Diet during hockey intensive period

[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.

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

Yeah, but it wouldn't taste as good. I mean, chicken livers or flaccid cooked zucchini or spinach.....I'm taking the livers.

In fact, between 90% of the steak I've eaten in my life or livers, I wish I'd have taken the livers.

[dangle 0]

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

One weekend "forget" to drink soda and from then on out, dont drink anymore. By the next weekend, it'll have been 2 weeks since you drank soda and it'll be easier to not have any :)

[TapOrSnap 0]

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.

For me personally I cut all the dairy out, even milk. Milk was real hard to give up cos i've pretty much been drinking at least a glass a day for like 20 years of my life. But I find that I feel bloated and weaker after milk. I believe it takes more energy to digest dairy.

I do agree with the regular consumption of protein though. Although again, UI wouldn't have the it with a huge glass of milk (though it does taste a whole lot better).

I'm 50:50 on the whole carbo loading thing. I used to be big on that, but it's starting to feel the same as milk. Have reguar, small meals.

Pre game, like maybe 15 mins before you hit the ice, if you're game, you can try something like No-Xplode or a nitric oxide, I found that that gave me a kick and still does when I spar (I wrestle a little bit as well). No-Xplode contains creatine.

Post game as well, try consuming a scoop of glutamine to help muscle recovery.

A lot of the rest is basic stuff, stay off your feet, try to get some nap time etc

[Jarick 5]

Well, keep in mind that I have some blood sugar issues. My dietary needs seem to be much different than practically anyone else on my team.

Do you have any recommendations for a milk replacement? I've just drastically increased my milk intake the last few weeks and seem to have more energy and feel fuller. And milk has a lot of nutrients. Maybe I'm one of the few who doesn't have a problem with lactose?

Last couple games went with the huge lunch, snack before game, works much better. Counter-intuitive to common nutrition, but I didn't have blood sugar problems on the bench like I usually do.

From Wikipedia, it looks like on average 12% of white Americans are lactose intolerant. Since my families been here for 300+ years, and we come from German and British ancestry (which is about the same), it's a low likelihood I'm lactose intolerant. I'll stick with the milk, maybe try some kind of shake in the future, but no rush on my part.

The more you know...

[nni 0]

For me personally I cut all the dairy out, even milk. Milk was real hard to give up cos i've pretty much been drinking at least a glass a day for like 20 years of my life. But I find that I feel bloated and weaker after milk. I believe it takes more energy to digest dairy.

I do agree with the regular consumption of protein though. Although again, UI wouldn't have the it with a huge glass of milk (though it does taste a whole lot better).

I'm 50:50 on the whole carbo loading thing. I used to be big on that, but it's starting to feel the same as milk. Have reguar, small meals.

Pre game, like maybe 15 mins before you hit the ice, if you're game, you can try something like No-Xplode or a nitric oxide, I found that that gave me a kick and still does when I spar (I wrestle a little bit as well). No-Xplode contains creatine.

Post game as well, try consuming a scoop of glutamine to help muscle recovery.

A lot of the rest is basic stuff, stay off your feet, try to get some nap time etc

this is awful advice, first off, there is nothing wrong with milk unless its on a personal level. for kids especially a drink of chocolate milk post game is ideal.

secondly, no-xplode contains such a small amout of creatine that is effective, on top of that NO products before any cardio bought is just dumb. creating a muscle pump is not the goal of cardio, it is the goal of weight lifting. this will effect your speed, endurance and felxibility. what you really are getting is a large dose of caffeine. if you like it that much, just buy straight caffeine, its much cheaper.

a post game drink of glutamine is a complete waste. glutamine does not add to muscle recovery at all, unless you are extremely old, have an immuno supressive disease or are a burn victim, and on top of that you need to take via IV for it to be effective. it is a waste of money, oraly all it does i aid the GI tract. post game (and workout) should always be carbs and protein.

