How to Eat Right for Peak Performance

Healthy НОСКEY Nutrition The best hockey players in the world not only are blessed with talent, but also prepare meticulously for each game they play, and that includes filling up on the right nutrients before and after practice or games. Knowing what to eat (and what to avoid) can make a huge difference to your game when it's time to get on the ice. IDEAL NUTRIENTS The 2 most essential nutrients for hockey players in the lead-up to a game are carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates fuel your body with the energy required for sustained high-paced skating, while protein adds the strength you need to take hits and keep going for the course of a full game. BEST SOURCES OF CARBOHYDRATES BEST SOURCES OF PROTEIN Breads & cereals Nut butters Lean meat or fish (e.g. peanut, almond) Fruit & vegetables Legumes (e.g. chick peas, lentils) Hummus dip (mostly bean) Dairy products Good nutrition accounts for 50% of my performance, with 40% being mental and 10% being physical. Hayley Wickenheiser Four-time Olympic medallist with Canada women's hockey team "This person is in no way affiliated with Tucker Hockey MAIN DIETARY FACTORS The optimum amount to eat and drink before and after practice or a game will vary from player to player depending on several factors: Intensity of the practice or game spent exercising Age Gender Height & weight Total time IDEAL MEAL OPTIONS PRE-WORKOUT O-- Main Meal --O O-- Large Snacks --O O-- Small Snacks Omelette Hard-cooked egg Crackers with fruit juice or water French toast with fruit & Fresh fruit with cottage yogurt cheese Fresh fruit with water Low-fibre cereal with fruit & milk Whole wheat bread or bagels with cheese/nut butter Small granola bar with water Sandwiches with low-fast Small sandwich with fruit cheese & sliced beef/ Low-fat yogurt with granola & veg turkey/chicken Chocolate milk or fruit Grilled chicken & rice smoothie POST-WORKOUT O-- Main Meal --O O- Large Snacks O-- Small Snacks Beef fajitas French toast fingers with maple syrup French toast with fruit & maple syrup Chicken kebabs Poached egg on English muffins Grilled cheese sandwich Pulled pork with tomato slices Grilled fish Medium muffin with Fruity cottage cheese omelette cheese slices Brown rice Sandwich with nut butter, Small sandwich with nut Roasted sweet potato wedges meat/cheese & egg salad butter, meat/cheese & egg salad Whole wheat pasta | Pasta & meat sauce Smoothie/yogurt Quinoa Lentil soup with salad Hard-boiled egg with vegetable crackers BEST TIMES TO EAT & DRINK Your main meal should be consumed 3-4 hours before practice or a game so that you're giving yourself time to digest the food properly to ensure peak performance. If you don't have time for a full meal, make sure you consume a large snack 1-2 hours before practice or a game so that you can take some vital energy on board. If practice lasts for more than an hour, a small Your body needs refuelling after the intensity of hockey games or practice, so make sure to have a small or large snack within 1-2 hours of coming off the ice. snack 15-30 minutes beforehand will give you a timely energy top-up. The importance of taking fluids on board cannot be understated. Take in plenty of water or sports drink with carbs (approx. 1 pint) at least 2 hours before practice or a game so that your body will be ideally hydrated while still leaving time for a lavatory stop before hitting the ice. NUTRITION MISTAKES TO AVOID Not getting enough water If you don't take sufficient water on board (aim for 20 oz an hour before hitting the ice), you'll be dehydrated and that will hamper your performance in terms of fatigue, muscle cramps and a lack of focus. Neglecting sodium Most nutrition advice condemns salt, but for hockey players, the body needs sodium for maintaining healthy blood levels and improving recovery. Target a daily sodium intake of 2,300mg. Trusting energy drinks Those canned energy drinks will perk you up for 30 minutes or so, but once the stimulation wears off, all you're left with are idle calories sitting in your stomach and, despite the name, no discernible provision of useful energy. Relying on supplements Your body needs refuelling after the intensity of hockey games or practice, so make sure to have a small or large snack within 1-2 hours of coming off the ice. Misjudging the fats balance Hockey players should include a limited amount of fats in their diet to absorb vitamins and raise energy levels, but feasting on saturated fats from dairy products, meats, savory snacks or fast food is totally counterproductive. Eating too much before practice or game time The timing of your pre-game meals is essential. If you take in too much in the hour before going on ice, food will sit in your stomach and affect your performance severely. Failing to eat before practice or game time A full stomach is bad but an empty one is even worse. If you skip eating entirely before playing hockey, your body won't have nearly enough fuel to withstand the pace of the game and you could even end up breaking down the muscle you worked so hard to gain in practice. Neglecting to refuel afterwards The exertions of playing hockey will lead to muscle breakdown if you don't refuel with proteins and carbs after practice or a game. If you fail to refuel afterwards, it will negate the efforts you've invested in nourishing your body before a practice or game. REFERENCES www.peakperformance.ca/tipsandtools/powerfuel_hockey.php www.coach.ca/hockey-nutrition-for-champions-p154663 www.livestrong.com/article/135806-the-hockey-players-diet www.stack.com/a/5-nutrition-mistakes-that-ruin-sports-performance assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/o014/9060/Eating_for_performance_in_hockey.pdf HOckey Tucker www.tuckerhockey.com T.H.E. Way to Success!