you did it.
5. Create a Recipe Photo Album: When you see a recipe you want to try, screenshot it, add it to an album on your phone, and give it a try when you want to try something new.

There are powerful ways for you to engage with the food you are preparing and those you are cooking with. Take time this month to prioritize consuming food with community. Notice how it makes you feel, the memories it builds, and the emotions it brings up. Food is powerful, and it connects us with others.

About the Author

As a Certified Nutrition Coach, Julianna Quiring helps athletes optimize their performance through proper nutrition. Drawing from her experience as a Performance Nutrition Intern at Iowa State Athletics and nutrition coach at Life Time Fitness, she creates personalized strategies that enhance athletic achievement. Her goal is to guide and inspire athletes to make informed nutritional choices that support their success both on and off the court.

While many athletes focus solely on training, nutrition plays an equally vital role in performance. Understanding the foundations of nutrition and how to properly fuel your body with macro and micronutrients and hydration is key to reaching your full potential on and off the court. From macro and micronutrients to hydration, these are the key essentials that help fuel your athletic performance.

The Importance of Nutrition

Nutrition sets the stage for how hard you can go on the court or in the weight room. The food you eat is fuel for your body, and proper fueling allows you to perform at your highest capacity. Without the right amount of food, your body won’t keep up with the intensity. How many of you feel like you are running low on energy? I know I have my days. But did you know that fatigue can often be a sign of underfueling? This is your body’s way of communicating that it needs more food. By increasing the amount of nutrients we consume each day, we can recover from this lack of energy. We all know that when our energy is high, our performance also increases. Something so simple as increasing your portion at mealtimes or adding in a snack can take you to the next level, and as an added benefit, nutrition helps support muscle growth and repair.

Macronutrients – The Fuel for our Bodies

Three macronutrients provide our body with energy: carbohydrates (aka carbs), protein, and fat. Each macronutrient plays a different role in the body to sustain you throughout your training and support you in recovery. Here is the breakdown of what each macronutrient does:

First up, carbs serve as your body’s primary energy source. The cool thing is, when you eat more carbs than your body immediately needs for energy, it gets stored in your liver and muscles. Your body will then use this to give you enough energy for practice or a game.

There are simple and complex carbs; simple carbs turn into glucose quicker, giving you a burst of energy. Some great sources are bananas, dried fruits, oatmeal, and white rice.

Complex carbs take longer to turn into glucose, which gives you more sustained energy. Complex carbs are whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, wild rice, fruits, and veggies. A balance of simple and complex carbs will allow you to support training needs.

Next up, let’s talk about protein – think of protein as the building block for muscle repair and growth. The recovery process starts as soon as you are done training; ensuring you regularly eat enough protein will allow you to build and develop your muscles. Protein aids in good recovery, both being very important for overall performance. Good protein sources include lean meats, dairy products, and plant-based proteins like beans and chickpeas.

Finally, fat – while fat often gets a bad rep, fats are essential for athletes as they provide long-lasting energy, which will be helpful during a long practice or intense game. When choosing a fat source, you want to opt for healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, and seeds and avoid highly processed oils, which can lead to inflammation and other health concerns.

Hydration – The Key to Peak Performance

Hydration is often the missing piece for many athletes. How many times do you find yourself walking around without a water bottle or, better yet, one that is empty? Hydration is so important; even slight dehydration can significantly impact performance. Water regulates body temperature, supports digestion, and aids in detoxification and transporting nutrients. All of which are related to your performance. Athletes should hydrate before, during, and after exercise to replenish lost fluids and aim for a minimum of half your body weight in ounces.

Micronutrients – Small but Mighty Nutrients

While macronutrients make up the larger portion of what you consume daily, micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) play an important role in your body’s overall function. As an athlete, you should set a goal for yourself to make your plate as colorful and diverse as possible, including the following: colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins. Eating with this goal in mind will allow you to get a wide a variety of nutrients in to support performance and recovery.

By understanding and implementing these nutritional foundations, you’re not just feeding your body—you’re investing in your athletic performance. While macronutrients, hydration, and micronutrients form the core of nutrition, remember that every body is unique. Your nutritional needs will differ from other athletes’. Listening to your body’s signals will help you develop a more effective approach to nutrition, preparing you for the next level of athletic achievement.

About the Author

As a Certified Nutrition Coach, Julianna Quiring helps athletes optimize their performance through proper nutrition. Drawing from her experience as a Performance Nutrition Intern at Iowa State Athletics and nutrition coach at Life Time Fitness, she creates personalized strategies that enhance athletic achievement. Her goal is to guide and inspire athletes to make informed nutritional choices that support their success both on and off the court.