The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Gymnast

The night before (actually 2-3 days before) it is recommended that the gymnast eat a high carb meal like pasta, baked potatoes, etc. Stay away from the fatty, greasy, spicey foods that may not settle well on a soon to be nervous stomach. The morning of the meet also eat the carbs, but also eat some NON-ACIDIC fruits (bananas, straweberrries, cantaloupe, grapes, apples). STAY AWAY from oranges, grapefruits, etc. Acid on acid is a no-no. The fruit gives them a short term energy boost and the breads/carbs give them a long term energy bank.

You've probably caught on to the carbohydrate theme. Carry this theme through what you pack in their gym bags for a snack. Some of these meets are long and your kids is going to get hungry. You want to pack them snacks that they like, not necessarily what you make them bring. You want to put them in small containers that are resealable - there's nothing worse than having crackers crushed all through their bags during a meet if your gymnast is only going to eat part of it. Choose items that are bite-sized to a certain degree, no gooey fillings, and kind of fun to eat. Here are some ideas: oyster crackers, goldfish, pretzels, carrots, grapes, small chunks of bagel, animal crackers, teddy grahams, popcorn, etc. Also, you should plan on having your daughter carry a screw top water bottle in her bag too. By the way, it is responsibility to make sure your daughter has her food and water with her before the meet. DO NOT WAIT until you get to the meet and hope they will have water there. I know lots of people that have waited to do the water thing. Get the water before you leave the house. This pretty well takes care of snacks.

This last sub-group of foods covers what happens after a meet. Experience shows that the girls LOVE to go out to eat after a meet. You "have to have" as many of the girls go to the same eatery as possible, so they can be excited and share their experiences with the other girls. THIS ONE IS JUST A WARNING!!!! It will happen!!