Sports nutrition for your team: what to eat before, during and after
Energy for training, fuel for match day and a proper recovery depend on what athletes eat and drink, and above all on when. This guide turns the international sports-nutrition consensus into a timeline you can read in a minute: pick the sport, the age group and the kind of day, and it shows meals, snacks and drinks hour by hour. Everything here is general guidance for healthy athletes, not a personal diet.
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Team sports: short bursts repeated for over an hour. Carbohydrate is the fuel that runs out first, and it shows in the last set or the last quarter.
Timeline
the evening before
Dinner the evening before
A normal dinner with a generous portion of pasta, rice, potatoes or bread. No need to overeat: this tops up the energy stores for the next day.
PastaRicePotatoesBreadChickenFishEggsTofuVegetablesFresh fruitYogurt
12:30
5.5 h before
Lunch
Lunch is the main meal before an evening session: carbohydrate at the centre of the plate, lean protein, a small portion of vegetables.
PastaRicePotatoesBreadChickenFishEggsTofuVegetablesFresh fruitOlive oil
15:00
3 h before
Afternoon snack
The bridge between lunch and an evening start, 2 to 3 hours before: a real snack, not just a biscuit. Carbohydrate plus a little protein.
BreadJamHoneyRice cakesBananaYogurtCrackersTurkey or chicken hamBreakfast cereal
17:40
20 min before
Last sips
In the last 20 minutes: a few sips of water. No new foods, no big drinks.
Water
18:00
18:00-19:30
Start
- 200-300 ml every 15 minutes
- Water at every break; for longer sessions, a few pieces of fruit at the break.
19:30
19:30-20:00
Recovery snack
Within 30 minutes of the end: carbohydrate plus some protein, and fluids. Milk or yogurt with fruit is a classic for a reason.
Chocolate milkMilkYogurtFresh fruitBananaBreadRice cakesTurkey or chicken hamCheeseTofuWater
20:30
20:30-21:30
Recovery meal
A complete meal within 1 to 2 hours: carbohydrate, protein, vegetables and fruit, with water. A pinch of salt helps rehydration.
PastaRicePotatoesBreadChickenFishEggsLegumesTofuVegetablesFresh fruitOlive oilWater
Why does nutrition change performance in sport?
Muscles run on carbohydrate stored as glycogen, and those stores are small. When they run low, speed, jumps, decisions and technique drop, usually in the last part of a match. Eating the right thing at the right time keeps them full, and recovery food refills them for the next session.
What should athletes eat before training or a match?
A main meal 3 to 4 hours before, built on carbohydrate with a moderate portion of lean protein and little fat or fibre, then a small carbohydrate snack 60 to 90 minutes before. Match day is not the day to try new foods: repeat what works in training.
Do athletes need to eat during a session?
Under 45 minutes water is enough. Between 1 and 2.5 hours adults benefit from 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour, and children do well with water and fruit at the breaks. Drinking at every break matters more than any product.
What should athletes eat after training?
Within 30 minutes, carbohydrate with some protein and fluids, such as milk or yogurt with fruit, or a sandwich. Then a complete meal within 1 to 2 hours. If the next session is less than 8 hours away, recovery starts immediately and continues with regular snacks.
How should athletes eat on a tournament day with several matches?
The break decides the food. Under an hour: fluids, fruit and easy carbohydrate. One to two hours: a light carbohydrate snack. Over two hours: a small meal. Pack the bag the evening before, because the venue bar rarely has what athletes need.
How much should athletes drink?
Start well hydrated, drink regularly at every break, and replace what is lost afterwards. Thirst arrives late, especially in children and in swimmers, so drinking follows the clock rather than the thirst. The colour of the urine is the simplest check.
Before
250-500 ml in the 2 hours before
During
200-300 ml every 15 minutes
After
Keep drinking with the recovery snack and meal until the urine is pale again.
Urine colour check
Warning signs of dehydration
- Headache or dizziness
- Strong thirst and dry mouth
- Irritability and poor concentration
- Cramps, nausea, unusual fatigue
- Dark urine or very little urine
How big should the portions be?
The plate changes with the day. On easy days half of it is vegetables; on hard days and match days half of it is carbohydrate. Protein stays at about a quarter. Hands are a practical measure that grows with the athlete.
Easy day
- Carbohydrate · 25%
- Vegetables and fruit · 50%
- Protein · 25%
Normal training day
- Carbohydrate · 33%
- Vegetables and fruit · 34%
- Protein · 33%
Hard day / match day
- Carbohydrate · 50%
- Vegetables and fruit · 25%
- Protein · 25%
Portions by hand
- ✋ Protein: one palm
- ✋ Carbohydrate: one or two fists (two on hard days)
- ✋ Vegetables: one or two fists
- ✋ Fats: one thumb
Choose often
PastaRicePotatoesBreadBananaFresh fruitYogurtMilkEggsFishChickenLegumesVegetablesWater
Limit or avoid
- Fried food before a session
- Heavy, creamy sauces
- Lots of fibre or legumes in the last hours
- Soft drinks as a daily drink
- Energy drinks
- Foods never tried before on match day
- Skipping meals
- Alcohol (adults) in the recovery window
Children and teenagers
Young athletes are still growing: they need regular meals and snacks, never diets. Numbers per kilogram are not used for them; hands and the plate are enough. No supplements, no energy drinks and no caffeine. Calcium, vitamin D and iron deserve attention, and breakfast should never be skipped.
