Sophomore field hockey player Eva Drut prepares herself for after school practice with toast slathered in Nutella, fueling her body for two hours of vigorous exercise. Like Drut, athletes around campus push their bodies through practices and games, and everything they put into their bodies can be equally as important as how hard they work.
Drut noticed that students become discouraged from eating because of repetitive school lunches, affecting their energy for practice later in the day.
“I don’t care if rice is good for you, I don’t want it every single day,” Drut said. “The lines are hectic and the food is all the same.”
Pre-practice fueling has its benefits, but timing of meals can also be essential for an athlete. For sophomore water polo player Devyn Tang, snacking and eating meals before practice could make a difference in how well she performs in the water.
“It depends on how much I eat and what I eat. If I eat a heavy meal before, then usually my stomach will hurt because I have to have time to process and digest before practice,” Tang said. “Before, I just ate a light snack like fruits because I don’t really want to overeat before practice, otherwise I’ll feel sick.”
Due to intense drills, conditioning and weight training, sophomore football player Jonah Woon finds that eating afterward works for refueling his body, but eating before practices is just as essential.
“After all the conditioning or exercise, we’re really tired and hungry. I think when I skipped lunch before, I was extremely hungry, which made me more tired and not physically fit and ready to be on the field,” Woon said.
Along with timing, for senior dance team member Sahasra Vankayalapati, managing what and when she eats directly affects how she feels and performs in rehearsals.
“When I eat more junk food, I feel really full during dancing, which makes it harder to move as much or put in full energy. You feel heavier with more food in your system, and it’s harder to push yourself because you can get cramps or feel sluggish,” Vankayalapati said. “But on days when I don’t eat anything or don’t have time to eat, I feel low energy because I have no fuel in my body.”
Listening to her body and considering the energy level of her practices are variables Vankayalapati considers when shifting eating habits.
“Last week, we were mostly learning choreography, which is low energy, so I went out twice before practice. But the week before, when we were running through the dance repeatedly, I made sure not to eat too much or be too full so I could move better and keep up with the intensity,” Vankayalapati said.
Food is not the only source that students consume to energize themselves. Energy drinks such as Celsius and Red Bull and sports drinks like Gatorade have become increasingly popular.
According to sophomore field hockey player Isabel Bestul, sports drinks are high in electrolytes that help regulate electrical activity throughout the human body. She warned against drinking them right before practice or consuming any quantities of salt to prevent sodium interfering with performance.
“If you eat something high in sodium, you’re going to feel super weak. You’re only supposed to drink sports drinks after or during practice to replace lost sodium,” Bestul said.
Vankayalapati shared her experiences with the negative effects of drinking too many energy drinks before a practice.
“I drink them in the morning because if I drink them right before practice, I have to go to the bathroom, which is distracting. If I have one occasionally, it’s usually fine,” Vankayalapati said. “But if I’m drinking one every day during a stressful week with tests, it gets bad. I notice my performance drops because I’m in pain or constantly need bathroom breaks, which interrupts my focus and energy.”
Making better food choices for some players can be an everyday choice. During football season, Woon makes an effort to eat healthier to keep himself in shape for the exercise that comes with his games and practices.
“I would say healthy food keeps me more fit, and it tastes good. Junk food is fast, easy, and I probably don’t have it more than once a week because diet is a big part of playing sports,” Woon said. “If I eat junk food every single day, I would be way unphysically fit and really just not healthy enough to do all the training or conditioning.”
From deciding when to eat to choosing foods that fuel your body, student athletes show that nutrition is not all about strict diets or unrealistic expectations but about understanding one’s own body and its needs.
“It’s important to eat what gives you energy so you can perform better in your sport, not just eat to eat. Finding that balance is key to performing your best,” Vankayalapati said.