What should you eat for dinner before a race? We'll tell you everything you need to know

Do you know what to eat before a race? Proper nutrition is fundamental to achieve a good sports performance. Just as you plan your training routines and adapt them to key moments such as the days before a race, planning and adapting your diet to sports practice is key to achieving the full potential of your body.

Turn food into your body's ally: we tell you how to prepare your body with the right nutrition and what to eat for dinner before a race.

What to eat for dinner before a race

Dinner before a race is especially important, especially if it is a long race, such as a marathon. Therefore, in the following section, we also tell you how to plan your meals from a week before and in the days leading up to the competition.

But there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Choose simple products that you have already eaten before. It is not a good idea to try new foods.
• Include carbohydrates to maintain adequate muscle glycogen levels. Once again, we insist that the type of race determines the diet. In the case of a race of less than 90 minutes, such as a 5K or 10 K, you don't need a carbohydrate overload.
• Add protein such as chicken, turkey or white fish that is easily digested. Athletes, especially those who run long distances, need to consume more protein than a person who does not train regularly. Proteins are not only low in fat, but are also essential for muscle recovery. On the other hand, they are very important for strengthening the immune system.
• Do not consume fatty products that can produce a heavy digestion, such as processed or ultra-processed products.
• Beware of excess fiber. You can have some salad or fruit.
• Hydrate yourself sufficiently but do not drink too much liquid in order to have a restful sleep. For your health and as an athlete, it is important that you always stay well hydrated, not only the day before the race but also in the days before and, in fact, every day.
• Do not consume alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea or carbonated beverages, which can destabilize the proper functioning of the intestines.

Here are some ideas of appropriate menus for dinner before a race:

• a pasta dish with a light bolognese sauce or with vegetables
• a rice dish with a bit of grilled meat or fish
• a plate of rice with some vegetables and chicken

The adequate quantity is that one that leaves you without hunger but without satiating you and producing a feeling of heaviness.

Not only dinner is important when preparing for a race, remember that what you eat the days before is also decisive. We tell you about it below.

Preparing your body for the effort with the right diet

As an athlete, you probably eat a healthy and balanced diet throughout the year. However, to get a good reserve of energy and your body to perform at its best on the day of the race, you must prepare yourself nutritionally from a few days before. We explain it chronologically:

• One week before the race. Protein will be the main ingredient of your dishes: lean meats (chicken, turkey), eggs and fish to provide nutrients to the muscles. Accompany the dish with carbohydrates and fat and fruit or yogurt for dessert.
• Two days before the race you should give more prominence to carbohydrates to accumulate good reserves of muscle glycogen. Glycogen is the way the body stores the glucose it extracts from carbohydrates and from which it obtains energy. During these two days, carbohydrates will be the main ingredient of the plate, although protein and vegetables will not be left out. At breakfast have cereals or bread with some protein and semi-skimmed dairy products so as not to consume too much fat and for dessert some fruit rich in carbohydrates.
•  

These are some of the most recommended foods:

• Lean meats such as chicken, turkey or rabbit.
• Pasta, rice, cereals, potato.
• Legumes. They are an excellent unique dish since they provide carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Accompany them with some vegetables.
• Blue fish.
• Eggs.
• Dry fruits. Take a handful of walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts every day.
• Semi-skimmed dairy products.
• Vegetables.
• Fruits. Citrus fruits are an excellent choice because of their vitamin C content. This vitamin participates in the synthesis of collagen and carnitine, an amino acid that transports lipids to the interior of the cells where they are used as fuel. The two days before the race, fruits rich in carbohydrates such as bananas or melon are also recommended.

The importance of nutrition to achieve your sports goals

The way you nourish yourself is fundamental to being healthy. Following a balanced diet provides an adequate supply of nutrients that meet the needs of the body according to age, sex and the activity you usually develop.

As an athlete you have specific dietary requirements that allow you to maintain performance, recover after the effort of training and competitions and prevent injuries.

There are factors that influence the body and sometimes prevent the diet from covering all nutritional needs:

• The diet itself that sometimes is not as balanced or complete as we think. In this case, we can consult a nutritionist.
• The quality of the food. The use of pesticides and other chemicals or the harvesting before the optimum moment prevent them from containing the same amount of vitamins and nutrients as those harvested at their optimum moment by a local producer.
• A person's own circumstances. After a cold, an injury or a stressful situation, the body may need supplementation.

Nutritional supplements allow you to get the right levels of vitamins and minerals you need to perform at your best. For example, B vitamins such as B7 or biotin and B5 or pantothenic acid are essential for carbohydrate metabolism and energy production.

In the case of minerals, many of them are lost when we sweat and must be replenished to avoid oxidative stress and the increase of free radicals. One of the most necessary minerals is silicon as it is essential for the assimilation of others such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, to synthesize vitamin D and to regenerate elastin and collagen fibers.

It is difficult to assimilate the necessary silicon through food, since most of it is lost during cooking. Therefore, a good way to obtain an optimal supply is with a food supplement, such as Silicium G7 Sport Recovery Supplement, formulated with organic silicon and glycine. Both components strengthen tissues and combat joint wear and tear:

• The organic silicon gives consistency and elasticity to joint tissues, something very important for athletes who tend to have a greater wear of the joints.
• The glycine is a fundamental amino acid that occurs naturally but in minimal quantities, so the body always appreciates an extra contribution, since its deficiency causes weakness in bones, tendons and cartilage. In addition, glycine is essential in the process of creatine synthesis, an amino acid involved in increasing strength and muscle recovery.

All this preparation helps your body to recover after training and be ready for race day.

Nutrition is key

Knowing what to eat for dinner before a race is essential for your body not to weaken during sports practice. Likewise, it is important not to neglect your diet after the race to help your body recover optimally. Eating properly and taking care of your body to prevent injuries are the cornerstones of lifelong sport - as is surrounding yourself with the right people: if you haven't yet tried partner training to improve your performance and motivation, it can make a real difference to your consistency.