Pre-Performance Diet Guidelines
So, it is the day of your recital or your performance and you're hungry. Immediately you think of two things, bloating and gas. What should you eat to avoid these horrific food side effects? Or should you even eat at all? These are common anxieties among athletes and especially dancers.
The following are guidelines that will help direct your pre-performance diet choices.
1- You Must Eat. You will need energy and therefore food. We are not talking about burgers and fries here. We are talking about a high energy, high carbohydrate, and low fat diet.
2- Carbohydrates are good. They contain the greatest amount of fuel needed during exercise and endurance. Carbohydrates are stored in the body in the form of glycogen. The best way to prepare for an activity is to store up glycogen within the body by eating a sensible amount of carbohydrates two to three days prior to a performance. (Not carbohydrate loading.) This will ensure that the body does have the sufficient energy required to perform the activity. By dieting and cutting back on carbohydrates prior to a performance, the dancer runs the risk of burning up the glycogen, which will result in low blood sugar levels. Symptoms of low blood sugar include weakness, fatigue, headache and decreased physical ability and coordination, all of which are undesirable. So 2-3 days before the show eat foods that are high in carbohydrates: pasta, rice, cereal and grains.
3- Eat well. Before the performance, watch what types of food you eat. Eating foods high in protein like steak or hamburgers will increase stomach acid. Fatty and greasy foods will delay digestion. A meal high in carbohydrates using foods that are easy to digest and not greasy are best. And obviously avoiding gassy foods would be smart.
4- Give your body time. Don't eat right before the performance. After you eat, blood flow is directed towards the digestive system and away from the musculoskeletal system. Cramping can occur when the muscles do not get the right amount of circulation. When you dance, you want blood circulation to your muscles to be unimpeded. Therefore, give your body at least 2-3 hours to digest the food properly.
Try out these guidelines and experiment with what foods work best with your body so that you can be healthy and full of energy for every performance.
Great Reference:
Vincent, L. M. The Dancer's Book of Health. Pennington, NJ : Princeton Book Co. , 1988.