[lotus 2]

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

One weekend "forget" to drink soda and from then on out, dont drink anymore. By the next weekend, it'll have been 2 weeks since you drank soda and it'll be easier to not have any :)

Can I still have club soda? Hahah B)

[TapOrSnap 0]

For me personally I cut all the dairy out, even milk. Milk was real hard to give up cos i've pretty much been drinking at least a glass a day for like 20 years of my life. But I find that I feel bloated and weaker after milk. I believe it takes more energy to digest dairy.

I do agree with the regular consumption of protein though. Although again, UI wouldn't have the it with a huge glass of milk (though it does taste a whole lot better).

I'm 50:50 on the whole carbo loading thing. I used to be big on that, but it's starting to feel the same as milk. Have reguar, small meals.

Pre game, like maybe 15 mins before you hit the ice, if you're game, you can try something like No-Xplode or a nitric oxide, I found that that gave me a kick and still does when I spar (I wrestle a little bit as well). No-Xplode contains creatine.

Post game as well, try consuming a scoop of glutamine to help muscle recovery.

A lot of the rest is basic stuff, stay off your feet, try to get some nap time etc

this is awful advice, first off, there is nothing wrong with milk unless its on a personal level. for kids especially a drink of chocolate milk post game is ideal.

secondly, no-xplode contains such a small amout of creatine that is effective, on top of that NO products before any cardio bought is just dumb. creating a muscle pump is not the goal of cardio, it is the goal of weight lifting. this will effect your speed, endurance and felxibility. what you really are getting is a large dose of caffeine. if you like it that much, just buy straight caffeine, its much cheaper.

a post game drink of glutamine is a complete waste. glutamine does not add to muscle recovery at all, unless you are extremely old, have an immuno supressive disease or are a burn victim, and on top of that you need to take via IV for it to be effective. it is a waste of money, oraly all it does i aid the GI tract. post game (and workout) should always be carbs and protein.

The dairy was a personal thing. It could be mental but in the last 6 odd months since I've cut it out, I've found that its worked for me. But who knows, I could just be working harder off the ice.

On the NO. See where you're coming from. Also didn't note that the kick the short term. It's kinda the effect that players had with sudafed just on a much lower scale. Maybe placebo effect but there have been a few workouts I didn't think I'd get through (just comparing to the day before without the NO) that I did complete... Again, it could be fitness work actually having an effect on me. I've tried coffee, didn't work for me. The drug of choice is NoDoze if the Australian rugby team is to be emulated.

Post game yes. You need a bit of everything. I'm just saying that since I gave up specifically carbo loading via pasta meal the night before I've felt a lot better. I still consume carbs just not to the degree I used to.

I don't claim to be a supps and diet guru (far from it actually). I've just listed a few of the things I've changed over the last 3 years that I felt improved how I felt on the ice and how I performed. There could be a lot of outside factors involved. I would also encourage each person to try for themselves. There's a reason why some insist on a pregame pizza or something. It's something that's worked for that particular person. I'm not going to say no to a team mate's habit and superstition if it's working... But they'll probably get a ribbing.....

Well, keep in mind that I have some blood sugar issues. My dietary needs seem to be much different than practically anyone else on my team.

Do you have any recommendations for a milk replacement? I've just drastically increased my milk intake the last few weeks and seem to have more energy and feel fuller. And milk has a lot of nutrients. Maybe I'm one of the few who doesn't have a problem with lactose?

Last couple games went with the huge lunch, snack before game, works much better. Counter-intuitive to common nutrition, but I didn't have blood sugar problems on the bench like I usually do.

From Wikipedia, it looks like on average 12% of white Americans are lactose intolerant. Since my families been here for 300+ years, and we come from German and British ancestry (which is about the same), it's a low likelihood I'm lactose intolerant. I'll stick with the milk, maybe try some kind of shake in the future, but no rush on my part.

The more you know...

If it works for you go for it. Go for it. It's all down to the individual at the end of the day. Just don't consume so much that you puke on the ice.

