Nutrition for Bowls
(Bowls New Zealand)
Nutrition plays a vital part in our everyday health and well-being as well as helping to enhance our ability to perform on the green.
Good nutrition may assist our performance by:
ü Improving our ability to concentrate over the duration of a game and tournament.
ü Increasing our energy levels.
ü Assist recovery after a day's play, enabling us to compete over two or more days.
The most important focus of nutrition for bowls is having a balanced diet as is recommended by NZ Adults. In addition, there are some basic nutritional guidelines that can be followed that will help to enhance our performance.
Food and Nutrition
Guidelines
Eat a variety of foods from the four food groups.
1. Fruit and Vegetables
Eat at least 2 servings of fruit each
day and 3 servings of vegetables every day.
1 fruit serving =
1 vegetable serving =
1 apple, banana, orange, pear
1/2 cup cooked vegetables
2 plums, apricots
2 cup raw salad
1/2 cup canned / stewed / fresh fruit salad
1 potatoe / kimara
3/4 cup dried fruit
1/4 cup dried fruit
1 cup fruit juice
2.
Breads and Cereals
Eat at least 6 servings every
day.
1 bread/cereal serving =
1 slice bread / roll
1 scone / muffin
1 cup cereal
1/2 cup muesli
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 muesli bar
1/2 cup cooked pasta
1 cereal bar
3.
Milk and Dairy
Eat at least 2 servings every
day.
1 dairy serving =
1 cup milk
1 yogurt
2 slices cheese
1/4 cup cottage cheese
2 scoops ice cream
4.
Meat, chicken, fish, eggs, alternatives
Eat at least 1 serving every
day.
1 meat serving =
1 small chicken breast
3/4 cup mince
1 small fish fillet
2 slices cooked meat
1 egg
3 mussels
Fluids
Fluid intake is essential for optimal performance. Once a player feels thirsty, their mental and physical performance has already been affected.
Water is the fluid of
choice.
Baseline
fluid requirements:
2 liters (8 cups) per day and
MORE when it is hot or humid.
Fluid requirements during exercise:
Minimum 750 ml/hour of
strenuous exercise. Drink 150-250 ml
every 15-20 minutes to ensure you remain well hydrated.
If you are dehydrat3ed, you will experience one or more of the following symptoms:
Thirst
Dry mouth
Urine has a strong odor and a dark color
Dull headache
After one hour of strenuous exercise, you need to take in a carbohydrate source. Using a sport drink will help you to satisfy both your fluid and your carbohydrate requirements.
After exercise, keep drinking until urine is a clear color and abundant.
What counts as fluid?
ü
Water
ü
Sports drink
ü
Sports water
ü
Fruit juice
ü
Milk-based drinks
ü
Herbal tea
The following fluid sources should not be counted as part of your 8 cups daily fluid, as they all aide dehydration. For every 1 cup of these fluids you drink, you should be drinking 1 cup of fluid to balance the fluid losses.
Caffeine containing drinks
Alcohol
Travel:
Remember to take a water bottle with you in a car, bus, train, or plane and to drink regularly.
Nutrition tips for competition:
ü
Eat regular meals; i.e.,
breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, (snack).
ü
Make sure you have
plenty wholegrain breads, cereals, fruit, vegetables, and low-fat milk and dairy
products.
ü
Eat both protein and
CHO at every meal: cereal (CHO) and low-fat milk (protein);
sandwich (CHO) + ham
(protein).
Pre-event meal:
ü
Eat a meal that has
lots of CHO, a little protein, and minimal fat. Examples:
- toast /
bread with spaghetti, baked beans, corn, banana, vegemite
- cereal with
low-fat milk or yogurt
- porridge
with low-fat milk
- creamed
rice with fruit
- yogurt
smoothies
- filled
rolls (salad + meat / chicken / tuna)
During training or match play:
ü
If exercising for
longer than 1 hour, get some CHO; i.e., Sports drink.
Drink 1/2 — 1 cup fluid
every 15-20 minutes.
Make sure you take food
along with you such as muesli bars, fruit, bread/rolls, creamed rice.
Post-event:
ü
Make sure you eat some
CHO food soon after exercise.
- sports drink + banana
sandwich
- water + sandwich +
fruit bar
- spaghetti / tuna
sandwich + sports drink
- fruit smoothie
- creamed rice