What should an athlete eat before a game and how soon before?

My 9 yr old son and I have this ongoing discussion about whether or not he should eat before a game. He plays Rep soccer and I think it's unhealthy for him not to eat (not a huge meal but something like a yogurt tube, piece of fruit or small bowl of healthy cereal). He says he doesn't need to.



Any professional athletes or parents of young athletes please share your thoughts.What should an athlete eat before a game and how soon before?You are definitley right. The point of eating before a game is to get energy. The carbs and nutrients in the food get turned into energy and give you the extra boost on the field. The term used for this is carboloading. What many athletes do is the night before a game the eat a lot of pasta/grains. Sandwiches, spagetti, ravioli are all things I eat the night before a big game. And then the day of the game you eat very lightly. Like you said you want to eat some healthy cereal and a lot of fruit(preferably apples and oranges, they have caffiene and lots of good sugars in them that definitly give you a lot of energy).

I dont know if it matters but I play Division 1 College lacrosse and i am working on my degree in general nutrition.