[BGM 0]

I actually find that no-xplode helps in hockey, b-ball, etc. But for running, etc, where it's more about endurance it's not effective. And I'm pretty sure there's no caffeine in it. L-glut is found in a lot of recovery drinks but those also have carbs/protein which is what you need for recovery. Stretching when you get home after hockey or any sport for that matter helps with the lactic acid in your muscles--I'm usually not as sore the next day if I do that.

[nni 0]

I actually find that no-xplode helps in hockey, b-ball, etc. But for running, etc, where it's more about endurance it's not effective. And I'm pretty sure there's no caffeine in it. L-glut is found in a lot of recovery drinks but those also have carbs/protein which is what you need for recovery. Stretching when you get home after hockey or any sport for that matter helps with the lactic acid in your muscles--I'm usually not as sore the next day if I do that.

there are 100mg of caffeine per scoop plus other stims. glutamine is a waste, check the studies. and no stretching doesnt help with lactic acid. lactic acid isnt a bad thing, it is necessary for recovery, stretching is a great thing though, but not for that reason.

[BGM 0]

I actually find that no-xplode helps in hockey, b-ball, etc. But for running, etc, where it's more about endurance it's not effective. And I'm pretty sure there's no caffeine in it. L-glut is found in a lot of recovery drinks but those also have carbs/protein which is what you need for recovery. Stretching when you get home after hockey or any sport for that matter helps with the lactic acid in your muscles--I'm usually not as sore the next day if I do that.

there are 100mg of caffeine per scoop plus other stims. glutamine is a waste, check the studies. and no stretching doesnt help with lactic acid. lactic acid isnt a bad thing, it is necessary for recovery, stretching is a great thing though, but not for that reason.

Yeah maybe there's some caffeine but I wasn't sure. As far as lactic acid most experts agree on the stretching:

Overexertion and/or intense muscular activity will fatigue the muscles and cause them to accumulate lactic acid and other waste products. If this is the cause of your pain, then static stretching (see section Static Stretching), isometric stretching (see section Isometric Stretching), or a good warm-up (see section Warming Up) or cool-down (see section Cooling Down) will help alleviate some of the soreness. See section Bodybuilders and Stretching. Massaging the sore muscles may also help relieve the pain (see section Massage). It has also been claimed that supplements of vitamin C will help alleviate this type of pain, but controlled tests using placebos have been unable to lend credibility to this hypothesis. The ingestion of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) before athletic activity has been shown to help increase the body's buffering capacity and reduce the output of lactic acid. However, it can also cause urgent diarrhea.

And also:

According to Dr. David Musnick and Mark Pierce, A.T.C. (in their book "Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness"), "The goal of stretching is to lengthen a muscle and move the corresponding joints through the full range of motion, thereby allowing both the contractile (muscle and tendon) and the noncontractile (ligament and joint capsule) structures to lengthen." The effect has many advantages for runners. Stretching exercises:

relieve muscle tension

keep muscles flexible, which can help your posture and balance

lengthen muscles and increase range of motion, which helps lengthen your stride

help prevent muscle and joint injuries by elongating and relaxing muscles

flush lactic acid out of your muscles.

[nni 0]

lactic acid has been misunderstood for a long time. all stretching does is flex and stretch the muscle and increase blood flow. this also helps circulate the lactic acid, it doesnt flush it out so much as help it do its job a bit faster. lactic acid shouldnt be a concern unless you are running a marathon, hockey and weights dont really last long enough for lactic acid to have an impact on performance.

[lampliter87 8]

Gatorade or any other sports drink is definitely a good thing that does indeed help you "Rehydrate, Replenish, and Refuel" BUT the amount of sugars does indeed make you crash, therefore it should always be diluted or watered down.

[BGM 0]

lactic acid has been misunderstood for a long time. all stretching does is flex and stretch the muscle and increase blood flow. this also helps circulate the lactic acid, it doesnt flush it out so much as help it do its job a bit faster. lactic acid shouldnt be a concern unless you are running a marathon, hockey and weights dont really last long enough for lactic acid to have an impact on performance.

