Diet during hockey intensive period

[TheBert 0]

I'm just playing in men's league, but I've got a stretch where I'm playing 5 games in 8 days for playoffs.

Any nutritional pointers that anyone might offer?

[houk 0]

Eat lots of pasta which is high in carbohydrates 3 hours before the game to allow your body to digest it. I would also hydrate well with gatorade or water.

[epstud74 24]

Lots of beer

[Doctor Hook 0]

This stuff intrigues me:

Cherrypharm drink

Supposedly it's a good post-workout recovery drink so you can get back to hacking the next day.

Endorsed and used by the NY Rangers if that means anything.

[epstud74 24]

Stay away from energy drinks..They're fattening and you'll come crashing harder than a mother effer. Just drink lots of water and eat plenty of fruit and a balanced diet. Lots of people say "pasta" which is all find and dandy, but then they go overboard on it too.

[scorer75 9]

Doc Hook:

Don't be intrigued, it's fruit juice, high in calories and sugar, low in fiber. The only benefit to this over soda is that the sugar is not processed sugar and you may receive some anti-oxident benefit or whatever.

Bottom line, it's still 200 calories, almost 30g of sugar per serving, and you are still going to be hungry.

[Jarick 5]

I'll be doing this next week (six games in five days), and here's my plan:

Breakfast - 1/2 cup oatmeal (steel cut oats) with a large scoop of whey protein powder and 1 tbsp flaxseed oil and a cup of milk. The steel cut oats are slower to digest, giving you energy over a longer period of time without a blood sugar spike. Protein for muscle recovery and flaxseed oil for healthy fats.

Lunch - Sandwich with 100% whole wheat bread, extra lean ham or tuna, salad with olive oil dressing and fresh veggies. Lots of fiber and veggies for nutrients (I've been sick lately) and olive oil for healthy fat, complex carbs, and good protein.

Dinner - Pasta with red sauce (no olive oil, no fat before games!) or rice with grilled chicken breast (small portion, not too much protein before games). I try to eat 2-3 hours before a game because I don't want my blood sugar to drop and need the carbs for energy. If I have fatty food before a game, I can't play at all.

I also have snacks of skim cheese, half sandwiches, or almonds between meals.

Pre-game - Banana for simple carbs and potassium. Usually 30 minutes before game time (in the car or before I leave).

Game drink - Water with a scoop of Gatorade mix. As I said before, I have blood sugar issues, so this keeps me going. The mix is dirt cheap compared to the regular stuff and has sugar instead of corn syrup.

Post-game - Tall glass of milk with a couple scoops of whey protein. Usually it's recommended to take glucose with it as well, but I'm using up some whey protein that has a lot of sugar in it so that gets the job done for muscle recovery.

Post-game meal - Some people like a post-game meal, but I'm usually not hungry, so if anything I'll have a little bit of rice and chicken or pasta or whatever I had pre-game if there's leftovers.

-----

I've actually been cleaning up my diet and watching my proportions of food (I aim for 2000 cals a day and a 40% carbs 30% protein 30% fat diet), and I've been feeling a lot better, fuller, and dropping a few pounds. I've been fighting a flu bug for a few weeks now and it's almost gone after cleaning up the diet.

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

Lots of beer

Bingo!

[gxc999 7]

Eat plenty of red meat, but preferably not too high in fat content. You need plenty of calories, protein and nutrients like Iron etc as well as some healthy fats. Red Meat is actually good for you, in reasonable amounts, contrary to what certain people (PETA) suggest.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

This stuff intrigues me:

Cherrypharm drink

Supposedly it's a good post-workout recovery drink so you can get back to hacking the next day.

Endorsed and used by the NY Rangers if that means anything.

it means you'll blow the playoff games.

[Hoffer 0]

Pasta and make sure you drink lots of water.

[Lord ZipLock 0]

The most important thing is hydration make sure you drink tons of regular water while your not playing and something like Powerade or Gatorade while you are playing.

[gxc999 7]

I prefer iced tea or 100% juice. It works just as well without the cramps!

[Jarick 5]

Yeah I need Gatorade (a weak mix) because my blood sugar will drop, but the rest of my teammates all drink regular water.

[Doctor Hook 0]

I've given up soda and it's probably one of the best dietary decisions I've made in a while. That and switching to lactose free milk.

[forbs02 20]

I just finished playing 5 games in 3 days and the biggest thing that helped me was hydration. Before the game I'd drink a half bottle of water, I'd top it off with gatorade and drink it during the game. I'd finish the bottle of gatorade afterwards. Pasta and protein also helped to keep me going. I really didn't change my diet much from what I normally eat, but I definately drank a lot more fluids, especially after the last game- BEER!

[Jim A 4]

If you have a good diet, little changes to be made, just listen to you as you may need to add a few more calories or calorie laden food in lieu of others.

if worried about hydration, mix water/sports drink so as not to incur hyponatremia...

[nni 0]

honestly the biggest issue will be your glycogen stores. i doubt hydration will be an issue, as you will continue to drink water, but you need to replenish you glycogen stores. after your games i would suggest a mixture of protein or aminos and gatorade powder. if you must have a pre mixed drink, then accelerade is a decent option.

[dangle 0]

I've given up soda and it's probably one of the best dietary decisions I've made in a while.

I've also done this (about 2 years ago), and agree. It's such a good thing to do IMO.

[Trooper 8]

Listen to Jim A. Just eat a good diet. Micromanaging what you are eating now is going to make little to no difference.

[N!! 0]

Protein and vitamins to replenish what's been used up. I strongly recommend liver for that, as long as you don't overcook it.

I usually take a bowl with three or four chicken livers, throw a dash of kosher salt and paprika on it, and microwave for around a minute. Eat up, then soak up the liquid with something of nutritional value.

[nni 0]

Protein and vitamins to replenish what's been used up. I strongly recommend liver for that, as long as you don't overcook it.

I usually take a bowl with three or four chicken livers, throw a dash of kosher salt and paprika on it, and microwave for around a minute. Eat up, then soak up the liquid with something of nutritional value.

that is disgusting. a plate of chicken breast and mixed veggies will do the same thing.

[almack 0]

Pasta is good but it takes much longer than 3 hours to absorb the calories from it.

[fatwabbit 93]

I've given up soda and it's probably one of the best dietary decisions I've made in a while. That and switching to lactose free milk.

Agree with Dr Hook. I've given up soda and those energy drinks (gatorade etc), and have since dropped about 5kg in the last month alone. Not much dietery changes, still eat pasta and an occasional burger/pizza, but feel a lot better with the lost weight.

[lotus 2]

Slowly been giving up soda. Only on weekends I have it.

I've been playing ~5 days a week for a while and I struggle finding the right things to eat. A lot of the time I'm dead for my games. I have honestly noticed a difference with a daily multi-vitamin. This might only be because I'm pretty thin so a tiny multi-vitamin could go a long way (just assuming). But that has proven to be a big help.

I focus a lot more on what I should eat rather than what I shouldn't, but I'm positive the latter should not be overlooked. No specific diet however, should probably get on that before I die. Water during game, sports drink of some kind after.