Tips to Prevent Dehydration & Improve Performance with Optimal Meal & Snack Timing

E. J. Mundell

Introduction:

Being an elite basketball player involves participating in intermittent high-intensity exercise 5 to 6 days/week for as long as 3 to 6 hours, if multiple games and/or practices are scheduled. 2 It requires short periods of all-out effort followed by lower intensities. 3

We have discussed the importance of micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and three other macro-nutrients in previous posts. The fourth macro-nutrient is water. However, unlike the other three it does not provide energy. Nonetheless, it is the most abundant macro-nutrient in our bodies and necessary for almost every metabolic function that occurs in our bodies.2,3 Dehydration can limit how well our bodies can use the carbohydrates, protein, and fat we eat and store as fuel.2 Strategically timing your hydration, meals, and snacks is important to be capable of repetitively performing at high levels, to maximize training adaptations and to speed recovery between workouts. 2,3

This blog will discuss strategies to improve the timing of your meals, snacks, and hydration to optimize your performance and recovery.

Your Energy and Macro-nutrient Needs Off-season vs. In-season

It is important to consume enough calories to fuel your training and eat the proper amount of carbohydrate, protein, and fat optimize your training.

Review: How to calculate your calorie needs:

• Total energy expenditure(TEE)=[662 - (9.53x age) + PAL x [(15.91 x W) + (539.6 x H)]

The average professional basketball player is :

Age: 26 Height: 6 ft 7 inches (2m) Weight: 219 (100kg) pounds. 1

PAL (physical activity level) factor of 1.49 (very active while in-season) or 1.25 (active while in off-season).2 Based on these averages this athlete would need 3,500-3,700 kcals/day during in-season and ~2,500-3,000 during the off-season. 2,3

To meet your calorie needs:

In-season try to consume:

Total caloric intake (55 kcal/kg/day), carbohydrates (8-10 g/kg/day) and protein (1.2-3.0 g/kg/day) needs, then aim for 20-35% of energy from fat (0.5-1.5 g/kg/day). 2,3

Hypothetically, let’s say you are in off-season. You are not hitting the court or gym as much because you are giving your body a much needed break. So you become an avid golfer like Steph Curry. Your energy and macro-nutrient demands will change. Golf is a low-intensity endurance sport, primarily walking the course. Therefore, you would not have as much of an increased demand for energy as compared to when you are playing basketball in-season.

Off-season try to consume:

Total caloric intake (25-30 kcal/kg/day), carbohydrates (3-5 g/kg/day), and protein (1.2-1.7 grams/kg/day) to maintain your muscle mass, while getting your remaining calories coming from fat (0.5-1.5 g/kg/day). 2,3

Hydration

Recommendations and impacts on performance and recovery:

Dehydration compromises your ability to sweat and cool your body. 2,3 Therefore, if you do not hydrating properly your performance can be negatively impacted. If you are dehydrated, your blood volume is reduced because blood contains water. If you have less blood volume, you have less blood returning to the heart. Your body is forced to pump faster to get the same amount of blood to the skin for cooling and to your muscles.2,3 Therefore, the heart has to pump faster and ultimately your exercise capacity and performance will be compromised.

What can be done to prevent this you ask?!

10 Tips to Stay Hydrated:2,3

Pre-Exercise

1. Know the warning signs of dehydration

• Thirst, dizziness, unusual fatigue, light-headedness, dark urine, dry mouth

2. Have readily available pre-packaged beverages and/or water

• Different flavors of Powerade, Gatorade, etc

3. Freeze fluid bottles overnight to allow them to stay cold longer during workouts

4. In the 24 hours leading up to game or practice drink and eat foods with high sodium and water content

• Fruits, vegetables, and red pasta

5. Pre-hydrate to produce a light-colored urine

Good hydration Mild Moderate Severe Dehydration

http://www.hydrationcheck.com

During-Exercise

6. When sweating, don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink fluids

7. Take frequent water breaks, every 10-15 minutes

Post-Exercise

8. When sweating is anticipated, start activity with as much fluid in your stomach that is comfortable

9. Periodically record your body weight before and after activity

10. Try not to lose more than 1-2% of body weight with exercise

Nutrient timing recommendations and impacts on performance and recovery:

Strategically selecting the time, amount and composition of your meals and snacks can optimize your performance, help you meet you train for longer, and recover quicker. 2

Review: Purpose of Macro-nutrients for Training:2,3

Carbohydrates: Serve as the primary fuel for high-intensity, intermittent exercise.