Maybe weights it doesn't but when you play 5 games of full court b-ball every Sat morning for the past 12 years like I have stretching helps reduce greatly in muscle soreness-- my legs will be sore the next day. Hockey isn't as bad for lactic acid but it varies really how much you play during a game and how hard you are playing.

[BGM 0]

lactic acid has been misunderstood for a long time. all stretching does is flex and stretch the muscle and increase blood flow. this also helps circulate the lactic acid, it doesnt flush it out so much as help it do its job a bit faster. lactic acid shouldnt be a concern unless you are running a marathon, hockey and weights dont really last long enough for lactic acid to have an impact on performance.

Well lactic acid has been around for a long time. If you want to say whether to stretch before or after exercise has been misunderstood over time I would agree---it seems the sediment recently is that it's better to do a light warm-up if anything before exercise. Maybe with weights it lactic doesn't but when you play 5 games of full court b-ball every Sat morning for the past 12 years like I have stretching helps reduce greatly in muscle soreness-- my legs will be sore the next day. Hockey is as well but it varies really how much you play during a game and how hard you are playing/intensity.

http://www.hockeyplayer.com/artman/publish/article_342.shtml

[Jarick 5]

OKAY, after the weekend of playoffs, here's what I found:

- Drinking milk is awesome. It's a complete protein, gives you nutrients, gives you vitamins, gives you energy. If you aren't lactose intolerant (and you will know if you are), drink a lot of milk. A tall glass with every meal for starters.

- Medium breakfast, large lunch, tiny dinner. My usual breakfast was a bowl of oatmeal with whey protein and milk, lunch was a HUGE bowl of pasta and some garlic toast (and milk), and dinner was an apple or banana and maybe a glass of milk. Anything else before the game and I felt slow and sick.

- Fresh strawberries and bananas taste great mixed in a protein shake, and that helps you bounce back if you drink it right after the game.

- Eating a lot of protein and fat on a game day made me feel very sick. Had some eggs and cheese this morning and I definitely wasn't as sharp physically or mentally.

- Drink water throughout the day. I regressed to drinking diet soda and had a pretty good headache during the game, presumably from dehydration.

But overall, my muscles weren't too sore and my game was above average, so I'm happy.

[TapOrSnap 0]

I actually find that no-xplode helps in hockey, b-ball, etc. But for running, etc, where it's more about endurance it's not effective. And I'm pretty sure there's no caffeine in it. L-glut is found in a lot of recovery drinks but those also have carbs/protein which is what you need for recovery. Stretching when you get home after hockey or any sport for that matter helps with the lactic acid in your muscles--I'm usually not as sore the next day if I do that.

there are 100mg of caffeine per scoop plus other stims. glutamine is a waste, check the studies. and no stretching doesnt help with lactic acid. lactic acid isnt a bad thing, it is necessary for recovery, stretching is a great thing though, but not for that reason.

I stretch cos I like being able to touch my toes :D

Lactic acid... Ever try the ice bath for 2 mins then the hot shower for 2 mins x3? I could never find enough ice so cheap man's method of using the shower and running between cold and hot.

[AnthonyJTa 0]

Gatorade or any other sports drink is definitely a good thing that does indeed help you "Rehydrate, Replenish, and Refuel" BUT the amount of sugars does indeed make you crash, therefore it should always be diluted or watered down.

the new Gatorade G2 has significantly less sugar, and you still get your electrolites.

[TheBert 0]

Doing it again. 4 games in 5 days. I'm not sports drink fan but I'll look into some of the stuff suggested in this thread.

[#44wannabe 4]

For me personally I cut all the dairy out, even milk. Milk was real hard to give up cos i've pretty much been drinking at least a glass a day for like 20 years of my life. But I find that I feel bloated and weaker after milk. I believe it takes more energy to digest dairy.

I do agree with the regular consumption of protein though. Although again, UI wouldn't have the it with a huge glass of milk (though it does taste a whole lot better).

