Squash Nutrition

Okay, so when I discussed my post match cool down strategies yesterday it got me thinking of a fact sheet for kids that I designed in my nutrition and sport class. I have copy and pasted this below. I talk about what is most important for fuelling yourself for squash and for refuelling yourself after practice. I thought this would be of interest to many of you. Take a look and let me know if you have any questions.

 “Physical activity, athletic performance, and recovery from exercise are enhanced by optimal nutrition. (1)

THE IMPORTANCE OF A BALANCED DIET

	Children			Teens
Age	2-3	4-8	9-13	14-18
Sex	Girls and Boys			Females	Males
Vegetable and Fruit	4	5	6	7	8
Grain Products	3	4	6	6	7
Milk and Alternatives	2	2	3-4	3-4	3-4
Meat and Alternatives	1	1	1-2	2	3

•   Ensures you get your daily amount of
  vitamins, minerals and other nutrients
  
•   It reduces your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis
    Contributes to your overall health and well-being

Are You Getting Enough (and the right type of) Carbs? 

THE BALANCED DIET AND CARBOHYDRATES

Glycogen (2)

o Is the storage of carbohydrates in the body
o is the primary fuel source for aerobic exercise
o Carbohydrate ingestion prior to exercise tops up blood glucose
stores along with muscle and liver glycogen stores
Low vs. High Glycogen Foods – The Glycemic Index (GI)(8)
o Is a ranking or carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100
o Determines how quickly and severely a carbohydrate food raises
the blood glucose levels following ingestion
o High GI foods rapidly and severely spike the blood glucose level o Low GI foods result in an improved maintenance of blood glucose
levels during exercise (5) 
Before Exercise
o Consume lower GI foods
During Exercise
o Replace fluid loss and consume (30 – 60 g/hour) carbohydrates to maintain blood glucose and muscle glycogen levels
After Exercise
o Consume higher GI foods to quickly replenish glycogen levels o How much energy did you burn? Focus shifts to replenishment which decreases recovery time

 

Low glycemic index rated foods gradually raise blood glucose levels and have proven health benefits (9)

SH PLAYER’S GUIDE TO HEALTHY EATING Page 2 of 5

Health Canada’s Recommended Daily Food Servings (7)

	Children			Teens
Age	2-3	4-8	9-13	14-18
Sex	Girls and Boys			Females	Males
Vegetable and Fruit	4	5	6	7	8
Grain Products	3	4	6	6	7
Milk and Alternatives	2	2	3-4	3-4	3-4
Meat and Alternatives	1	1	1-2	2	3

AM I GETTING ENOUGH SERVINGS OF EACH FOOD GROUP?

Examples of a Single Serving (7) Vegetables and Fruit
o Fresh, frozen or canned vegetables 125ml
o Fresh, frozen or canned fruits 1 fruit or 125ml o 100% Juice 125ml
Grain Products
o Bread 1 slice (35g)
o 1⁄2 bagel (45g)
o Cooked rice or quinoa 125ml
o Cereal cold: 30g hot: 175ml
o Cooked pasta or couscous 125ml
Milk and Alternatives
o 250ml of milk or soy beverage
o 175g yogurt
o 50g cheese Meat and Alternatives
o 75g cooked fish, shellfish, poultry or lean meat o 175ml cooked beans
o 2eggs
o 150g tofu
o 175ml hummus
o 30ml (2 Tbsp) peanut butter
Healthy Eating Tips (5)
 Smart choice - choose lots of veggies a wide variety
 Smart choice - choose lots of fruits of a variety of colours  Smart choice - choose whole grains
 Smart choice - use healthy oils
 Smart choice - choose fish, poultry, beans and nuts
X Avoid - limit red meat, bacon and processed meats 
X Avoid - limit refined grains
X Avoid - trans fat
X Avoid - limit sugary drinks

 

Supplements (1) In general, no vitamin and mineral supplements are necessary if eating a balanced diet. Those with a medical or diet concerns should seek professional medical advice

NIOR SQUASH PLAYER’S GUIDE TO HEALTHY EATIN

Page 3 of 5

WHAT SHOULD I EAT
BEFORE PLAYING SQUASH?

