hi dicey 2

as well as the info below, there are a couple of basics which you may or may not know which might help you decide what to eat.

• Water is essential at all times - you should be fully hydrated before your physical activity - relatively clear urine is the simplest way to tell
• Protein is the essential muscle building food (eg meat, nuts, soy etc) but little or none is used to power your activities
• carbohyrdrates are readily converted into glycolgen (which is what you mainly use during physical activity)  so these need to be plentiful before and after activity
• be aware of the glycemic index of foods. the higher the glycemic index, the quicker it is taken into your system ready to be converted into energy. too much instant energy that is not used can have a very negative impact, sometimes making you feel drowsy. it is better to go with low gi carbs (fruits, cereals etc) which will release the energy at a slower rate over the activity time
• because you use much of your glycogen stores during intense activity, you need to replenish these stores. again, some fruit immediately after activity is wise then more carbs in the two to four hours after your session.

this website has some expert advice on these matters including some sample meals which you might find helpful

during other times you should eat a well balanced diet, eating plently of fresh foods including plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. as a general rule, the more processed foods are, the more you should avoid them.

Here are some tips for the all important vegies and fruit

Here is a good diagramatic representation of a healthy diet

Assess you own diet here

check out the Australian Guide for Healthy Eating (pdf)

if you get the basics right, you can then choose foods which you enjoy, rather than have someone else tell you what you should be eating

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It all seems pretty sound advice.  Squash does burn a lot of calories and is great for weight control, though, having said that, an eating plan based on the amount of squash you play, together with the playing schedule, will help your game a lot.. By eating good food at the right time you are on the right track. Always allow 4 hours for a heavy meal to be digested before going on court, and that is why pasta and rice meals are great meals for the Friday night when you have a weekend tournament coming up.

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I'm no expert but I tried eating immediatley after playing following advice given on here and found that my muscle recovery was fantasic.

I made a shake by blending milk with banana, honey, fruit, nuts and cereal and drank that straight after playing and I haven't suffered from muscle stiffness since.  For this I think you really want easy to digest food, lots of natural sugars I think works fro me.

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Here is the Squash Library/Game Preparation  which has some good reading to help your squash game.

There has been discussion on Nutirtion and Diet in previous posts, see Relevant Content for more reading.

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