Nutritions for Gymnasts - Pre competition meals 

Notes by Ien Hellemans, Sports Dietician, Active Health QEII, Christchurch

Active Health QEII Support CSG

Goals

• To achieve high energy stores
• To be well hydrated
• To avoid feeling full and bloated

STRATEGIES

On the day before the competition:

• Avoid high fat foods like takeaways, pies, chips, cake, chocolate etc
• Eat a good breakfast of toast, cereal milk and fruit
• Have sandwiches, rolls, pasta or rice for lunch
• Have rice, pasta, noodles, or potatoes plus vegies and lean meat, chicken or fish for dinner and yoghurt and fruit, fruit crumble, or rice pudding for dessert
• Eat a carbohydrate snack at supper, eg toast, banana, Mother Earth bar
• Drink an extra 1 litre of fluid throughout the day

ON THE DAY OF COMPETITION

Morning Competition

• Eat a light breakfast at least 2 hours before the start of the competition, eg a large bowl of rices or cornflakes and trim milk and fruit plus 2 glasses of fruit juice or 2 slices of white or brown toast. Scrape marg and jam, honey and banana and 1 glass of trim or flavored milk or jog hurt and glass of fruit juice
• After breakfast take regular sips from a water bottle

Afternoon Competition

• Eat a good breakfast around 8 ameg large bowl of cerealwith milk and fruit and 1-2 slices of toast with toppings and 2 glasses of fruit juice
• Drink water through the morning--total of 2 bottles
• Eat a high carbo snack mid-morning--ME bar, toast, banana, creamed rice, dried fruit
• Eat a light carbohydrate meal 2-3 hours before start--pasta, sandwiches, rolls, spaghetti, or egg on toast and 2 glasses of fruit juice

Evening Competition

• Eat a good breakfast around 8am
• Eat a high carbo snack mid-morning
• Eat a high carbo lunch of rolls, sandwiches or pasta and 2 glasses of fruit juice
• Eat a light dinner 2-3 hours before start--pasta and chicken, baked or stuffed potato, rice stir fry and 2 glasses of fruit juice (no red meat)

During Competition

• Drink water and sportsdrink (eg Replace, Vitasport) total of 1 bottle every 2 hours
• If hungry, snack on bananas, ME or Uncle Toby bars, dried fruit

After Competition

• Within 1 hr post competition have a mixed meal--chicken, tuna, salmon, cheese, meat or egg sandwiches or rolls and a glass of milk
• Alt. Have 500mls milk or smoothie, banana or bar, then a meal when practical