  

Key Components for Optimal Training, Performance and Recovery

Daily Carbohydrate Requirements: Variations Depending on Exercise Intensity and Duration (2)
o Low – 3-5g/kg body mass
o Moderate – 5- 7g/kg body mass
o High – 6-10 g/kg body mass
o VeryHigh-8-12 g/kg body mass

Prior to Exercise (3)
Food eaten before exercise should provide carbohydrates. It should also be low in fat and moderate in fibre to make digestion easier and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal discomfort. It must also be eaten with sufficient time to be digested and absorbed. The amount of time you have prior to exercise dictates what (and how much) food you should eat. The anticipated intensity and duration are also factors in determining how much fuel is required. During aerobic exercise (lasting 1 to 4 hours) 50 – 60% of energy comes from carbohydrates (1).
What are the optimal sources for fueling?
The following foods are suitable to eat 3-4 hours before exercise:

•   Baked beans with bread
  
•   Cereal with milk
  
•   Bread with cheese/meat + a banana
  
•   Yogurt with mixed fruit
  
•   Pasta or rice with a low-fat based sauce (e.g., tomato, vegetables,
  lean meat) – healthy options: whole wheat pasta or brown rice The following snacks are suitable to eat 1-2 hours before exercise:
   Milk shake or fruit smoothie
   Sport bars (check label for carbohydrate and protein content)  Cereal with milk
   Fruit-flavoured yogurt
   Fruit
  What can I consume if I have less than an hour before exercise?
   Sports drinks
   Carbohydrate gel 
   Sports bar
  What, when and how much do you eat when you perform & feel your best?
  Experiment to find the timing and amount that best suits your individual needs

A JUNIOR SQUASH PLAYER’S GUIDE TO HEALTHY EATING Page 4 of 5

Key Components for Optimal Training,

Performance and Recovery

After Exercise (4)
WHAT SHOULD I EAT AFTER MY MATCH OR PRACTICE?

The recovery process should focus on refueling the muscle and liver glycogen (carbohydrate) storage, replacing the fluid and electrolytes lost while building new muscle protein.
The goal of post-exercise recovery nutrition is replacing the body with the nutrients that were lost in a quick and practical manner that will optimize recovery and regeneration.
The main fuel used during moderate and high intensity exercise is muscle glycogen, so refueling reserves quickly is best accomplished through high GI foods.
What can I eat immediately after exercise (within the first hour)?

 Consume a snack or meal that contains 1 – 1.5g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight in the first 30 minutes and again every 2 hours for 4-6 hours (2)

 Consume 15 – 25g of protein

Items that contain 50g of carbohydrates

Find a foods glycemic index rating at
glycemicindex.com

 700-800ml sports drink
 2 sports gels
 500ml fruit juice or soft drink
 300ml carbohydrate loader drink
 2 slices of bread with jam, honey or banana  2 cereal bars
 1 cup of thick vegetable soup + bread roll  1 or 2 muffins
 Large baked potato with salsa
 100g pancakes + 30g of syrup

 

EXAMPLES OF THE GLYCEMIC INDEX (8)Banana 40–60 
250ml Gatorade 78 
30g White Bread 60- 80 
Apple 30-40 
250ml skim milk 32
150g white baked potato 70-100

Items that contain 50 g of carbohydrates + at least 10g of protein
 250-330ml liquid meal supplement
 300g creamed rice
 250 - 300ml milk shake or fruit smoothie
 600ml low fat milk
 1 – 2 sports bars (check package for nutritional content)
 1 large bowl of cereal with milk
 1 – 2 cereal bars + 200g of fruit flavoured yogurt
 220g baked beans with 2 pieces of bread
 1 bread roll with cheese/meat filling + a banana
 300g fruit salad with 200g of yogurt
 2 slices of bread with peanut butter + 250ml of milk
 Large baked potato + cottage cheese filling + 250ml of milk

A JUNIOR SQUASH PLAYER’S GUIDE TO HEALTHY EATING Page 5 of 5

“It is important to remember that food eaten throughout the training week and
food
and fluid consumed
during the event is just
as important. Consuming food and fluid before exercise should be seen as an opportunity to fine tune carbohydrate
and fluid levels...”
– Australian Sports Commission
(3)

MY NUTRITION CHECKLIST

Goals for daily consumption (number of serv
Vegetable/fruit: ___ Grain Products: ___ Milk/alternatives: ___ Meat/alternatives: ___ Amount of carbohydrates required (g): ___
Amount of protein required (g): ___
Amount of water/fluid intake (ml): ___ Other:

ings)

Food Group, Carbohydrate & GI Tracker
Time of exercise: ________

Expected intensity and duration of exercise: ________
Glycemic Index Rating

Vs. Time of Exercise	Fruit Veggie	Grains	Milk	Meat	Carb Count (g)
4-5 hours prior
2-3 hours
prior
1-1.5 hours prior
30mins – 1hour prior
During exercise
30 mins – 1 hour after
1.5 – 2 hours after
TOTAL

Plan ahead and prepare your body for the expected intensity and duration of your exercise! Experiment with different types of food, the quantities and timing of ingestion to find out what works best for you!