Snack
Like a Pro
By Brandi Givens, RDN
The right snacks can give a player the winning
advantage on tournament days. Think of snacks as
healthy mini-meals, following these general rules:
Before exercise
4 Focus on carbohydrates. 1-4 grams of carbs/kg body weight,
1-4 hours prior to exercise. The closer to tournament time,
the lighter the fare should be.
4 Example: 1 hour prior to tournament, a 180-lb. athlete might
eat: ¼ cup oatmeal cooked in 1 cup soy beverage, mixed
with ¼ cup dried cherries, plus 8 oz. glass of orange juice =
86g carbs.
4 A little protein, fat, or fiber will keep you feeling full longer.
Go light to avoid gut distress.
4 Example: Add a handful of walnuts to oatmeal.
During 1+ hours of play
4 Replace carbohydrates. For every hour of intense exercise,
consume 30g of carbs.
4 Examples: 1 banana, or 2 whole-grain fig bars, or a mini
bagel with peanut butter.
4 Replace electrolytes and fluids. 14-27 oz./hour of sports
drinks, or water with salty snacks.
I had a great time at the International Indoor Pickleball Championships
in Centralia, WA, asking a few top players how they fuel before and
during matches...
Peter Hudachko: Veggie wraps, cheese, avocados, almond butter
Takako Tourangeau: Low-added-sugar, high-protein energy bars
Michelle Esquivel and Glen Peterson: Bananas
Enrique Ruiz: Homemade pasta, juicy fruit including watermelon,
blueberries, grapes
Morgan Evans: Trail mix, sandwiches
Brian Ashworth enjoys a variety of pre-game foods including yogurt
mixed with granola and peanut butter, or crackers with hummus, but
his must-have match snack is pickles “because they’re delicious.”
Delicious always gets gold in my book, Brian!
Brandi Givens has been a registered dietitian since 2010. Questions or
comments can be posted to her blog: www.abitdietitious.com.
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together and there’s no nagging because LeEllen is
a “great eater.” Her favorite food is sushi.
Living and playing in the south means friendship
is more important than food. Bart Brannon of
Wildwood, GA, notes that when he walks into
Popeye’s, they start cooking his order. “I’m a
regular and they know what I want,” he says. He
eats a good meal the night before he plays, but
doesn’t between matches. Instead, he drinks a
5-Hour Energy after his first match and keeps
a towel on ice with ammonia in his cooler. Fried
chicken and fries are his specialty. He once drove
25 miles off the Ohio interstate to eat at Canes
Chicken. I was a witness! Bart plays a lot of
tournaments in Mississippi and Louisiana, where
Canes and Popeye’s leave the lights on for him.
Colorado’s Cherie Chao is the other extreme.
Cherie works as a dietitian in Cardiac Rehab and,
as a result, has become a whole food, plant-based
eater. Besides the health benefits, Cherie loves
animals and is concerned for the health of the
planet. She avoids all animal products and most
processed foods. Her diet consists of legumes,
whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds.
When traveling, Cherie finds it easier to take a lot
of food with her. She starts her day (whether home
or at a tournament) with a bowl of whole grains,
usually oatmeal topped with berries, dried fruit
and a mixture of flax meal, hemp and chia seeds,
almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. This is a
great start because it’s loaded with protein, fiber
and other nutrients. She says it’s important to eat
the same foods in competition as you do in training.
It’s what your body is used to, which makes you
less apt to have any gastrointestinal issues. This
breakfast is easy to pack in baggies and take on the
road.
Other foods in her suitcase include peanut butter,
dried fruits, nuts, Tetra packs of ethnic foods such
as Channa Masala, Madras Lentils, quinoa and
brown rice. Once off the plane, she heads to the
grocery store for fresh fruit, veggies, hummus,
edamame, sweet potatoes, soy milk, V8 tomato
juice (great sodium and potassium) and 100-percent
whole-grain bread. Her lunches and snacks are
usually veggies and hummus, edamame, peanut
butter and banana sandwich, fruit, dried fruits,
nuts and water. She often joins others at night for
a meal out at a restaurant—there are choices at
almost all restaurants, especially ethnic. Just look
for legumes and veggies, bean or lentil soups, and
salads work great (hold the cheese). •