Eating and drinking

[j4ckie]

I use protein shakes after gym sessions (depending on the badminton hall situation, 2-4 times a week). Helps recover more quickly and if used only after really taxing exercise (weight training, tournament play) it's not too costly. Currently using ESN designer whey I got from Amazon (Hazelnut flavor actually tastes pretty good).

[Sgt_Strider]

I believe for training it's best to eat a not-too-heavy meal (not a lot of fat, more carbs than protein) 3-4 hours before training, and maybe a banana or sth an hour before, not more. I believe it's best to get used to playing on your reserves rather than preparing optimally for every training session - and stop training when you're exhausted, not trying to keep going on fumes and sugar. What's important is recovery! Cooling down properly (I posted my optimal cool-down here) and getting in some protein and carbs (no carbs if you wanna lose weight) after every training session.

Got a short list of decent carbs to consume prior to badminton? I'm a pretty busy person so I would prefer to buy them than to make a meal at home.

[j4ckie]

Not a complete list, but what I like to eat 3-4 hours before is
-pasta (if you buy take-out, it shouldn't drown in oil/other fats)
-rice or pretty much any other kind of
-grain/cereal.

Fat will make it harder/slower to digest, so you shouldn't eat anything too fatty in the 2 hours before, while sugar will raise your insulin level (which causes glucose in your muscles/blood to be converted into fat and basically makes the meal useless by 'stealing' your reserves).

If I'm very busy, I like to eat Asian take-out 2-3 hours before training. The side of rice is a good source of energy, and the vegetables and meat make it a rather well-rounded meal. No sweet-and-sour sauce though, that stuff is basically liquid sugar Peanut sauce is also not a good option (very fatty).
Ideally, you should take the vegetables and meat out of the container and let some of the sauce drip off - around here, they like to drown the stuff in it.

How long you need to wait after eating depends on the individual. Some people have the uncanny ability to play just a few minutes after eating, while some need more time than me to digest. 2 hours should generally be enough to avoid stitches if you didn't stuff yourself


Please note that I'm no nutritionist and that this is just based on my own experience and the knowledge accumulated from a short stint into fitness training and a general interest in anything sport-related.

[Sgt_Strider]

Not a complete list, but what I like to eat 3-4 hours before is
-pasta (if you buy take-out, it shouldn't drown in oil/other fats)
-rice or pretty much any other kind of
-grain/cereal.

Fat will make it harder/slower to digest, so you shouldn't eat anything too fatty in the 2 hours before, while sugar will raise your insulin level (which causes glucose in your muscles/blood to be converted into fat and basically makes the meal useless by 'stealing' your reserves).

If I'm very busy, I like to eat Asian take-out 2-3 hours before training. The side of rice is a good source of energy, and the vegetables and meat make it a rather well-rounded meal. No sweet-and-sour sauce though, that stuff is basically liquid sugar Peanut sauce is also not a good option (very fatty).
Ideally, you should take the vegetables and meat out of the container and let some of the sauce drip off - around here, they like to drown the stuff in it.

How long you need to wait after eating depends on the individual. Some people have the uncanny ability to play just a few minutes after eating, while some need more time than me to digest. 2 hours should generally be enough to avoid stitches if you didn't stuff yourself


Please note that I'm no nutritionist and that this is just based on my own experience and the knowledge accumulated from a short stint into fitness training and a general interest in anything sport-related.

I live in a city with tons of Asian take-outs so that's what I usually prefer when I need something cheap. I suppose Chinese/Japanese noodles will count as pasta then? Can you be more specific as in terms of fat when applied to eating pasta?

So minimize my sugar intake as much as possible? If that's the case, am I hurting my performance when drinking powerade instead of water while playing? Cuz it seems like I feel and perform better drinking powerade instead of water.

If I need something superfast, would you advise that I eat french fries or avoid it since it's oily and fatty?

[j4ckie]

Chinese/Japanese noodles are either pasta or rice (pasta referring to wheat-based noodles).

What I meant with the fat is that around here, cheap noodles are often covered in oil. While that's better than eating nothing, you should try to reduce the fat intake (especially before sports). If you can, have noodles without a lot of fat, i.e. not covered in oil, without a fatty sauce (depending on where you live, there might be Italian food vendors - there, you should stay away from cream-based sauce like carbonara. With Asian noodles, the sauce is usually oil-based, which isn't too great either, but hard to avoid afaik.)

During sports, you can take aboard sugar. The time to avoid it is in the 4 hours before and in the evening/after training. Before training, the raised insulin level will reduce the amount of carbohydrates you have available, in the evening, the raised insulin level will stop you from burning fat while you sleep.

If you drink some sugar during training, that's okay. Of course you'd need to stop that when trying to lose weight, but normally it's a good way of getting in some energy, and since fluids are digested more easily and thus faster than solid food, you'll actually benefit from it during training (eating a sandwich wouldn't be so helpful).


French fries are a last resort - they're fatty and salty and altogether pretty much worthless. Still, they'll provide you with some energy, and that's better than trying to play on an empty stomach. Also, you're very likely not a professional athlete so you don't need to watch your diet that closely

[Sgt_Strider]

Chinese/Japanese noodles are either pasta or rice (pasta referring to wheat-based noodles).

What I meant with the fat is that around here, cheap noodles are often covered in oil. While that's better than eating nothing, you should try to reduce the fat intake (especially before sports). If you can, have noodles without a lot of fat, i.e. not covered in oil, without a fatty sauce (depending on where you live, there might be Italian food vendors - there, you should stay away from cream-based sauce like carbonara. With Asian noodles, the sauce is usually oil-based, which isn't too great either, but hard to avoid afaik.)

During sports, you can take aboard sugar. The time to avoid it is in the 4 hours before and in the evening/after training. Before training, the raised insulin level will reduce the amount of carbohydrates you have available, in the evening, the raised insulin level will stop you from burning fat while you sleep.

If you drink some sugar during training, that's okay. Of course you'd need to stop that when trying to lose weight, but normally it's a good way of getting in some energy, and since fluids are digested more easily and thus faster than solid food, you'll actually benefit from it during training (eating a sandwich wouldn't be so helpful).


French fries are a last resort - they're fatty and salty and altogether pretty much worthless. Still, they'll provide you with some energy, and that's better than trying to play on an empty stomach. Also, you're very likely not a professional athlete so you don't need to watch your diet that closely

Haha, I definitely don't have to, but I want to maximize my performance by eating as well as I can prior to playing badminton!

[visor]

Pasta/rice/noodles are excellent carbs but are not digested in a few hours.

For that, I find something like sweet potatoes, bagels, pastry buns (not too sweet or fat). These can be digested and absorbed faster.

[j4ckie]

Tbh I don't really notice much of a difference. As long as I didn't starve before and it's really 2 hours (or more) before training those things are fine for me. Banana, bagels, rolls are my last resort if I had no time to eat and it's 90-60min before training