• What are some good options to take on long training rides?
• What preparation would you suggest before, during and after a road cycling event (50-150 km)?
• Is it appropriate to give jelly beans to my netball team during quarter time breaks?
• My soccer team has a tournament coming up where we will play 2 games a day for 4 days. What should we eat before, during and after matches?
• Are oranges inappropriate at half time in an U10 soccer match?

Q. What are some good options to take on long training rides?
A. On long training rides you need foods which provide carbohydrate, are easy to eat, can be carried in a cycling jersey without squashing and do not cause stomach upset.  Personal preference and individual tolerance varies, but popular choices include cereal bars, sports bars (e.g. PowerBars), fruit bars, dried fruit, bananas, carbohydrate gels and plain sandwiches (e.g. jam or Vegemite).  It is useful to carry a combination of sweet and savoury options as taste preferences can vary through the ride.  Research suggests that 30-60 g of carbohydrate is needed for each our of exercise. See Carbohydrate - how much? for a guide to the amount of carbohydrate in common foods. You will also need to take into account any carbohydrate in fluids such as sports drink. Remember to put any food wrappers back in your cycling jersey and keep the highways clean.

Q. What preparation would you suggest before, during and after a road cycling event (50-150 km)?
A. The pre event meal should be eaten 2-4 hours prior to competing and should be low fat, high carbohydrate and low in fibre. It should fill you up but not cause any discomfort during the event from over filling or gastrointestinal upset, and should include some fluid. Most importantly, you should be familiar and comfortable with the meal. This will mean different foods depending on the race time, and  your likes and dislikes. If your race is very early, you may opt to have a lighter snack on the morning of competition, 1-2 hours prior to the event, and a larger supper the night before. Pre-event meal ideas include:

• breakfast cereal + skim milk + fresh/canned fruit
• muffins or crumpets + jam/honey
• pancakes + syrup
• toast + baked beans and flavoured low fat milk
• baked potatoes with low-fat filling
• creamed rice made with skim milk, or tinned low fat ricecream
• spaghetti with tomato or low fat sauce
• rolls or sandwiches with banana filling and fruit juice
• fruit salad plus low fat yoghurt
• liquid meal supplement

During events that last longer than 90 minutes, some form of carbohydrate and fluid will improve performance and also help you to recover better afterwards. In the shorter races, if you have cycled a fair distance prior to the race, you may also benefit from some form of carbohydrate and fluid during the race. Studies have shown that 30-60g of carbohydrate per hour should be consumed in an endurance event to delay fatigue. This is equivalent to 500-1000ml of sports drink or 10-20 jelly beans. You can experiment to see what works for you.

After competing, especially if you have to ride following the competition, a recovery snack is very important. Try to eat approximately 1g of carbohydrate per kg body weight in the two hours after exercise. Including some protein, vitamins and minerals will complete your recovery. This will be around 50-100g for most people. Post exercise snack ideas include:

• sandwiches
• fruit
• fruit bar, muesli bar, cereal bar
• low fat flavoured yoghurt
• smoothie, based on reduced fat/low fat milk.

If you would like more specific advice on the event nutrition, a sports dietitian can be contacted through Sports Dietitians Australia.

Q. Is it appropriate to give jelly beans to my netball team during quarter time breaks?
A. If your players prepare for the match with an adequate pre-game meal, they are unlikely to need extra carbohydrate during the match. It is more important to make sure your players drink sufficient fluid.  It won't do any harm to provide jelly beans at quarter breaks provided this does not distract your players from drinking.  However, it is unlikely to improve the way your players perform. I prefer not to promote lollies in sporting situations because most young people consume plenty of lollies outside of sport. 

Q. My soccer team has a tournament coming up where we will play 2 games a day for 4 days. What should we eat before, during and after matches?
A. Hopefully, your players already eat appropriately during the week to allow them to recover from each training session. The night before the tournament, players should consume a carbohydrate-based meal which also provides other nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals. The recipes in our website are examples of suitable meals.

On the morning of the tournament, players need a breakfast which is high in carbohydrate, low in fat and provides a variety of other nutrients. Players should select from foods such as cereal, toast, muffins, crumpets, tinned spaghetti, fruit, yoghurt, pancakes, juice,  fruit smoothies etc. As a general guide, breakfast should be consumed 1- 2 hours before warm-up, however, players will need to experiment to work out the timing which is most suitable. If the first game commences later in the day, snacks such as fruit, cereal bars, sandwiches, yoghurt, juice etc. may also be required. Generally, at least 1 hour should be allowed between playing and consuming a light snack. Players need to include fluid with all meals and snacks.  Sports drink, water, juice and cordial are all suitable pre-game.

During games, players should consume fluid (sports drink or water) if the opportunity arises.

After games, players should begin to replace fluid losses as soon as possible.  Sports drinks, water , juice, cordial and soft drink are all good choices. If there is less than 1 hour between games, players should stick to fluids and possibly foods such as jelly lollies, fruit or carbohydrate gels. If there is 1-2 hours between games, foods such as cereal bars, fruit, yoghurt, milk drinks and plain sandwiches are suitable. If there is more than 2 hours between games, more substantial foods such as sandwiches, rolls, noodles, pasta, breakfast cereal etc, should be tolerated.  Eating Before Exercise provides additional information. As most food outlets at sporting venues do not provide suitable food, players should organise themselves to take appropriate options from home.  Keep food and fluids cool and insulated to ensure they remain palatable and appealing.

Encourage players to consume fluid regularly throughout the day and finish each day with a carbohydrate-based meal as above.

Q. Are oranges inappropriate at half time in an U10 soccer match?
A. Children are less efficient at regulating body temperature than adults. They are therefore more at risk of heat stress when exercising in hot conditions. This means it is important for children to have an adequate fluid intake during sport. Children need to have a drink before the game and during warm up. Drinks should be encouraged during any breaks in play including half-time. In very hot conditions, it can be valuable for a medically trained person to step in and modify the rules for the day to allow extra opportunities to drink. This may involve shorter playing periods or dividing the game into quarters instead of halves. This often happens in official competitions at high levels for children and adolescents - safety and enjoyment of sport should always take priority over generic rules. 

It has been demonstrated that children will drink more when a flavoured drink is provided. Therefore, while water is suitable, sports drink, juice and cordial are also good choices. Half-time is a social part of the game at the U10 level. Sharing some fruit such as orange quarters or pieces of banana is a way of bringing the group together. Providing fruit also provides some carbohydrate, is refreshing and promotes fruit as a positive food choice. It is fine to provide oranges at half-time but also provide plenty of fluid. 

At the end of a soccer match, foods and fluids which provide carbohydrate but are also rich in other nutrients should be encouraged. Sandwiches, fruit, yoghurt and milk are good choices. Products such as sports drinks, soft drink and cordial provide carbohydrate but do not provide other nutrients such as protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Sports drinks are specifically designed to encourage fluid intake during sport. They are not intended to be used as an 'everyday' drink.

• Include lean red meat in your meals 3-5 times each week. It's as easy as adding a slice of roast beef to a sandwich or a handful of lamb strips to a stir-fry.
• Use commercial breakfast cereals that have been fortified with iron.  The label will tell you if iron has been added.
• Make use of other fortified products such as powdered drink mixes which have added iron.
• Add a source of vitamin C to your meals. This helps improve the absorption of iron. Good sources of vitamin C include fruit, juice, and vegetables such as capsicum and tomatoes.
• Avoid tea and coffee immediately before and after meals. These substances inhibit the absorption of iron.