Like I've said before racing and mastering the track isn't just what you do on the track but also outside the track. I'm making this guide as part of what you should do outside the track to master the track when you get there and give you the edge over others.
Food is often overlooked and the majority of people don't even bother about what they eat, and the few who do see it in terms of calories and protein at most but food goes much deeper than that, what you eat can influence what you think, your body's coordination ability, the ability to make decisions better in a millisecond, your mentality and overall make you win the race!
Breakfast
The most important meal of your race day is your breakfast, which is why you have to remember certain criteria to choose the best breakfast you can for maximum performance on track.
A good breakfast is simple to digest and rich in energy which means having pizza or a burger as your breakfast from a fast food chain is a bad choice. Don't eat too heavy or too much in the morning as your breakfast since it will take longer to digest and can make you feel lethargic when you eat a lot impairing your track performance.
Oats, muesli, dried fruits, nuts and berries, and other organic yet energy rich foods are the perfect choice for breakfast on a track day. Do eat enough that you don't feel hungry before lunch but not so much to feel lethargic.
Lunch
You have more freedom of choosing the food of your choice but since after lunch you will be returning to the track for the remaining sessions of the day, follow the same rule of not eating very spicy or food that can potentially upset your stomach later on and opt for healthy and slightly more complex food if you really want to than your morning's breakfast (especially if your morning breakfast was oats or something very simple that you would probably want something more flavourful for lunch) and since you will inevitably feel hungry after the track sessions in the morning eat food which is more energy dense or filling and eat some protein such as from chicken as well for muscle repair.
Don't eat a lot but a personal tip I found out is to eat where you are close to full but still a bit hungry, I found out that this kept my mind sharp for the evening sessions without feeling lethargic or drained.
Good food as lunch includes chicken sandwich, rice and other foods that don't leave you hungry in the evening sessions but don't fill you completely.
Dinner
The track day is over and now its time to have a filling dinner after a hard day at the track which you definitely deserve as well as a good rest.
Dinner you have most freedom of choice in what you eat and can eat whatever you would like although I still prefer a healthy dinner which will make you have better sleep in general. In fact, a healthy choice is always better in all 3 meal choices and they always lead to better mental function resulting in better track performance.
At dinner, you can eat the most more than lunch and breakfast and eat till you are satisfied because there is a long enough interval between the next day and dinner for your body to digest fully. A critical suggestion for dinner is to prioritize and eat protein from vegetarian or nonvegetarian sources since protein is needed for muscle repair which will happen when you sleep at night.
Eat some fruits or nuts part of your dinner or other foods that make digestion better. Avoid foods that can make sleep quality poor since sleep is just as important to the track as nutrition.
So here is an example of a good food plan for a track day:
1. Breakfast: Bowl of Oats with milk, a cup of dry fruits, berries.
2. Lunch: Chicken sandwiches
3. Dinner: Chicken pieces, Pasta/rice, a bowl of mixed fruits.
You don't need to follow this exactly you can alter food according to your needs and taste and find out which food works best for you but follow the above criteria and you can get an idea of what food to look out for and avoid and in no time you will be able to create your own perfect track day meal plan!
I'll see you guys on Thursday and If you're reading now and have any doubts, queries, or need advice on anything relating to racing gear, nutrition or riding skills drop a comment or send it to us through our email and we'll get back to you:)
Faster. Better. Safer.
Comments