Eating and drinking for sport: hydration and fuelling basics

TUREFF• •0

You do not need special products or a complicated plan to eat well for sport. For most recreational players, ordinary food and water, timed sensibly, cover almost everything. This guide sets out the basics. If you have a medical condition such as diabetes, an eating disorder history or a heavy training load, a registered dietitian or your doctor can give tailored advice.

Start with everyday eating

What you eat across the week matters more than what you eat on match day. A balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, starchy carbohydrates such as bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and oats, a source of protein at each meal, and some dairy or fortified alternatives gives most active people what they need. Very low-carbohydrate or very restrictive diets can leave you flat in training, particularly in sports with repeated sprints.

What each nutrient does

Carbohydrate is the main fuel for moderate and high-intensity exercise. The body stores a limited amount in muscles and the liver, which is why hard sessions feel harder when you have not eaten.
Protein helps repair and build muscle. Spreading it across meals, including after training, is more useful than one large serving.
Fat is an important fuel for longer, easier exercise and for general health.
Fluids and salts replace what you lose in sweat.

Before exercise

A normal meal two to four hours before is ideal: something familiar, built around carbohydrate, with moderate protein and not too much fat or fibre, which digest slowly.
If you only have an hour, a small snack such as a banana, toast or a yoghurt works better than a large meal.
Never try a new food or drink for the first time before an important match or race.

During exercise

For sessions under about an hour, water is usually all you need.
For longer or very intense sessions, such as tournaments, long rides or endurance events, taking some carbohydrate during exercise can help you keep going. A sports drink, diluted juice, a banana or similar all work.
Practise this in training, because some people's stomachs need time to get used to eating while moving.

After exercise

Rehydrate gradually rather than all at once.
Eat a meal or snack containing carbohydrate and protein within a few hours, sooner if you train again the next day. Milk, a sandwich or a normal dinner is perfectly adequate.

Hydration without overthinking it

Fluid needs vary hugely with body size, weather and how much you sweat. Some practical checks:

Urine colour. Pale straw colour usually means you are well hydrated. Dark yellow suggests you need more.
Weigh yourself before and after a typical session. A big drop shows how much fluid you lost; it helps you plan for hot days.
Thirst is a reasonable guide for most people in most sessions.

Drinking far too much is also a risk. Over-drinking during long events can dilute the sodium in your blood, a condition called hyponatraemia, which can be dangerous. Drink to need rather than forcing fluid down. In hot weather or very long events, a drink containing salts can help replace what is lost in sweat.

A word on supplements

Supplements are not needed for most recreational players, and food comes first. Products are not always what they claim, and some have been found to contain substances banned in sport. If you compete under anti-doping rules, any supplement is your responsibility; speak to a qualified professional and check what your sport's anti-doping body advises before taking anything.

Warning signs

Stop and seek help if you feel faint, confused, very unwell or stop sweating in the heat; these can be signs of heat illness. Repeated fatigue, injuries or missed periods in women can be signs of not eating enough for the training you do, and are worth raising with a doctor. What do you eat before a match or long session? Share your go-to snacks and tips in the comments.