I'm 50:50 on the whole carbo loading thing. I used to be big on that, but it's starting to feel the same as milk. Have reguar, small meals.

Pre game, like maybe 15 mins before you hit the ice, if you're game, you can try something like No-Xplode or a nitric oxide, I found that that gave me a kick and still does when I spar (I wrestle a little bit as well). No-Xplode contains creatine.

Post game as well, try consuming a scoop of glutamine to help muscle recovery.

A lot of the rest is basic stuff, stay off your feet, try to get some nap time etc

this is awful advice, first off, there is nothing wrong with milk unless its on a personal level. for kids especially a drink of chocolate milk post game is ideal.

secondly, no-xplode contains such a small amout of creatine that is effective, on top of that NO products before any cardio bought is just dumb. creating a muscle pump is not the goal of cardio, it is the goal of weight lifting. this will effect your speed, endurance and felxibility. what you really are getting is a large dose of caffeine. if you like it that much, just buy straight caffeine, its much cheaper.

a post game drink of glutamine is a complete waste. glutamine does not add to muscle recovery at all, unless you are extremely old, have an immuno supressive disease or are a burn victim, and on top of that you need to take via IV for it to be effective. it is a waste of money, oraly all it does i aid the GI tract. post game (and workout) should always be carbs and protein.

Ditto on the nitric oxide products, i used to take them before hockey as well as weights etc but in reality i could balls out for maybe 30 seconds tops then i would just a big wall of lactic acid and literally be barely able to move until my next 30 second shift. Don't do it before hockey but by all means take it before weights. Ive been using Met-Rx Amped NOS for a while and it works pretty good as long i take a break every 2 weeks. Im going to try No-Xplode next which i hear is also very good.

[Gongshow11 1]

in all honesty you need a high caloric diet. Search Michael Phelps' diet online. Although I don't recommend what he eats, and you'll see why, he's on 12,000 Cals a day. Don't go to that extreme, but eat about 4000 because in a game of hockey you lose about 1000 cals

[nni 0]

in all honesty you need a high caloric diet. Search Michael Phelps' diet online. Although I don't recommend what he eats, and you'll see why, he's on 12,000 Cals a day. Don't go to that extreme, but eat about 4000 because in a game of hockey you lose about 1000 cals

are you making numbers up? you do not burn 1000 calories during hockey. please show me where you get this.

if you are doing multiple games in a day you need quickly digesting protein and you need carbs to replenish your glycogen stores. in between games i would have a carb and amino acid drink if the break is very short. if you have several hours, i would have a light meal, but you really need to learn your body and how you react to different things.

[turc91 0]

Hey Guys , for the next 4 days i'm doing two-a-days

At 4:45-till 6:15 i've got intense workouts with Usually 15-20 mins of conditioning

by the time i;m home it's around 6:30.

45 minutes later i've got to leave for my team's Practice/Conditioning Camp

My problem is that i've exhausted during the practice(more so then other team mates)

With not much time to eat , what would good dinner ideas that are quick and easy, yet will give me some energy ?

[Jarick 5]

I could see losing 500 calories playing a game, then losing another 300-500 calories due to the metabolic effect of HIIT. The numbers may be off, but it's a possibility with some people.

Light meals such as pasta salad with low fat dressing are the best pre-game meals for me. The fiber in the lettuce slows the breakdown of the carbs and prevents blood sugar spikes (I have issues otherwise). Usually 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta and a ton of lettuce with a small portion of lean protein (1/2 small chicken breast).

After games, a sports drink to replace the sugar and possibly some protein (like chocolate milk) was great. And again, a very light meal once I got home if I had a few hours before the next game.

But that's just my experience. For me, controlling blood sugar was more important than managing calories. My teammate had a much higher metabolism and for him, eating as many calories as possible was much more important. I think I ended up losing 5-6 pounds over the weekend with 3 or 4 games, but I actually played better than I did during the regular season, so for me it was a success.

[habsmaniac 0]

after your game be sure to have a snack within 20 minutes after.