Female athletes
Iron needs are higher: include meat, fish, legumes and leafy greens, with vitamin C to help absorption. Calcium and vitamin D protect the bones. A period that stops or becomes irregular is not a sign of being fit: it can mean too little energy and is worth a talk with a doctor.
Masters athletes
With age, spreading protein across every meal and snack helps keep muscle. Calcium and vitamin D matter for bones, and thirst gets weaker, so drinking to a plan is even more important.
Weight categories
Rapid weight loss by skipping meals, sweating or drinking less is dangerous and makes performance worse. Weight management for adults belongs with a sports dietitian and a doctor, well before the competition. For young athletes it is not a topic: they compete at their natural weight.
Swimming
Swimmers sweat in the water without noticing: keep a bottle at the end of the lane and drink at every set. Early morning sessions: a small snack before is better than training on an empty stomach.
Heat
In the heat, drink more often, add salt through sports drinks or salty snacks, and keep bottles cold and in the shade. Between same-day matches in the heat, at least two hours of rest are recommended by paediatric guidelines.
Several efforts in one day
Recovery starts as soon as one effort ends: fluids and carbohydrate first, a real meal only when the break is long enough. Keep foods familiar and easy to digest.
Late finish
Evening sessions and matches end close to bedtime. A lighter but complete dinner (carbohydrate and protein) helps recovery and sleep; skipping it leaves the next day half empty.
Supplements (adults)
A few supplements have solid scientific evidence for specific situations, for example caffeine, creatine and sodium bicarbonate. They are not needed by most athletes, they carry a doping-contamination risk, and they should only be used with a sports doctor or dietitian. Food comes first.
When to talk to a professional
Constant tiredness, frequent injuries or stress fractures, frequent illness, weight loss, a period that stops, or anxiety around food can be signs of low energy availability (REDs). They are not a coach's diagnosis to make: talk to the family and refer the athlete to a doctor or a sports dietitian. In the locker room, never comment on bodies or weight.
A printable report for your team, by AURA AI
Enter sport, age group, times and dietary needs: AURA AI writes food ideas for each moment of the day around these numbers, ready as a PDF with your badge or as a message for the parents group. There is also a personal version for adult athletes.
First report free for every team. Included in the Coach Pass.
Create the reportFAQ
Is this guide a diet plan?
No. It is general, indicative guidance for healthy athletes, based on international consensus statements. It does not replace a doctor, a dietitian or a sports nutritionist, and athletes with medical conditions, allergies or eating concerns need individual advice.
Do young athletes need sports drinks or supplements?
Usually not. Water is enough for most sessions; sports drinks are useful only for long efforts, heat or several matches in a day. Supplements are discouraged for young athletes, and energy drinks and caffeine have no place in their diet.
How much does the AURA AI nutrition report cost?
The guide is free. The first report is free for every team, and reports are included in the Coach Pass and in the club licence. Otherwise a report costs about USD 1 in AuraCoins, and a failed generation is refunded automatically.
What data does the report use?
Sport, age group, the kind of day, times and the dietary needs of the group, with no names and no body weight. The single-athlete report for adults calculates personal numbers on the device, and the weight is never sent or saved.
Can I share the report with athletes and parents?
Yes. Download the PDF with or without your team or club badge, or share it as a text message on WhatsApp, Telegram or email, the same way call-ups are shared.
Where do the numbers come from?
From public consensus statements: the ACSM, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada position on nutrition and athletic performance, the UEFA expert group on football nutrition, the American Academy of Pediatrics on heat and hydration, and the IOC statements on supplements and REDs.
Are you a sports dietitian or nutritionist?
We are looking for qualified professionals to review this guide and the reports. Get in touch: your review makes the tool safer for thousands of young athletes.
Contact usSources
- ACSM, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada — Nutrition and Athletic Performance (2016)
- UEFA expert group statement on nutrition in elite football (2020)
- American Academy of Pediatrics — Climatic heat stress and exercising children and adolescents (2011)
- IOC consensus statement — Dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete (2018)
- IOC consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, REDs (2023)
- Sports Dietitians Australia — Sports nutrition for the adolescent athlete (2014)
- American Academy of Pediatrics — Sports drinks and energy drinks for children and adolescents (2011)
Indicative information for healthy athletes, based on international consensus statements. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor, a dietitian or a sports nutritionist. Athletes with medical conditions, allergies, intolerances or eating concerns need individual advice.