Basketball nutrition: what to eat before, during and after a game

What should you eat before a basketball game?

Your pre-game meal should top up your fuel without sitting heavily in your stomach. For exercise lasting more than an hour, the recommendation is 1–4 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight, eaten one to four hours beforehand [1]. This is the figure in the joint guidance from the dietetic associations of the United States and Canada and the American College of Sports Medicine [1].

If you weigh 70 kg, that means 70–280 g of carbohydrate. The closer you eat to tip-off, the smaller the amount. With about three hours to go, a large plate of rice or pasta with chicken, bread and a piece of fruit puts you around the middle of that range.

Foods high in fat, protein or fibre may cause digestive discomfort on court [1]. That is why the pre-game meal is the least exciting meal of the week.

What should you have for breakfast before a basketball game?

This is the most common situation in youth basketball, and often the least well planned. A game at ten in the morning, breakfast rushed at half past nine, or no breakfast at all. If you can, eat breakfast two or three hours beforehand. With that much time, breakfast is your pre-game meal: build it around carbohydrates, with little fat and fibre.

Three breakfasts that are easy to digest:

• White bread with turkey or jam, and a glass of milk
• Toast with olive oil and cooked ham, and a glass of orange juice
• Milk with fine rolled oats and a banana

If you only have an hour, reduce the portion and choose more liquid foods. A glass of milk with cocoa and a banana can leave your stomach feeling lighter before the game. Skipping breakfast and relying on the half-time drink does not work. If you start the game without eating, you play the fourth quarter on the reserves from dinner.

What to drink and have during the game

During a game, drinks matter most. The aim is to avoid losing more than 2% of your body weight [1]. For an 80 kg player, that is just over a kilogram and a half. Beyond that point, concentration and physical performance suffer. A typical drinking rate is 0.4–0.8 litres per hour [1].

How much carbohydrate you need depends on how long you exercise [1]. For less than 45 minutes, you do not need any. For 45–75 minutes, small amounts are enough; even rinsing your mouth with a carbohydrate drink may help. For exercise lasting one to two and a half hours, including stop-start sports such as basketball, the recommendation is 30–60 g per hour [1].

A game, including its breaks, usually falls into that last range. That is why a sports drink containing carbohydrates and sodium during time-outs and half-time can serve two purposes: hydration and replenishment. Too much fluid also carries a risk. Drinking far more water than you sweat out is the main cause of hyponatraemia, or low blood sodium [1].

What should you eat after the game?

The hour after a game is often lost between the shower and the drive home. It matters more when you have to play again soon. You need to replace three things: fluids, carbohydrates and protein.

For fluids, the recommendation is 1.25–1.5 litres for every kilogram of body weight lost, spread over the following hours [1]. If you have a normal training session tomorrow, you can get your carbohydrates from your next meal or dinner.

If there are fewer than eight hours between two demanding sessions, as in a tournament, the target rises to 1–1.2 g of carbohydrate per kilogram per hour during the first four hours [1].

For protein, the International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests about 0.25 g per kilogram, or 20–40 g [2]. A turkey or tuna sandwich and a milk-and-banana smoothie provide all three and fit in your kit bag.

How much to eat on training days

Training days without a game are when you fill the tank. With an hour of training a day, the consensus guidance recommends 5–7 g of carbohydrate per kilogram per day [1]. With one to three hours of training, it recommends 6–10 g [1]. For a 75 kg player during a competition week, that is 450–750 g a day.

That is why rice, pasta, bread and potatoes appear at every meal, not just on game day.

There are two protein ranges. The joint guidance recommends 1.2–2.0 g per kilogram per day [1], while the international society recommends 1.4–2.0 g [2]. Rather than aiming for the upper end, it helps to spread protein evenly every three or four hours [2]. You can divide it across four or five meals a day.

Do not cut back on fat. It should provide 20–35% of your daily energy, and going below 20% does not improve performance [1].

In pre-season, if you need to reduce body fat, do so with a moderate energy deficit and keep up strength training, as in this weight-loss diet. If your goal is to gain muscle, take in a little more energy and do strength training, as in this fitness diet.

What mistakes do we see in consultations?

These are three mistakes we see season after season among club and youth players.

Copying an NBA player’s diet. A professional trains more hours, weighs more and has a team adjusting every meal. Their portions do not suit someone who trains three afternoons a week.

Eating too little to feel lighter. This happens especially in pre-season and among teenagers who want to get leaner. It takes a toll on energy and recovery.

Doing two sessions back to back with only coffee in between. In tournaments and double-session days, the gap between sessions is often where you feel it most. A small sandwich and a piece of fruit between sessions help you start the next one with fuel in reserve.

Do you need supplements to play basketball?

Before considering supplements, you need a full nutritional assessment [3]. That is what the International Olympic Committee consensus on supplements says. It also notes that only a few supplements have good evidence, such as caffeine, creatine and nitrate [3].

People can respond very differently to the same supplement [3].

The same consensus warns of a greater risk: a supplement may be contaminated with banned substances and cause you to fail a doping test [3]. Sports supplements are also not recommended for minors [1].

If you think you have a reason to take one, remember: it should be recommended by your doctor or dietitian. If you play another team sport, the approach is the same as in this nutrition guide for football players.

Can nutrition make a basketball player grow taller?

This is one of the most searched questions about basketball and nutrition, and the answer is no. Height is determined mainly by genetics and the timing of maturation. No food or supplement can add centimetres beyond that potential.

What nutrition can do is help a growing boy or girl reach the height they are meant to. This comes down to something less exciting: eating enough. A teenager who trains every day needs enough to grow as well as to replace what training uses.

When they do not get enough, the International Olympic Committee consensus on relative energy deficiency in sport notes that growth, bone health, menstrual function and performance suffer [4]. Eating too little will not make you grow taller; it can hold back growth.