Protein: Maintains a positive nitrogen balance for muscle protein synthesis

Fat: Serves as fuel source during low-intensity periods of exercise

Pre-training Goals: Maximize glycogen storage, increase amino acid and carbohydrate availability. 2,3

Meal: Eat a pregame meal 4 to 6 hours prior to exercise with:

• 20-40 grams of high-quality protein, low to moderate fat, and 45-90 grams of easily digestible carbohydrates

Snack: Eat a light carbohydrate/protein snack 30-60 minutes prior to exercise

• 30-60 grams of carbohydrates and 10-20 grams of protein

Hydration Drink 5-7 ml/kg of your body weight at least 4 hours prior to exercise

• e.g. 100kg athlete should drink 0.5-0.7 L of water

Drink 1 -1.5 L ~30-60 mins prior to exercise

During-training Goals: Maintain blood glucose levels, prevent dehydration, and reduce immunosuppression effects of intense exercise. 2,3

Drink 0.5-1 liter/hour to replenish water lost through sweat for exercise < 60 minutes.

• Hydration: Aim to drink 8-10 oz every 10-15 minutes to meet this goal

Drink a 6-8% carbohydrate and electrolyte containing beverage, especially if exercising > 90 mins

• Hydration: Aim to drink 8-10 oz every 10-15 minutes to meet this goal

Ingest the building blocks of protein, amino acids such as BCAA 4-6 grams in either pill or powder form. Avoid fat intake during this time.

Post- training goals: Replenish muscle and liver glycogen stores (takes at least 4 hours). 2,3 Lessen exercise-induced inflammation and immunosuppression. 2,3 Promote muscle protein synthesis and rehydration. 2,3

Meal: Eat a high carbohydrate/protein meal within 2 hour of training. 2

• Aim for 1-1.5g/kg carbohydrates with 0.5 grams/kg of high-quality protein

Snacks/Meals: continue to consume protein 20-40 grams every 3-4 hours, with moderate levels of fat and carbohydrates to increase satiety.

Drink 24 oz per pound of weight lost during activity.

Rest and nutritional strategies for recovery and ideal training adaptations:

Intense training requires sufficient rest and refueling for you to continue to perform at your best. Sometimes training can suppress your appetite; however, it is important to refuel post-workout to replenish your glycogen stores and promote protein re-synthesis. 2,3 Travel and training schedules may limit food availability and selection.3 Try to always travel with readily available nutrient- and energy-dense snacks to hold you over.

In general, to avoid illness and incomplete recovery you should:

1. Consume 4-6 nutrient-dense meals per day and snack in-between meals to meet your energy needs. 2,3

2. Supplement with antioxidants, fish oil, amino acids, and creatine to help promote recovery and improve your ability to maintain heavy training loads. 2,3

3. Intake casein prior to bed to support muscle protein synthesis.2,3

4. Get enough rest with quality naps and night-time sleep (7-9 hours per day) to help you recover, stay healthy and tolerate training and competition demands.3

Conclusion

Consume enough calories by eating the recommended amount carbohydrates, fat, and protein suggested above. Aim to eat a well-balanced nutrient-dense diet consisting of 4-6 meals per day plus snacks. This will help to ensure your diet supports the energy demands of basketball. Even more, you can time your meals and snacks to improve your training adaptations and recovery. Hydrating properly is just as important as fueling for peak performance. Try not to wait until you are thirsty, to drink water. Keep fluids near by when you are exercising, so that it is convenient to stay hydrated. Staying hydrated is important to prevent fatigue. Your diet, hydration, and recovery strategies impact your performance. Your ability to recover between subsequent workout is important to prevent injuries and to allow you to repeatedly perform at your peak. Strategically planning your meals, snacks, hydration, and recovery will take you a long way in your training and career.

References

1. Case, J. (2019). 13 facts to know from 2019-20 NBA Roster Survey. Retrieved September 03, 2020 from https://www.nba.com/article/2019/11/01/2019-20-nba-roster-survey

2. Kreider, R. B. (2019). Essentials of exercise and sport nutrition: Science to practice. Raleigh, NC: Lulu.

3. Rosenbloom, C. A. (2012). Sports nutrition: A practice manual for professionals. E. J. Coleman (Ed.). Chicago, IL: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.